SLOPER ON MAH-JONGG

American Mah Jongg (2022 NMJL card). Hypothetical defense problems with dragons and fives.

1. Kongs of dragons and same-suit fives. No such hand. Call that player dead. I'm serious, call them dead. There is more benefit for you if that player stops picking than if they keep playing and "might" throw a tile you need. Better to pick a tile you need than have it thrown to you, anyway. And if you play in a group that says "never call anybody dead," you don't play in a fun group.

2. Kongs of dragons and opposite-suit fives. Only one hand fits: Any Like Nos. #3. F, 5B and 5C are hot. Don't throw those unless another player fortuitously throws one in the same go-around (before the exposed player picks).

3. Pungs of dragons and opposite-suit fives. No such hand. You know what to do.

4. Pungs of dragons and same-suit fives. Could be Consec #7 or Odds #5. Hot tiles: F 1D 3D 4D. 3D and 4D are key tiles; if either is dead on the table, you don't have to worry about Consec #7.

5. Pung of dragons with a kong of same-suit fives. It's Odds #5, but the hand might be lows or highs, so the hot tiles are 1B 3B 7B 9B. No keys.

6. Pung of dragons with a kong of opposite-suit fives. No such hand on the card. That player is no threat.

7. Kong of dragons, and pung of same-suit fives. Dead hand.

8. Kong of dragons, and pung of opposite-suit fives. It's Consec #4. The hot tiles are 4D 4C 5C. The fours are key.

9. Quints of same-suit dragons and fives. It's Quints #1, and all winds are hot. Scan the table for which wind is most likely; if you see three Easts, for instance, that's probably not it, and it's probably safe to throw the last one. Unlikely the player has three jokers.

When there are exposed dragons and an exposure of numbered suit tiles, the quickest way to ID the hand is to scan the card for the dragon exposure. Ds are much rarer than numbers.

In coming weeks, we'll do this with other numbers.

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. Hit me with your best shot!

Join Johni Levene's popular Facebook group, "Mah Jongg, That's It!" and Donna and Dara's newer group, "Mahjong Community for lively conversations about American mah-jongg and all things mah-jongg.

Where to order the yearly NMJL card: Read FAQ 7i.

Need rules for American mah-jongg? Tom Sloper's book, The Red Dragon & The West Wind, is the most comprehensive book about the American game, a good supplement to the League's official rulebook. AND see FAQ 19 for fine points of the American rules (and commonly misunderstood rules). AND every player should have a copy of Mah Jongg Made Easy, the official rulebook of the National Mah Jongg League (see FAQ 3 for info on mah-jongg books).

© 2022 Tom Sloper. All rights reserved.