Other forms may have few special hands but complex scoring or simple scoring but many special hands to learn or complex scoring and many special hands to learn like american mahjong if you want even simpler rules, have a look at these ultrasimplified chinese rules. See faqs 1 and 2 for more about these basic concepts. There are many versions of mahjong, but the main 4 are chinese hong kong american japanese. Mahjong solitaire is the single player version of chinese mahjong which is commonly played by 4 players. The ancient game takes patience to learn and requires a bit of strategy to play. A guide to mahjong chinese official international rules 2. American style mahjong rules mahjong is a chinese game of skill, which involves four players. American mahjong generally has greatly divergent scoring rules as well as greatly divergent gameplay rules. How to play mahjong with the basic rules the spruce crafts. Because of the large differences between the various systems of scoring especially for chinese variants, groups of players will often need to agree on particular scoring rules before a game, in order to eliminate possible disputes. Calling mahjong or going outwinning also usually gives minipoints.
Hence, my suggestion of old style, and others pointing toward zung jung. The amount of points and which sets and pairs that give minipoints vary with the game rules. In this case mahjong is played lonely, is called mahjong solitaire, and the. Almost similar to gin rummy, the object of mahjong is to build sets, as well as. Mahjong is a traditional game established in china about 100 years ago. The goal in hong kong mahjong for every hand, the goal is to become the first player to get a hand composed of any combination of four sets see below and a pair. The winning player adds up the value of his hand, then the other. The element of strategy that comes into it or one of the elements of strategy in mahjong is you want to try to match tiles in the right order. It can happen that one player can call mah jong with the discarded tile and another can call.
Draw tiles from the wall, with each player drawing from her section. Mahjong solitaire has become one of the most popular games in the world because of its simple rules and engaging game play. Three player mahjong rules and strategy of mahjong games. This affordable best selling book is the only available game strategy guide that is specifically geared toward american mahjong mah jongg and follows the official national mah jongg league rules. Mah jong is a game that is similar to rummy, but it is played with tiles instead of cards. Try to avoid sequences on the card where you are missing more. A set of mah jong tiles consists of 144 tiles typically around 30 x 20 x 15mm. Although the game play in general is similar in all of the versions of mahjong, the game pieces and scoring, however, slightly differ depending on the regional variations. Chapter three the general rules for the competition of chinese mahjong. Backgammon is a game for two players, played on a board consisting of twentyfour narrow triangles called points.
Second, the hand is analysed for patterns that depend on the game rules. Think of mahjong as one language, and each version chinese, japanese, british or american is a unique dialect of that language. Free printable baby shower games lovetoknow full template. American mahjong also sometimes spelled mah jongg or called maajh is. If you want to learn a simple scoring system, i suggest you look up the scoring rules for hong kong old style. When a player creates a set of hand or mahjong, he wins the game.
Going dead it is important to remember that there are many different kinds of mahjongg. The online mahjong rules are simple match identical mahjong tiles that are not covered, and free from sides. Offering firsttime players an easytofollow guide to this complex game, a beginners guide to american mah jongg includes simple, easytofollow. There are slight different between chinese mahjong, japanese mahjong, us mahjong and etc. Mahjong, mahjong or mahjongg is a chinese game that dates back more than 2,000 years. Following some simple stepbystep instructions you should be playing mahjong in no time. Download some other rules if something needs clarifying. Although in many variations scoreless hands tui dao hu in mandarin, gai wu in. Traditionally, they are made from bone or ivory but. Koreanjapanese three player mahjong, played in east asia is an amalgamation of old korean mahjong rules which traditionally omitted the bamboo suit and did not allow melded chows and had a very simple scoring system with some elements of japanese rules including sacred discard a player cannot rob a piece to win if he discarded it before. Please just give me really simple rules for mahjongg. See the basic rules for the popular chinese game mahjong, which apply to most variants. Of course, no such stone exists, so i latched onto the commonly played criteria.
