American mahjong is not real Mahjong. I play Sichuan, Taiwanese, Hong Kong, Filipino and Riichi. I learned American Mahjong but I don't respect it, it has very little in common with Asian variants it's a colonizers game
My mother tried to teach this to me when I was wee. Her decidedly Philadelphian version of Michigan Rum was easier, and made more sense. In college, I really started to play HK, and thought, "Ok, this is fast, like Backgammon, and much better than American Style (AS)." Of course, my Cantonese still sucks, but now that my sister is learning this version, I ask her, "Why?" With all the kitchen-sink parts of this version, you might as well play ASL, or even Catan. Look at Bridge. So many rules to prevent you from tipping each other off about your hand; play it via computer, with bidding being cached for five seconds to prevent signaling. Done. Yeah, remove the social component, and even this version becomes playable....on a cell phone. Hence, I used to play Backgammon at speed, no clock -- I loathe speed chess, but I used to be rated well -- and for money, at that. Jamaican dominoes, Spades tourneys, etc. Most had prizes/rewards, but we also played a lot for fun. However, this version, AS, conjures images of Mah Jongg Ladies, all sitting around the table, gossiping, and smoking like chimneys. At least my mother banned them from smoking in the house.
There are so many different versions of this game... The American version requires copyrighted cards issued from the association? That sounds like an extra purchase and an extra step.
It's fast, but a group of players can shuffle and assemble walls very quickly. The reason you use these things is because any one or more of the following: a) you, or a fellow player, can not/no longer shuffle by hand; b) you want no one to "influence" the shuffle -- same reason there are autoshufflers in a casino; c) pretense.
Fan-Laak scoring for HK is what I use, but I can switch to the Old Chinese point system, too; however, simply agree on the scoring technique, and point-conversion rules, e.g. 5 fan = 48 or 64 points? Be consistent, because it affect how much 塊 you get.
You did not explain how to use those tiles that you reserved in the beginning by rolling the dice. You need to show how those are actually used last as a final wall. But other than the things I posted, the video was very good but of course it was very fast and it's a good overview. I never knew your video was out there and it just popped up today so I don't know what else you offer. I have been learning by reading a book and by playing in person with people. And now I follow the videos posted by Mahjong Central which is run by Michele Frizzell and she has different variations of Mahjong and different types of videos to teach how to play in strategy and they are free and they are wonderful. So if anyone doesn't find what they need here, they can definitely go to hers and I highly recommend them. Not trying to cause any trouble here by mentioning a competitor, but for people who want to play you are desperate for resources and the Mahjong essential resources are superb. And slower and explanatory. And they would work well also combined with this type of a video. So I offer it to people as a resource that I know about.
wtf "we are now ready to play" -- at 7:15 -- I didn't realize we weren't already playing -- way too complicated FFS -- and apparently just for the sake of being complcated
Unrelated question: What the heck is that thing that lights up in the middle of your table??! Nice video, I just bought a set, a book, some party favors like keychains, etc. Time to start a club in my area, which has no club! :)
This is a great video, I’ve only ever played riichi mahjong so it’s cool to see what this version looks like! The card is the only part that’s kinda confusing to me still, I’m only familiar with yaku as a win condition so I was mostly confused about how the cards are distributed, what happens if someone uses an outdated card, do you get to pick which hand you want to go for from the card?
Three white American women redesigned mahjong tiles to sell for $425 a set, saying the game needed a 'respectful refresh,' and were accused of erasing Chinese culture
They’re mixing poker with mahjong. You should learn the Chinese way which is more exciting bec of many rules. These variations are for foreigners who can’t understand the real way to play. Not even all Chinese knows how to play serious mahjong. I was taught at 12 years old by our grandmother so she has company to play. It’s the old Chinese way. I also play poker and blackjack, gin rummy taught by our dad. Russian poker too. I’m playing mahjong every weekend since Covid lockdown.
You did not mention the passing blind in the Charleston on the first left or the last right that is possible and when you initially showed all the tiles you didn't have your flowers arranged correctly with the two different sequences. Of course they are not used differently in the American but they are in other versions of the game so it probably is useful to show them in the two sequences and mention that there are two with different colors for the numbers but how they're used in American. And of course you need to mention how to pass blindly in the Charleston. That is a big omission.
Question: Yesterday, while playing our favorite game, a player called out her tile but did NOT put it on the table because she noticed that she could trade it for a joker that was displayed. Can she still take the joker?
Can anyone help? So if I understand this correctly in this version of mahjong, when a player discards a tile, anyone regardless if it’s their next turn or not can pick up that tile?
I was told there were no jokers/wildcards and flowers in the original Chinese mahjong cards. Is that right? Hmm ... See those diamond rings, pinkie rings on some players' fingers. Somebody could be marking cards.
There are all different number of tiles depending on Chinese or American version and the time frame you are looking it. We are talking about American mahjongg here. You can't mark tiles. Cards belong to each individual person. So no need to worry.
