SLOPER ON MAH-JONGG

American Mah Jongg (2017 NMJL card). Defend!

1. The hot tiles are winds and numbers. Not enough information. And maybe it's too early to worry about being defensive. Nobody could blame you if you throw a tile to this (unless it's late in the game, and she wins on a W-D hand, and there were windy clues among the discards).

2. The hot tiles are 2D 4D and soap (I leave it to you to spot the hand this time). Soap is a key tile; if you see three or more soaps dead on the table, call her dead.

3. The hot tiles are 1B 3B F G. G is a key tile; if you see it dead on the table, Thirteens is where it's at. Unless you see all four of 1B or 3B dead on the table. See where I'm going with this?

4. Her hot tiles are 3B 5C 5D and F. Watch for clues as to which hand she might be making.

5. Her hot tiles are 1C and F.

6. Don't know what she thinks she's doing, but there's no such hand. Call her dead. And before you give me "we don't call one another dead in our game," consider that calling a player dead is a valid and fair feature of the game. When another player stops picking from the wall, your chances of winning increase.

7. You've heard this before: when the exposures are not valid, you can and should call her dead.

8. Easy one. Her hot tiles are 4C 8D.

9. Good news and bad news (for your opponent): the hand does indeed exist on the 2017 card, but it's not supposed to be exposed. Call her dead.

10. Easy one to spot. Her hot tiles are 6C 6D.

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Question or comment about this column? I often, um... intentionally... "miss" something; maybe you'll be the first one to spot it! Email and the discussion will be posted on the Mah-Jongg Q&A Bulletin Board. Like this...

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Column 683

>From: "johnh
>Sent: Monday, July 17, 2017 3:59 PM
>Subject: Column #683
>For hand #10, 6C and 6D are hot tiles if the opponent is playing 3-6-9 #2, however, 6C, 3B and 6B are the hot tiles if the opponent is playing 3-6-9 #4.
>John

Hi, John!
You know how it is when you travel – you always forget something. Looks like the thing I forgot this time is my 2017 card! I'll take a look at this when I get home.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
トム·スローパー
湯姆 斯洛珀
Creator of the Sloper On Mah-Jongg column and the Mah-Jongg FAQs -- donations appreciated.
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Manassas, Virginia, USA
July 19, 2017

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Column 683, revisited

Back from my travels without my 2017 card. So now I can better respond to this email...

>From: "johnh
>Sent: Monday, July 17, 2017 3:59 PM
>Subject: Column #683
>For hand #10, 6C and 6D are hot tiles if the opponent is playing 3-6-9 #2, however, 6C, 3B and 6B are the hot tiles if the opponent is playing 3-6-9 #4.
>John

Hi again, John! Now that I have my card in front of me, I can look at 369 #4. And I'm afraid you're mistaken - there is no pung of nines in this hand. My previous answer stands. But thanks for getting in touch!
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
トム·スローパー
湯姆 斯洛珀
Creator of the Sloper On Mah-Jongg column and the Mah-Jongg FAQs -- donations appreciated.
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Los Angeles, California, USA
July 30, 2017

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Column 683, part 3

>From: "johnh
>Sent: Monday, July 31, 2017 4:36 AM
>Subject: Column #683 Response to your reply to my original note
>Hand #10 from Column #683 shows an exposures of a Pung of 3C and and Kong of 9D.
>3-6-9 #4 requires both those exposures (as does 3-6-9 #2).
>Your reply says: "there is no pung of nines in this hand". While that is a true statement, it neither supports your answer nor refutes mine as there also is no pung of nines in the opponent's exposure.
>I'll stand by my previous answer.
>John

Good morning, John!
My eyes were deceiving me, and I must apologize. I thought I saw two pungs, but in the cold light of morning I see a pung and a kong, just as you say. I could plead jetlag, but what's the point - I was flat out wrong. You are correct about the two possible hands, and about the hot tiles.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
トム·スローパー
湯姆 斯洛珀
Creator of the Sloper On Mah-Jongg column and the Mah-Jongg FAQs -- donations appreciated.
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Los Angeles, California, USA
July 31, 2017

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