SLOPER ON MAH-JONGG

American Mah Jongg (2023 NMJL card). Various quandaries.

1. Nines and twos don't go together. Which pair has the most friends? Obviously, the twos do. There's no visible reason to keep R. Pass 9C R W.

2. I'm thinking 2023 #4 (five tiles, not counting the jokers). Yes, that's a Concealed hand, but I am not a "never Concealed" kinda guy. Pass accordingly.

3. I wouldn't stop. I'd pass 3C along with the 7B 9D. Shooting for 2023 #1. The dots will go towards the pung of twos and kong of threes.

4. G and 9D are clear enough (as if my sorting doesn't give that away), but what else? See your pairs: ones and twos. 5B is the most distant number from your strong pairs, so out it goes.

5. I can go Like Nos. with sixes or ones. The twos are out.

6. For Like Nos. #1, you have just six tiles toward like sixes, but seven tiles towards like sevens, so sevens are stronger. For Consec #6, you need just two suits, not three, and you don't need F. For that hand, you could discard F or 6D (dots being weaker than the other two suits). Throwing 6D maintains both options a little longer. Hope for a tiebreaker to come in on next pick.

7. Consec #6 looks best, with ones and twos. Ditch threes and Ds. Push 3D and 3B right of that joker. Soap can get hot later, better to get it out there before somebody wants it.

8. 6C is red-hot. Opponent could be making Consec #5, or Consec #2 in one suit. Check the length of the wall and decide the odds, and your risk comfort level. You're still a long way from mahj.

9. It's very early. If you call it for a kong (targeting Odds #5), you have to use your joker. I'd wait for the last G to go out.

QUESTIONS about the 2023 NMJL card? See FAQ 16.

COMMENTS
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Where to order the yearly NMJL card: Read FAQ 7i. But you're missing a bet if you don't order your NMJL card directly from the National Mah Jongg League!

Need rules for American mah-jongg? Tom Sloper's book, The Red Dragon & The West Wind, is the most comprehensive book about the American game, a good supplement to the League's official rulebook. AND see FAQ 19 for fine points of the American rules (and commonly misunderstood rules). AND every player should have a copy of Mah Jongg Made Easy, the official rulebook of the National Mah Jongg League (see FAQ 3 for info on mah-jongg books).

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