Hong kong mahjong rules mahjong is a chinese game of skill, which involves four players. There is less emphasis on dragon tiles and concealed hands. Mahjong is a popular chinese game played with sets of tiles. The tiles of the mahjong game are also used in many online games. As these rules are based on tournament play there are no initial starting points.
Download of printable mahjong score cards see full template here. The goal in mahjong is to complete a set with your tiles similar to a poker or rummy hand. A u3a beginners guide to mahjong u3a site builder home page. If you are playing casually everyone can start arbitrarily with 500 points. What mahjong set of rules can be recommended to beginners. Although the game is hard to master, its fairly easy to learn the basics. The points are given a monetary value agreed by the players. A tile that can be moved left or right without disturbing other tiles is said to be exposed. The home and outer boards are separated from each other by a ridge.
Leave out the flowers hey, you wanted simple rules, right. Great for the beginner or a refresher for advanced players. This game is played with four players and a set of. Many people have already played the game in the past, but rules may vary wherever play has been learned. After you win a hand, typically you would calculate your score and make your opponents pay. Keep in mind that other players may pick up the tiles you discard. Riichi mahjong can be a fairly complex game for beginners to pick up. Mahjong is a tilebased game thats been played in asia for over 300. The american game is the most difficult one to learn. Mahjong solitaire is a singleplayer matching game that uses a set of mahjong tiles rather than cards. The question that you asked and thus the question that i am answering with this faq is. Any player who can form a finished mah jong hand with the tile just discarded can call mah jong, take the discarded tile and go out. After you draw your tile, discard a tile by placing it face up in the center of the table. There are 4 copies of each of the distinct bamboo, dot, character, and special tiles.
To learn the game, we recommend reading the rules and even if you dont understand them. It was written in collaboration with the british mahjong association bmja in an attempt to curtail the confusion over how to play and to allow the beginner an easier passage into the game. Almost similar to gin rummy, the object of mahjong is to build sets, as well as get the highest point value. The rules explained here follow those set out in mahjong know the game by gwyn headley and yvonne seeley. Mahjong or mah jongg is a four player game which employs both skill and luck. Mar 07, 2016 this video explain about basic rule to play mahjong.
The rules that follow are known as modern american rules. After a game is completed whether by a winning hand or no winner after the last tile in the wall has been picked, the player to the right becomes the. How to play american mahjong yellow mountain imports. Beginners usually practice the game process without keeping score until they have mastered the concept of the game. Shuffle the tiles and put them face down in a square structure that is two tiles high and one tile deep. Mahjong is a chinese game of skill, which involves four players. The aim of this guide is to teach enough of the key aspects and basics for someone who is new to the game to start playing on a computer client such as the gamedesign flash game, rather than to be a comprehensive guide to all the rules and edgecases that exist in the game.
Mahjong cards free for ios free download and software. To learn the game, we recommend reading the rules and even if you dont understand them fully, register with one of our recommended mahjong sites. If you want even simpler rules, have a look at these ultrasimplified chinese rules. Simple mahjong rules for three or four players hobbylark. It was brought to the united states in the 1920s when joesph park babcock published rules of mahjongg.
Mahjong solitaire or mahjongg solitaire also known as shanghai solitaire, singleplayer mahjong or oneplayer mahjong, is a solitaire matching game that uses a set of mahjong tiles. Many aspects can be understood by anyone who speaks mahjong, but to intelligently play a specific version you have to understand the rules and peculiarities of that version, or dialect. The object of the game is to create melds until you can go out, or go mah jongg. Mahjong is a four player game of skill, originating in china. The objective of the game is to put together a complete sethand which contains 4 sets of either. American mahjong also sometimes spelled mah jongg or called maajh is unique from asian mahjong in several ways. Mahjong solitaire is the single player version of chinese mahjong. But if you do download other rules, keep in mind that every writer who writes mahjongg rules writes them differently. These simple mah jongg tips are for people who already know the game but consider themselves beginners. Start your turn by either drawing a tile from the wall or from the discard pile unless it is empty. May 16, 2014 the element of strategy that comes into it or one of the elements of strategy in mahjong is you want to try to match tiles in the right order.
