SLOPER ON MAH-JONGG

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

1. Two pairs: sevens and nines. Low numbers and N can go. Pass 1D 4C N.

2. Think the bottom W-D hand, or Odds #2.

3. Six tiles each for Consec #2, #5, #6, or #7. No hand needs R. Keep it simple, pass the bams across too.

4. Two pairs: fives and Wests. Miserable hand, so think high Consec. Pass W, 2B, 3D

5. Three pairs: soaps, greens, Wests. Go W-D #3. Can pass South and threes. Don't stop. You can chuck a flower if something comes in the next pass.

6. Ones, threes, and nines don't go together. It hurts, but lose ones (think 369). Don't stop.

7. Soaps, greens, Wests. Seven tiles towards W-D #3. Pass S, R, and any dot.

8. Flowers, threes, and nines. Think 369. 1C and 4C can go, but this is a must-across and we need a third. Keep 3C 6B 9D for 369 #2. Pass anything else.

9. This is heading towards 369 #1. Keep craks and dots.

10. Flowers, fives, eights, nines. The fives are sore thumbs (too far away numerically). Think Like Numbers #1, so 8C is also superfluous.

11. Ones, threes, fours, and fives. 1C looks weak here. Consec #2 and Odds #2 are equal options, so K.I.S.S. and ignore all other options. Discard F for now (better earlier than later).

QUESTIONS about the 2023 NMJL card? See FAQ 16.

COMMENTS
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Join Johni Levene's popular Facebook group, "Mah Jongg, That's It!" for lively conversations about American mah-jongg and all things mah-jongg.

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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