SLOPER ON MAH-JONGG

American Mah Jongg (2013 NMJL card). How would you defend against these pung-kong exposures?

1. She's making Evens #4. The hot tiles are twos and fours in the other two suits (craks and bams).

2. This is Evens #5. The hot tiles are 2D 4D 4C. Get this: 2D and 4C are key tiles, because they're pairs (jokers cannot be used for those). Watch the table to see if either pair goes dead. By that, I mean: if you can see three of a key tile visible on the table, she cannot make that pair. If that happens, you can call her dead.

3. Tricky. She could be doing Consec. #1 or #2. If she's making Consec. #1, her hot tiles are 5D 8D 9D (5D and 9D are key). If she's making Consec. #2, her hot tiles are 4C 5C 8C 9C 4B 5B 8B 9B. If you see either 5D or 9D go dead, then Consec. #2 is her go-to hand. If you see 5D or 9D go dead and you see her react, you know she's in trouble. Conversely, if you see 5D or 9D go dead and you can see that she saw it and she doesn't care, play defensively.

4. She's making Consec. #2. Hot tiles are 4C 7B.

5. The only legal possibility is 369 #2 (Like Nos. #2 is a concealed hand). Her hot tiles are 3C 9D.

6. This is Evens #4. The hot tiles are 2B 8D.

7. Could be Consec. #2 or 369 #3 or 369 #5. Hot tiles are 7C 8B 3C 9D 3C 3D 6D. Threes are key; if 3D or 3C goes dead, you can forget 369 #5.

8. She's in 369, second hand. Hot tiles are threes and sixes in the other two suits.

9. Consec. #2. Hot tiles are 5B 8C.

10. Odds #2. Hot tiles are 5B, 9D. As with problem 5 above, she can't legally be making Like Nos. #2.

11. She's making Odds #1. 1D, 3D and 9D are hot. 1D and 9D are key.

12. W-D #3. Don't throw that last 7B (nor N, of course).

A tip o' the Sloperama hat to sharp-eyed reader Belinda!

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