I’m going to hazard a guess that @Hoggirl will be playing American.
But she can check…because, yes, the rules etc are different.
I’m going to hazard a guess that @Hoggirl will be playing American.
But she can check…because, yes, the rules etc are different.
The app that I use on my iPad is called Real Mah Jongg - you use the card and can play with other friends, play hidden with strangers or play against the computer. 3 different speeds - but zero pressure when you are learning especially if you are playing hidden and against the computer. There is a monthly fee and a free trial - you must have a card.
Just looked and as of right now 2211 players are online playing! It is a great way to practice especially when they change the card each year. This helped me a lot when I was going from playing Chinese mahjong to American, as I was so confused by all the changes in the American version.
I love Mahjong and prefer Chinese style and it took me quite a bit of adjustment to learn US - my friends are sick of hearing me say, “but in Chinese mahjong you do this…”
Mahjong seems to be all the rage now with several companies making less traditional looking tiles (pastel colors, eliminating Chinese characters, changing dragons to other animals) and that is what I complain about now - as I also prefer traditional tiles and colors found in Asia.
Have fun !!!
How timely!
On Tuesday I will start American MahJong lessons in our county’s 55+ program. There are regular drop in times for folks to play at our community centers. Both lessons and drop in play is free for those with a 55+ membership ($20/year).
Sounds like fun! I play at a local senior center.
Just curious - I’ve only ever heard/seen women play mahjong for some reason. Of course I can’t imagine there is any reason men don’t…but do you play with men as well? (My husband loves cards and I bet he might love this - not me. )
We had a man join our mah Jong group for a few months. It was another player!
Oh! I guess that’s the kind we play in our family. “Wright Patterson”
We play with another couple about 1x a month - but we all learned different ways and came to an agreement to move to American/card style. I tend to play in the day when I am not busy at work (self employed) with other women friends - but no reason why men wouldn’t enjoy the game too.
We have one man in our group. He is 90 years old and his wife has him playing all kinds of things (bingo, mahjongg, some other games) to keep him active. He has a little dementia but does okay.
One woman was an engineer in Asia and played at lunch with a lot of men. For them it was all about the betting.
For me, mahjongg has always been a social game. Before COVID, I played regularly at a senior center, but when I returned afterward, the atmosphere had completely changed. The women had become incredibly serious, no one was allowed to make small talk and reacting with pettiness and anger when they lost. Considering that the most anyone could lose in a day was just $5, I saw it as a small price to pay for a few hours of social interaction. After that experience, I stopped going and have only played sporadically since.
That is too bad. When I worked in Asia, a lot of businesses took an afternoon break and you could hear the tiles clacking in the backroom as well as a bunch of chatter. The chips I saw in play looked to be substantial.
My dad swears that playing mahjong keeps his mind fresh as he optimizes his tiles and remembers what other players have discarded. I don’t doubt the therapeutic benefits.
Agree. I have some relatives playing mahjong regularly well into their nineties.
I’ve been playing steadily only this winter.
I’ve played twice this week and finally it felt more manageable.
Of course now that I’m figuring out the 2024 card, the 2025 is coming out.
It’s fun! I like that it takes concentration and patience. Some luck but some skill.
@Hoggirl did you play yet? I think it’s a fun game
No. Our lesson is going to be on Monday afternoon.
My one friend (different friend group) said I had to give it at least three times before things would even begin to click and to be patient when learning.
I’m looking forward to it more now! This thread has helped
It was fun!
I did watch three short videos before I went which I think helped.
I’m still not clear on when you make a final determination on which hand you should pursue. The card is kind of a lot. Because it is copyrighted, it was not shown in the videos I watched, and it was definitely overwhelming seeing all the options all at the same time. We played four rounds. I did not win a hand - the other friend learning won two! Our friend who was teaching us seemed to corroborate I was not having the best of luck with my tiles. She has played for ten years, and she was very adept at quickly reading the card.
I would definitely play it again! It wasn’t nearly as intimidating as I expected it to be.
That’s the hard part, trying to decide which hand to choose. Even when you do choose, there are times you have to pivot
And luck is a part. Yesterday I won quite a bit but I’ve gone weeks without winning.
The card is intimidating!
Sometimes I switch “hands” numerous times during one game.
Don’t get too used to the 2024 card. The 2025 card is probably going to arrive this week…and there will be differences!
@cbreeze I wish you lived closer! We just play for fun…and no money.
I’m in a learning group in about 2 weeks - I feel like you felt, very intimidated. How did it work out for you? Was it hard to follow? I can’t seem to grasp memorizing that many different kinds of tiles!
It helped me to think of the main characters like suits in a deck of cards.
I play Chinese Mahjongg and those I play with who play both American and Chinese say it is easier to learn Chinese, especially without counting points. We usually have two tables and one counts points (been playing longer) and the other doesn’t (I usually don’t count points, as we have one guy who is 90 and has dementia so we keep it simple, and he wins a LOT). It’s just for fun.
Concentrate on the 3 suits. SAY what they are (at least in your head). “One birdy bam” always confuses me unless I SAY it that way. I can’t tell you how many times I put 1 dot next to 2 bam on my rack thinking I’m making a run! Or not recognized that I have 9 bam and 8 bam because they don’t look the same (to me).