SkillGamingStrategy.com
Giving You the Tools to Win at Online Skill Games!

Mahjong Tips

Tips for this classic game of Skill and Chance

Most accounts seem to point to the origins of Mah Jong, a game of skill involving four players, being from the Ningpo area of China in around the late 1800's. There are a great number of variations in scoring, hands and tile combinations depending on which version you play, however the basic rules tend to be similar. The 'Hong Kong' style is the most popular.

Tiles

The set consists of 136 tiles, with eight bonus tiles to make a total of 144. These are divided into three types: Basic, Honor and Bonus tiles. The basic tiles are the largest group, and are split into three suits named the Character suit, the Dots suit and the Bamboo suit. There are nine tiles in these suits, with four pieces of each number.

The Honor tiles contain two types - Dragon tiles (red, green and white) as well as Wind tiles (north, south, east and west). Like the Basic tiles, there are four of each. The bonus tiles are the smallest group, containing four Flower tiles and four Season tiles.

The traditional game (and the variants) of Mahjong rely on skill and chance, and is an excellent and rewarding intellectual challenge. The rules and strategies of this game are too complex to do justice to them within the confines of this page, however there are excellent tutorials/demos available at Mahjong Time and Mahjong Club, which cover all the basics and enable you to then go on and play the traditional version of the game.

Mahjong Solitaire

There is another type of Mahjong, known as the 'solitaire' or 'pyramid' type, in which the tiles are stacked in the form of a pyramid, and matching the tiles enables you to remove them with the overall goal of clearing all 144 tiles. Other skill gaming sites offer this single-player game, which awards you points based on your speed and the number of tiles you have removed.

Clicking on matching tiles causes them to be removed, provided that both matching tiles are 'free'. A free tile is one that has no part of the tile covered on top, and at least one horizontal side open. The exception to the matching rule are the season tiles and the flower tiles - any season tile may be partnered with another season tile and likewise with the flower tiles.

Mahjong Solitaire Strategy

The game is more challenging and complex than it initially appears, and the instinctive reaction is to rush headlong into the pile by removing the first tiles that are an obvious match. However, many of the skill game sites offer generous amounts of time to complete the task, so it is a good idea to scan the board looking for all immediate matches and potential future matches.

Always aim to clear the tiles at the top and the sides of the pyramid, as this opens up more options. The single tile at the very top should be removed as soon as possible - this covers four tiles and once it is gone you will have many more options available to you. Often there are three of the same tiles than you can remove, if this happens then you should take time to work out which two would be most beneficial to take off.

If you are stuck, make sure you scan through all the pyramid's tiles, often there will be a tile concealed behind a stack of others. Also remember to plan your moves carefully when approaching the final few tiles, as leaving the final two pieces stacked on top of each other will not let you complete the game.

The following online skill gaming sites are highly recommended for using our mahjong strategies, and can be used for playing for free or for real money. Good luck!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mahjong Time - Click Here

Mahjong Club - Click Here

MoneyGaming - Click Here