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SLOPER ON MAH-JONGG

By Tom Sloper
November 24, 2013
No. 585

American Mah Jongg (2013 NMJL card). Defense.

1. Two possibilities. Could be Like Nos. #1, of course, or Evens #2. The hot tiles are 2D 4D 6D 8D and F. Each of those (except 8D) is a key tile, meaning she needs a pair. If 2D or 4D or 6D go dead (more than two are exposed or discarded on the table), then she can only be making Like Nos. If either of those is dead and F is dead, then you should tell her she's dead.

2. Quints #4. 7D is hot.

3. Quints #1. She needs 2D 3D and a pair of 1D.

4. Quints #3. Hot: fives and sevens in bams and craks.

5. Quints #2. Very hard to tell what she needs; could be any number in any suit.

6. Quints #1. She needs a pair of 5D. The singles are less certain; could be 3D 4D, or 4D 6D, or 6D 7D. Look for clues in exposures and discards.

7. Quints #4. 4D is hot.

8. Could be 2013 #3 or W-D #6. Hot tiles are ones, twos, and threes for 2013 (no clue here which suit), and for the W-D hand the hot tiles are R G (look to see if more than two of either is dead).

9. Could be W-D #3 or #5. Look for clues; if more than two of either E or W is showing, then she can't make W-D #5. No telling what odd number she'd want.

10. W-D #2 or #6. Wh and F are hot; if Wh is dead, she can only make NEWS. If flowers are dead, she can't make #2.

11. Quints #1. She needs 7B 8B and a pair of 9B.

12. Quints #3. Flowers are hot.

13. W-D #1 or #4. Hard to tell what even number is hot. S is key.

14. Quints #3. She needs 8B or 8C.

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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.

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