SLOPER ON MAH-JONGG

American Mah Jongg (2021 NMJL card). Charleston exercises with the new card. What would you pass with these random deals?

1. Wow. Three jokers right off! Take care. You don't want to mess this up. The four steps, step #1: identify pairs. You've got ones and threes. Ones and threes absolutely go together (they're "friends," step #2). And they are Low (step #3) and Odd (step #4). So you want to work in the middle of the card. Quints or Consec or Odds. Don't even think about the left pane or the right pane. Ideally, you want to avoid hands with pairs - that's where you can lose despite having all those jokers - but the mah-jongg goddesses do so enjoy messing with us. A lot of deep thought needs to take place so those jokers don't go to waste in a wall game or a loss to someone else.

• Quints #2: 6 tiles +J - getting the second 2C is chancey. This hand doesn't need F, the bams, 8C, or E.
• Quints #3: 5 tiles +J - For this one, you need to keep 2B.
• Consec #5: 6 tiles +J - getting the second flower is a little chancey.

Surprisingly, nothing in Odds has better odds than those. You can pass E, 8C, and 3B while preserving all three options for this pass.

2. Step 1: you've got a pair of threes. Step 2: it's friends with all low numbers - those sevens can go. And so can N, so now you can stop spinning gears and pass.

3. You have a pair of fives. They're friends with high numbers, five and up. You can pass lows and winds.

4. Pairs of eights. We know that eights are friends with one another. No other evens, but we can go for Any Like Numbers with this. Pass lows in case consecutive numbers come in.

5. The only pair is S. Those numbers are all over the place, and that NWSSGR combo suggests your best direction: W-D #7 (6 tiles +J). There are several 5-tile (+J) hands: W-D #6, 2021 #4, 2468 #7, and Any Like #1. The best pass is 4C 9C 6B, but you've got too many options. Hope more tiles come in and settle a direction.

6. Pairs of twos, sevens, and eights. The sevens-and-eights matchup comes with a sizeable clique of consecutive friends. Twos-and-sevens is a non-starter, and twos-and-eights have no help - no fours or sixes in the mix. You want to keep all high numbers. It's ugly, but you can pass the twos and R.

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. Hit me with your best shot! Like this...

Column 742

On Monday, April 19, 2021, 11:23:00 AM PDT, Jean G wrote:
Charleston exercise, hand # 6
I would consider the jokerless #4 - Pass Red, 5B, 7D, and hope the "tiles would be with me"....
Jean G

Hi, Jean.
I admit I do tend to overlook Singles & Pairs. But S&P #4 is a very long shot with these.



You have a couple of ways you can go. Your like pairs can be either twos or eights. If the like pairs are to be the eights, you have 6 tiles, and you have zero fours, sixes, or eights in craks (and you'll need pairs of each). If the like pairs are to be the twos, you have 6 tiles, and again you're missing several whole pairs. If you get jokers after committing to S&P, you have to discard them.
If I go for Consec #6 or #7, I've still got just 6 tiles, but if I get jokers, I can use them. I have a lot more faith in Consec than S&P. But there is something to be said about going for the gusto!
Play safely and stay healthy. And may the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Author of the Sloper On Mah-Jongg column and the Mah-Jongg FAQs
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April 19, 2021
Los Angeles, California, USA

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