There are those who consider to mahjong to be a game of pure luck, however there is an element of skill involved that can certainly increase your chances of a successful outcome. Here are some online mahjong tips and strategies to get you started.
Be Familiar with the Rules of Mahjong
Those who have the rules of mahjong and the scoring chart for the game at the tips of their fingers will be able to make the best informed decisions when they are on the spot. This is the most important online mahjong tip to master.
Know what you need from the Beginning
It is important to work out at the beginning of the game what cards you will need to complete your hand. This will help you decide how aggressively or defensively you should play. If you need four tiles or less to win a mahjong hand, you should play aggressively and take risks.
If you need five tiles from the beginning of play, you will need to decide whether to go for mahjong or seek a draw depending on how the game plays out. If you need six of more tiles to complete the mahjong hand, you should play defensively and aim for a draw from the beginning of play. If however after four tiles draws you only need three or less tiles, change your strategy and begin to play more aggressively.
The aim of the game is to obtain the highest score through the cumulative values of each hand. This can be done without winning the hand and you must play wisely.
Be Flexible
It is always a good idea to have a game plan from the beginning of the game so that you can plan ahead in terms of the tiles that you discard and the tiles that you keep. On the other hand, it is also important to be flexible during the game and to change track if that is the best option for you. Be careful not to let your opponents become aware of the hand that you playing.
Tile Discard Order
Discard isolated winds early on in the game before the other players “pung.” Discard the East Wind first, then that of the player to your left, then directly across from you and finally the wind of the player to your right.
You should also discard special winds of the other players early on in the game.
You should then discard the terminal tiles, as well as the shortest suits in your hand.
Discard isolated dragons immediately after the wind to prevent the other players from using “pung,” but you should keep dragon pairs.
Keep your own special winds until it has been discarded at least twice by other players or becomes useless to you. Double winds can be kept longer, until they are useless to you.
You should keep the simples until last. The most valuable tiles, especially late in the game are 4, 5 and 6 so these should be kept as long as possible.
