NEW as of 2023: We’ve added MORE Tips from Seasoned Players!
And as promised, here are more tips… The 42 tips below are in addition to the 42 offered in the book. That’s 84 tips in total! If you want to submitted a new TIP, contact me at stacey1955@gmail.com
Happy Mah Jongging!
- If you have a set at home, practice drawing 13 or 14 tiles at random and building hands from the card.
- Study the card, including the back of the card.
- Reread & study the information in the Flipbook, paying close attention to the last section: “42 Tips from Seasoned Players” on pages 17/18.
- Start a free 14-day trial at https://www.ilovemahj.com/,watch the Quick Start Video, try the Exercise Room, then select “Play w/Bots” & “Just for Fun” & enable Practice Mode which will give you hand ideas!
- Consider purchasing your own MJ set (Try: Amazon, Yellow Mountain, and, I especially recommend https://wherethewindsblow.com/)
- Go online and watch Michele Frizzell’s instructional videos at: Michele Frizzell #MAHJLIFE – YouTube (be sure to select “NMJL MJ”)
- See if you can explain the game to a family member or friend, and use your Flipbook for reference.
- Go online and check out the FAQ at https://mahjonggmentor.com/
- Consider purchasing a more in-depth book on American MJ. See Page 2 of your Flipbook for title recommendations.
- Join https://myjongg.net/ for free & play w/bots or upgrade to the Premium version ($5/mo or $40 annually) for access to their Tile Tutor, Training Room & Unlimited Play. Use the Tile Tutor option by selecting “Start a New Table” & select then choose 3 for “Number of Computer Players” (bots), then enable the Tile Tutor. Once in the game, select “Tutor” at the top right of your screen to see the “Best Sections” & “Best Hands” to go for based on the tiles you have.
- Go online & visit Tom Sloper’s website. He has an especially comprehensive collection of questions and answers here: https://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq/mjfaq19.htm
- Get a set of your own, and practice making hands.
- Go online and check out the FREE past issues of John Davis’s very cool MJ Diva Magazine, scroll down the page to find the links: https://mj-diva-publications.constantcontactsites.com/
- If you live in or near (or plan to visit) the greater Seattle, WA area, and want to play in person, join my group of mixed level players who meet weekly at a cool game café in West Seattle. We enjoyed meeting new players. Come laugh, make new friends, and gain valuable experience playing in with real people. All playing levels are welcome. For more info, contact me at stacey1955@gmail.com
- If you would prefer private lessons, I teach newbies! I charge a very minimal amount ($20 for a 2-hour lesson), and I offer group rates if you have a friends that want to learn with you! For more info, contact me at stacey1955@gmail.com
- If your hand is declared dead, don’t take it personally. It happens to everyone.
- Play the tiles in your hand, not the tiles you wish you had.
- Find a mentor and don’t be afraid to ask that person lots of questions.
- To remember that soap goes with the dots think of geometry: rectangles and circles go together.
- Try for a harder hand because no one will expect you to go for it!
- Congratulate the winner and resist the urge to whine about how close you were.
7. Go to Mah Jongg, That’s It! FB group page and read the help files. - Watch how other “Easts” break the wall and experiment until you find a style that suits you best.
- Try not to pass a Flower during the Charleston.
- Be patient with a difficult hand. You don’t want to throw out a needed tile too soon.
- Learn from someone who really knows the game.
- Discard a Joker at the end of the game, if you have one.
- Discard Flowers early on, if you don’t need them, or you may give someone else their Mahj tile.
- Draw 13 random tiles and practice which hand you could try for .
- When you aren’t playing, try to figure out which hand others are going for.
- After surveying your tiles, pick a hand and stick with it.
- Play the addition hands if you can, because they are relatively easy.
- Stick with the easiest hands to build your confidence.
- If you never play singles & pairs hands, you’ll never win one!
- Go to Gladys Grad’s Website and read how to play Two-Handed Siamese Mah Jongg ®: http://www.siamesemahjongg.com/
- Check out http://www.mahjongg.org/index.php/tournaments to learn about tournaments around the country.
- Run your own tournament using the free scoring materials here: http://www.mahjongg.org/index.php/rules
- To play with real people online from our Meetup group “Mahjongg Fever” contact me for more info at stacey1955@gmail.com
- GREAT TIP submitted by Barbara A. from San Diego Hi, I have used your flip books to teach three different groups to play Mah Jongg. It’s a wonderful guide and a great learning tool. I have a tip that a friend’s sister came with up for remembering that the white Dragon goes with Dots. When I teach a group, I remind them that bamboo is green, so green Dragons go with Bams. The Crak characters are red, so red Dragons go with Crak. The white Dragon is called Soap, and soap makes bubbles, so Soap goes with dots. Seems to work pretty well! Thanks, Barbara! (I underlined my favorite part)
- New Tip submitted by Sally R: After choosing your tiles and racking them, STOP TALKING until the game is finished. Social chatter distracts you, especially as a beginner. Thanks, Sally! That is an important one.
- Tip Submitted on 6/13/18 by Judi W: [edited for clarity] When you first get your tiles, if you have some consecutive pairs in matching suits, but not many tiles that go with them, and you have the four winds, (NEWS), then consider saving your winds. You could try for that first singles and pairs hand on the 2018 card. This may be a good strategy if you also don’t have any jokers because it seems many players give away their winds during the Charleston. Thanks, Judi!
- Tip Submitted on 9/18/18 by Debbie N: To help new players remember that you are not allowed to use a joker as a single, or in a pair I came up with this:“1 or 2, NO joker will do!” Thanks, Debbie!
- Tip Submitted on 7/13/19 by Judy I.: White dragon goes with dots, as soap goes with soap bubbles. Thanks, Judy!