@@LionDiamond , Aren't those tiles made of plastic. Look at those rings and bracelets. A cheater can easily mark the tiles with diamond studded jewelry. Also, question: Is it possible for a game/match to tie when the walls are exhausted and no player manages to produce a winning hand?
It's a little complicated to explain. There are different versions of mahjong - sometimes spelled with a double g and different sets. The basic set tiles are the three suits - bamboos, dots and characters with numbers 1 to 9. Wind tiles - east, south, west and north and three different color dragons - red, white and green. There are 4 copies of all tiles making 136 tiles. A basic set will allow you to play most versions of the game but to play some versions like American you will need what are called the extra tiles. The extra tiles are 4 season tiles, 4 flower tiles and 8 jokers. The American version is supposed to be played with 8 flowers but I have never found a set that has them the seasons can instead be called "flowers". The numbers on the flower/season tiles can be ignored they are used in other versions of the game where you get a bonus by pairing a flower tile with it's corresponding season. If you don't have set yet I recommend going to yellow mountain imports. To play American mahjong you will of course want an American set. You should look at the pictures before buying anything. You need to make sure the set will have the extra tiles and stay away from the cards as they don't have a good description of what cards you will get.
there's only one problem, the score card has diferent set of color number can a player use any number or it's a specific number for all player at the time.
The card will tell you if numbers can be changed or if it must be the exact number. The card has many different combinations. I can't show the actual card because it's copyrighted. They change the card every year. Which makes it more exciting.
in parentheses it tells you what you can do and what's allowed to be changed for that hand. Each player plays according to that and not what other players are doing.
There are forty plus known mahjongg varieties. American mahjongg you can only play the hands listed on the current National Mahjongg Leagues card. Only American mahjongg changes cards annually. All the other forms of mahjongg are free-form ( more like Rummy). It actually makes it fun to change cards and have new challenges every year.
The yearly card aspect is the most american thing ever.
Totally unneccessary, existing only for milking money
American mahjong is not real Mahjong. I play Sichuan, Taiwanese, Hong Kong, Filipino and Riichi. I learned American Mahjong but I don't respect it, it has very little in common with Asian variants it's a colonizers game
So helpful! I've played only 3 times and your videos are very very good
I'm just learning and this was very helpful to get the quick experience .
My mother tried to teach this to me when I was wee. Her decidedly Philadelphian version of Michigan Rum was easier, and made more sense. In college, I really started to play HK, and thought, "Ok, this is fast, like Backgammon, and much better than American Style (AS)." Of course, my Cantonese still sucks, but now that my sister is learning this version, I ask her, "Why?" With all the kitchen-sink parts of this version, you might as well play ASL, or even Catan. Look at Bridge. So many rules to prevent you from tipping each other off about your hand; play it via computer, with bidding being cached for five seconds to prevent signaling. Done. Yeah, remove the social component, and even this version becomes playable....on a cell phone. Hence, I used to play Backgammon at speed, no clock -- I loathe speed chess, but I used to be rated well -- and for money, at that. Jamaican dominoes, Spades tourneys, etc. Most had prizes/rewards, but we also played a lot for fun. However, this version, AS, conjures images of Mah Jongg Ladies, all sitting around the table, gossiping, and smoking like chimneys. At least my mother banned them from smoking in the house.
I enjoy this version because it’s the one I’m learning, and I enjoy the members who are teaching me.
There are so many different versions of this game... The American version requires copyrighted cards issued from the association? That sounds like an extra purchase and an extra step.
Yes, the card changes every year. It’s really fun for the card to change. It doesn’t get boring.
It’s an electric table that automatically makes the walls. Fun to play with and you can play a lot more games since it saves time.
It's fast, but a group of players can shuffle and assemble walls very quickly. The reason you use these things is because any one or more of the following: a) you, or a fellow player, can not/no longer shuffle by hand; b) you want no one to "influence" the shuffle -- same reason there are autoshufflers in a casino; c) pretense.
Fan-Laak scoring for HK is what I use, but I can switch to the Old Chinese point system, too; however, simply agree on the scoring technique, and point-conversion rules, e.g. 5 fan = 48 or 64 points? Be consistent, because it affect how much 塊 you get.
You did not explain how to use those tiles that you reserved in the beginning by rolling the dice. You need to show how those are actually used last as a final wall. But other than the things I posted, the video was very good but of course it was very fast and it's a good overview. I never knew your video was out there and it just popped up today so I don't know what else you offer. I have been learning by reading a book and by playing in person with people. And now I follow the videos posted by Mahjong Central which is run by Michele Frizzell and she has different variations of Mahjong and different types of videos to teach how to play in strategy and they are free and they are wonderful. So if anyone doesn't find what they need here, they can definitely go to hers and I highly recommend them. Not trying to cause any trouble here by mentioning a competitor, but for people who want to play you are desperate for resources and the Mahjong essential resources are superb. And slower and explanatory. And they would work well also combined with this type of a video. So I offer it to people as a resource that I know about.
wtf "we are now ready to play" -- at 7:15 -- I didn't realize we weren't already playing -- way too complicated FFS -- and apparently just for the sake of being complcated
it is because we need to get the setup done for the mahjong
This is an excellent video. Thank you.
