MAHJONG

 

OBJECTIVE OF MAHJONG: Create set and runs with cards and score the fewest number of points possible.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 4 players

MATERIALS: 152 tiles, 2 dice, Scoring sticks or coins, Wind indicator (optional), 4 racks (optional but recommended), 4 pushers (optional)

TYPE OF GAME: Tile matching

AUDIENCE: Adult

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INTRODUCTION TO MAHJONG

Mahjong or Mah Jongg is a four player game which employs both skill and luck. It was brought to the United States in the 1920s when Joesph Park Babcock published “Rules of Mah-Jongg.” Below are the rules to American Mahjong, which differs slightly from its Asian predecessor. American Mahjong employs racks, jokers, and some different mechanisms of play. The objective is to be the first player to match fourteen tiles and declare, “Mahjong.”

THE TILES

Mahjong has 166 game tiles, 152 of which are used in play. The remaining are spare tiles. The tiles are split into four groups.

Suits – 108 Tiles

Circles/Dots – 36 Tiles/4 of each

Bamboos/Bams – 36 Tiles/4 of each

Characters/Craks – 36 Tiles/4 of each

Honors – 28 Tiles 

Winds – 16 Tiles/4 of each

Dragons – 12 Tiles/4 of each

They are the White Dragon (Soap), Green Dragon, and Red Dragon, respectively.

Soaps can be employed as zeros.

Flowers & Seasons – 8 Tiles (1 each)

Jokers/Wilds – 8 Tiles

Jokers can be used to replace any tile in a set of 3 to 6 identical tile sets. However, it can not be used in a pair.

OTHER MATERIALS

Wind Indicators 

These are used to indicate which direction of the wind is current, this is the player who began the round. These are optional and not required for gameplay. 

Scoring Coins or Scoring Sticks

These are tools that can be used to keep track of the score. Whether sticks or coins, players may assign them a point value. These are optional and not required for gameplay. 스포츠토토

Racks & Pushers

Each player can have a rack to hold their tiles during play. Pushers are used to push racks forward during play, without revealing the tiles.

Dice

The game uses two dice to assign the position of the dealer (East) and to figure out where to break the wall (discussed below).

Score Cards

Players score various hands based on information determined by the National Mahjong League. These are updated annually and should be used as a reference when building hands.