Mahjong strategy

The game complexity of Japanese mahjong bears an equally complex set of tactics and strategies to consider. While luck is a major element of the game, strategy is required to make the most out of said luck. Ultimately, it is up to the player to pick and choose tiles to attain the best result possible.

Tile efficiency

Main article: Tile efficiency

Playing with better tile efficiency means your hand is more likely to complete. Since only one player can win per round, tile efficiency is important. While going for 100% efficiency isn't always the right decision, it's best to not lose efficiency for no reason.

Defense

Main article: Defense

Instead of going for a win, defense focuses on not dealing in to other players, minimizing point losses. Many games are decided mainly by direct point losses, so it's sometimes best to fold completely, or at least go for a safer play.

Starting hands

Main article: Haipai

Each kyoku, every player is dealt with a starting hand of 13 tiles. Looking at the tiles, it is up to each player to determine the best choice of tiles to attain tenpai quickly.

Riichi

Main article: Riichi strategy

Declaring riichi is optional. While the benefits of calling riichi are big (~1.5 han on average), players must evaluate the risk and rewards from doing so. This decision often rests on the point standings, the current hand and round, and the hand's value.

Open vs closed

Main article: Naki strategy

A common question is whether to make tile calls, thus opening the hand, or keeping it closed. Open hands are faster, but require at least one yaku; a closed hand can always use riichi. In addiiton, some yaku are not available open; others reduce in value while open. A player should take into account point differences, the value of the hand, as well as the current hand/round to determining

Yaku

Main articles: Yaku and List of yaku

If possible, a player can take the start hand and speculate which yaku are reasonable to obtain. However, a player may not necessarily target a yaku. Sometimes, just reaching tenpai is enough, especially in tight point races.

Tenpai

Main articles: Machi and Tenpai

Naturally, every player must be able to recognize a hand at tenpai. Likewise, waiting tiles must also be identified in order to not miss them, whenever they are drawn or discarded. Even so, players have an array of waiting patterns to choose from in order to accomplish a winning hand. Furthermore, players may find themselves choosing one waiting pattern or another.

Atozuke

Main article: Atozuke

Atozuke is a special case of tenpai where the hand has no guaranteed yaku, and is waiting on a specific tile to obtain a yaku. Atozuke hands are usually allowed to win, but some rulesets forbid atozuke.

Digital vs occult

Main article: Digital vs occult

Digital mahjong is a mahjong style that understands that luck is like a digital clock - the outcome of one hand doesn't affect the luck of the next hand. A digital style focuses a lot on probability and statistics, as these can be (practically) used regardless of player.

Occult mahjong is what digital mahjong isn't. It focuses on luck and its flow from match to match. It may seem silly today, but there are some useful aspects not in digital mahjong - namely, the act of reading players.

External links

• Just Another Japanese Mahjong Blog

Translated strategy material from various Japanese sources.