Unrelated question: What the heck is that thing that lights up in the middle of your table??! Nice video, I just bought a set, a book, some party favors like keychains, etc. Time to start a club in my area, which has no club! :)
This is a great video, I’ve only ever played riichi mahjong so it’s cool to see what this version looks like! The card is the only part that’s kinda confusing to me still, I’m only familiar with yaku as a win condition so I was mostly confused about how the cards are distributed, what happens if someone uses an outdated card, do you get to pick which hand you want to go for from the card?
Three white American women redesigned mahjong tiles to sell for $425 a set, saying the game needed a 'respectful refresh,' and were accused of erasing Chinese culture
So there are no sequences in American mahjong?
riichi mahjong is much better
They’re mixing poker with mahjong. You should learn the Chinese way which is more exciting bec of many rules. These variations are for foreigners who can’t understand the real way to play. Not even all Chinese knows how to play serious mahjong. I was taught at 12 years old by our grandmother so she has company to play. It’s the old Chinese way. I also play poker and blackjack, gin rummy taught by our dad. Russian poker too. I’m playing mahjong every weekend since Covid lockdown.
What is the name of your Mahjong set. .? Thanks for the good instructions.
You did not mention the passing blind in the Charleston on the first left or the last right that is possible and when you initially showed all the tiles you didn't have your flowers arranged correctly with the two different sequences. Of course they are not used differently in the American but they are in other versions of the game so it probably is useful to show them in the two sequences and mention that there are two with different colors for the numbers but how they're used in American. And of course you need to mention how to pass blindly in the Charleston. That is a big omission.
Just a novice...thanks for a great video!
So it's only pairs, triplets(pon), quads(kan), and quints? And no sequences?
It is pairs, pungs (3) kongs (4) rarely quints.
Sometimes I hear that American Mahjong has 152 tiles and then some others say 166 tiles. Which is it?? Am I missing something here?
152 tiles are played, 14 tiles are blank replacements.
Question: Yesterday, while playing our favorite game, a player called out her tile but did NOT put it on the table because she noticed that she could trade it for a joker that was displayed. Can she still take the joker?
As long as she did not lay down the tile, she is fine to exchange it.
What’s with the “he”?
Can anyone help? So if I understand this correctly in this version of mahjong, when a player discards a tile, anyone regardless if it’s their next turn or not can pick up that tile?
Yes, anyone can pick up the tile.
I was told there were no jokers/wildcards and flowers in the original Chinese mahjong cards. Is that right?
Hmm ... See those diamond rings, pinkie rings on some players' fingers. Somebody could be marking cards.
There are all different number of tiles depending on Chinese or American version and the time frame you are looking it. We are talking about American mahjongg here. You can't mark tiles. Cards belong to each individual person. So no need to worry.
@@LionDiamond , Aren't those tiles made of plastic. Look at those rings and bracelets. A cheater can easily mark the tiles with diamond studded jewelry.
Also, question: Is it possible for a game/match to tie when the walls are exhausted and no player manages to produce a winning hand?
It's a little complicated to explain. There are different versions of mahjong - sometimes spelled with a double g and different sets. The basic set tiles are the three suits - bamboos, dots and characters with numbers 1 to 9. Wind tiles - east, south, west and north and three different color dragons - red, white and green. There are 4 copies of all tiles making 136 tiles. A basic set will allow you to play most versions of the game but to play some versions like American you will need what are called the extra tiles. The extra tiles are 4 season tiles, 4 flower tiles and 8 jokers. The American version is supposed to be played with 8 flowers but I have never found a set that has them the seasons can instead be called "flowers". The numbers on the flower/season tiles can be ignored they are used in other versions of the game where you get a bonus by pairing a flower tile with it's corresponding season. If you don't have set yet I recommend going to yellow mountain imports. To play American mahjong you will of course want an American set. You should look at the pictures before buying anything. You need to make sure the set will have the extra tiles and stay away from the cards as they don't have a good description of what cards you will get.
Thank you friend Phil for sending me this.
Amei esse Jogo Gostaria que traduzir para Português Brasil Obrigada!!!...
there's only one problem, the score card has diferent set of color number can a player use any number or it's a specific number for all player at the time.
The card will tell you if numbers can be changed or if it must be the exact number. The card has many different combinations. I can't show the actual card because it's copyrighted. They change the card every year. Which makes it more exciting.
in parentheses it tells you what you can do and what's allowed to be changed for that hand. Each player plays according to that and not what other players are doing.
Why do you have to pay for cards, and why do they change yearly? Seems kinda scammy to me.
There are forty plus known mahjongg varieties. American mahjongg you can only play the hands listed on the current National Mahjongg Leagues card. Only American mahjongg changes cards annually. All the other forms of mahjongg are free-form ( more like Rummy). It actually makes it fun to change cards and have new challenges every year.
"He"??? lol
I KNOW!!!! this drove me crazy
Amei esse Jogo Gostaria que traduzir para Português Brasil Obrigada!!!...