Introduction to Mahjong

Mahjong is a board game that was originated in China but the exact date of origin of this game is unknown. The oldest records related to the game were found from Shanghai, China and this was in the 18th century. The game was introduced to the Western world in the 19th century and it is James Babcock who brought the game to United States. Babcock also wrote a book on Mahjong rules and strategies which are still considered as the best resource for a newcomer to learn the game. Interestingly, the original version of Mahjong is not played in China today but Chinese play a modified version of the original game.

Surprisingly, many people believe that Mahjong is a game that is completely associated with your luck and winning the game needs a lot of luck. One can't deny that your chances play a major role in Mahjong but with the right gaming strategies, you can improve your position and advance in the game even better. There are some simple game strategies such as;

Keep Your Tiles Together - This is pretty important when you're playing Mahjong because separating your tiles will give your opponents an idea on how close you are to win the game. If you can keep this information a secret, you have higher chances of obtaining the required pieces and finish your game faster.

Flower Tiles - It is not uncommon in Mahjong that players hand over flower tiles assuming that these tiles are of no use. Well, it may be true that these ties are useless for you but there will be some players in the line who badly need a flower tile to arrange his/her set. By not giving away your flower tile, you probably are blocking someone else's chance to win the game, a good strategy to keep in mind.

Maintain Your Piece Count - It is very important to maintain the count of your pieces because at a later stage there are chances that your opponent to open a debate about your card count. Opponents can accuse you of having lower number of cards or the opposite way. To enter such an argument quick, maintaining a count on your pieces is very important.

Psychology also plays a major role in determining your destiny in Mahjong. There are many instances where a player can figure out which piece their opponents are looking for. This is usually assumed from inspecting the pieces that he picked up in the previous turns. If you get an idea on which piece your opponent is looking for, a good thought is not to give them from your hand so that your opponent's chance of pairing all the pieces and winning the game will be delayed further. You can leave that particular piece only if you have to or whenever you have made your position secure. Mahjong is probably the only gambling game where talent also plays a major role and this is why thousands of people enjoy this game even today.