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By Tom Sloper
December 2, 2012 No. #548 |
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By Tom Sloper
December 2, 2012 No. #548 |
American Mah Jongg (2012 NMJL card). What would you pass?
1. Think Consec., pass 9D N soap.
2. Pass anything that doesn't fit with 369.
3. Like Numbers (eights) or evens. That leaves several tiles from which to choose your passers.
4. Consec. (7 8 9). That leaves a lotta junk to eliminate.
5. Elevens or Evens. Pass anything that doesn't fit.
6. Evens or Consec. Those three tiles at the right don't fit.
7. Like Nos., Consec., Odds... A lot of ways you could go, all low. Get rid of highs; pass 6 9 E.
8. Bad hodgepodge of singles. The lows are out-numbered by the highs, so pass lows.
9. Pass G, S, 8D. Hope for clues.
10. 369 or Consec. Pass E and either both twos, or one two and soap.
11. The only pair is N, but it has no friends. Pass N E G, and hope for good tiles.
12. Eights and twos indicate evens. Shun all else (for now).
13. A mess. Maybe Elevens or Consec. Pass dragons and S, and hope for the best.
14. Sixes and dragons. Been getting a lot of soaps today, but where are they when you need'em? Reason I said that is that the bottom Consec. is an option with this. Pass N, 1B, 4D. See what happens.
15. Consec. or 2012. Pass eights and 5D.
16. Clearly Evens. You know what to do.
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Question or comment about this column? I often, um... intentionally... "miss" something; maybe you'll be the first one to spot it! Email 
and the discussion will be posted on the Mah-Jongg Q&A Bulletin Board. Like this, for instance...
Column 548
>From: Michael K
>Sent: Saturday, December 8, 2012 5:32 AM
>Subject: Weekly Column 548, Hand 9
>Tom,
>I am puzzled by your answer to this WWYP. First, I confess I am just starting to learn to play. I have only been playing for a few weeks. But I have been studying your columns and reading Elaine Sandberg. That brings me to Hand 9 of this week’s column. I am curious why this would not be a strong start to 369 #1 – 6 tiles in that direction? Thus, keep Green and throw an even or a non-369 odd?
>Michael
Hi, Michael.
Hand 9 is not a "strong" start for 369 #1 because there are no sixes, and 369 #1 requires a pair of them. Anytime a hand requires a pair, you want to start off with at least half of the pair. (And of course, that is because jokers may not be used in pairs, and you cannot meld a pair separately.) But you can preserve the 369 option (and hope for sixes) and you can preserve the Consec. option I was probably contemplating if you pass 7D 8D S (substituting the 7D for the G I had initially suggested passing).
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
Creator of these Mah-Jongg FAQs -- donations appreciated.
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Los Angeles, California, USA
December 8, 2012
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Need rules for American mah-jongg? Tom Sloper's book, The Red Dragon & The West Wind, is the most comprehensive book in existence about the American game. AND see FAQ 19 for fine points of the American rules (and commonly misunderstood rules). AND get the official rulebook from the NMJL (see FAQ 3). Linda Fisher's website is the only website that describes American rules: http://sites.google.com/site/mahjrules/.
© 2012 Tom Sloper. All rights reserved.