If you declare mahjong, reveal your entire hand so that everybody else can see it and verify that your hand is valid. Beginners can struggle a bit to keep track of the points that each hand is worth. Learn mahjong rules with our easy to follow mahjong guide. The sides will be 18 tiles long if you are playing with flowers and seasons, and 17 if you are not. Mahjong rules and how to play mahjong kristanix games. Scoring in mahjong, a game for four players that originated in china, involves the players obtaining points for their hand of tiles, then paying each other based on the differences in their score and who obtained mahjong won the hand. These rules will focus on the most basic rules of mahjong, which are the same across most other variants. Other forms may have few special hands but complex scoring or simple scoring but many special hands to learn or complex scoring and many special hands to learn like american mahjong. The total number of tiles will be 144 and 6, respectively. You dont want to match tiles in such a way that its.
The quadrants are referred to as a players home board and outer board, and the opponents home board and outer board. Below are the rules to american mahjong, which differs slightly from its asian predecessor. American mahjong utilizes racks, jokers, hands and rules score cards and has. How to play mahjong for beginners pdf gallery ideas.
A player who takes a tile from the wall that makes a completed mah jong hand, declares mah jong and lays down all tiles. In the solitaire version, your goal is to remove every tile by matching pairs of identical mahjong tiles. Mahjong scoring a quick reference guide to scoring. Mahjong solitaire has become one of the most famous games in the world because of its simple rules and engaging gameplay. As each tile is discarded, the player must announce the name of the tile she is discarding so that all players are aware of the discard e. The objective of the game is to put together a complete set hand which contains 4 sets of either. The triangles alternate in color and are grouped into four quadrants of six triangles each. Learn to play online with our easy to follow guide to mahjong rules. If any player can use the tile to complete a pung 3 of a kind, a kong 4 of a. Anyone used to card games where a winning hand consists of a straight flush or a full house can easily get their head around the basic rules of mahjong. A minimum of eight points is needed to call for mahjong. Mah jongg made easy is a valuable handbook with step by step instructions by the national mah jongg league using american western mah jongg rules. Play a relaxing game of solitaire that mixes the classic rules of mahjong with a deck of playing cards.
Weve split the rules into easy to understand and follow sections. These instructions are based on the american version of mah jongg. A guide to mahjong chinese official international rules 18. The objective of the game is to collect tiles to form a mahjong hand. Including description of the different tiles, how to set up the tiles, playing games,calculating scores and tables of different winning hands. Use our rules as assistance when playing and refer back to them.
Pdf version of my book, mahjong, british rules this is now available worldwide from my gumroad store. Like many popular games, mahjong has many regional variations, from the chinese prevailing wind system to american mahjong with special bingolike scoring cards. Classic mahjong was played with 144 mahjong tiles and four players. It is a social game that allows friends and family to get together and have fun. Mahjong is a game of both skill and luck that originated in china many centuries ago and was brought to the west in the 1920s with the publication of joseph park babcocks rules of mahjongg. It sounded like they were looking for a rosetta stone for mahjong rules and asked for official tournament rules hoping to find it that way. Printable rules mahjongg rules printables, rules, mahjong. To the end and to make things a little simpler for everyone, weve created a quick reference guide to mahjong scoring. The ultimate goal will be to do a mahjong, that is to say to make a winning hand with 4 melds pong, kong or chow and 1 pair also known as eyes. This will roughly determine the length of the game.
Players take turns picking one tile from the wall and discarding one tile. The 144 tiles are arranged in special layouts with their faces upwards. The rules of mah jong or mah jongg masters traditional games. This video explain about basic rule to play mahjong. Mahjong looks intimidating, but it is actually quite simple and similar to rummy.
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