Japanese mahjong setup: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 10:05, 8 October 2024

Before a game of Japanese mahjong can start, it must be set up.

Setup for each match

Equipment

Japanese mahjong is played with a set of 136 tiles (34 unique tiles, 4 copies of each type). It is played on a square table. A mahjong mat, while not necessary, should be used in order to protect the tiles from wear.

Wind seating

At the start of the match, each player is assigned a wind seat - this determines the first dealer and dealer order. A variety of methods can be used to pick the initial seating, such as rolling dice, or placing four wind tiles down and randomly drawing from them. In league/tournament play, the seats may be pre-determined. Once the seats are determined, the game can begin.

Setup for each hand

Building walls

Main article: Haiyama

At the beginning of each hand, the tiles are shuffled and placed into walls. Each player is responsible for building their own wall. A wall is 17 tiles long, 2 tiles high, and is placed in front of each player.

Breaking the wall

After the walls are built, the dealer determines the initial breakage of the wall using a dice roll. Two dice are rolled, and the sum is used to pick a player:

1, 5, 9: East (Dealer)
2, 6, 10: South
3, 9, 11: West
4, 8, 12: North

(In other words, the dealer starts at 1, and each # past 1 cycles to the next player, in counterclockwise order.)

That player's wall is broken. The player breaks the Nth tile in their wall from their right, where N is the number rolled from the die.

A few rule variations include another die roll, where first die roll determines which wall to break, and the second die roll determines which tile within the wall is broken. Most rulesets do not include this second die roll in order to save time.

Dead wall

Main article: Wanpai

After the walls are broken, the dead wall is created. From the initial wall break, players count 7 tiles to the right of the initial break, and breaks that section of the wall. This leaves 14 tiles (7 tiles double stacked) left for the dead wall. The third tile closest to the initial break is flipped over and used as a dora indicator.

Dealing the tiles

From the initial break, the dealer (East) begins by taking a group of 4 tiles from the regular wall. The South takes the next group of 4. Then West with 4 more, and North with 4 more. This procedure is repeated 2 more times, to ensure an initial deal of 12 tiles for each player. At this point, the dealer East takes the first and third tiles on the top row of the wall. South takes the next available draw, then West, and finally North. At this initial deal of the tiles, the dealer East should have 14 tiles, and the rest have 13. The game hand begins with the dealer discarding 1 tile.

Players are recommended to arrange their tiles according to suit, but it is not necessary. Sufficiently experienced players are able to read their hands with the tiles in randomized order.

Automatic tables

Main article: Automatic mahjong table

An automatic table can be used to save time. Automatic tables can build walls, and some can even deal the starting hands. The rest of the processes are done normally by the players.

Automatic tables are expensive (costing ~$1000 USD at minimum), so do not expect to use an automatic table for personal play. However, they are not uncommon, and are often used in commercial venues.

External links

Basic set up site

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-The game of [[Japanese mahjong]] is played with a set of 136 tiles. Of these 136 tiles, there are 34 different tiles with 4 of each kind. Aside from online, the live game is played on a square table, with the mahjong tiles places onto a mahjong mat. While the mat is not necessary, it is useful to use the mat in order to protect the tile surfaces.
+Before a game of [[Japanese mahjong]] can start, it must be set up.
-<!--eventually, I'll bring in pictures to illustrate these directions-->
-==Building walls and breaking the wall==
+==Setup for each match==
-At the beginning of [[kyoku|each hand]], the tiles are shuffled and arranged into walls. After shuffling, tiles are arranged into 4-double stacked rows of 17-tiles faced down. Every player has the responsibility of building their own walls arranged in front of them. Once the walls are built, the dealer determines the initial breakage of the wall using a dice roll. Once again, starting with the dealer, the count begins at 1 and the count moves clockwise. Then the wall of the player at the end of this count is broken, where the player counts with the same dice number from the first tile on the right side of his/her wall towards the left.
-==The dead wall and dora==
+===Equipment===
+{{Main|Mahjong equipment}}
+Japanese mahjong is played with a set of 136 tiles (34 unique tiles, 4 copies of each type). It is played on a square table. A mahjong mat, while not necessary, should be used in order to protect the tiles from wear.
+===Wind seating===
+At the start of the match, each player is assigned a [[Jikaze|wind seat]] - this determines the first [[dealer]] and dealer order. A variety of methods can be used to pick the initial seating, such as rolling dice, or placing four [[kazehai|wind tiles]] down and randomly drawing from them. In league/tournament play, the seats may be pre-determined. Once the seats are determined, the game can begin.
+==Setup for each hand==
+===Building walls===
+{{Main|Haiyama}}
+At the beginning of [[kyoku|each hand]], the tiles are shuffled and placed into walls. Each player is responsible for building their own wall. A wall is 17 tiles long, 2 tiles high, and is placed in front of each player.
+===Breaking the wall===
 [[Image:Dora and Wanpai.jpg|thumb|250px|Dead wall showing 2-pin as the dora indicator.]]
-{{main|Dead wall}}
+After the walls are built, the dealer determines the initial breakage of the wall using a dice roll. Two dice are rolled, and the sum is used to pick a player:
+* 1, 5, 9: East (Dealer)
+* 2, 6, 10: South
+* 3, 9, 11: West
+* 4, 8, 12: North
-Then the dead-wall must be set. From the point of the initial wall break, players count 7-tiles to the right of the initial break; and the wall is broken again. There should be a total of 14-tiles (7-tiles double stacked) in this group. This is the dead wall, which consists of tiles set aside and not used in the regular draw. Finally, the third tile closest to the inital break is flipped over and used as a ''[[Dora|dora]]'' indicator.
+(In other words, the dealer starts at 1, and each # past 1 cycles to the next player, in counterclockwise order.)
-==Dealing the tiles==
+That player's wall is broken. The player breaks the Nth tile in their wall from their right, where N is the number rolled from the die.
-From the initial break, the dealer (East) begins by taking a group of 4 tiles from the regular wall. The South takes the next group of 4. Then West with 4 more, and North with 4 more. This procedure is repeated 2 more times, to ensure an initial deal of 12-tiles for each player. At this point, the dealer East takes the first and third tiles on the top row of the wall. South takes the next available draw, then West, and finally North. At this initial deal of the tiles, the dealer East should have 14 tiles; and the rest have 13. The game hand begins with the dealer discarding 1 tile.
-Players are recommended to arrange their tiles according to suit, but it is not necessary. Some players are able to read their hands with the tiles in randomized order.
+A few [[rule variation]]s include another die roll, where first die roll determines which wall to break, and the second die roll determines which tile within the wall is broken. Most rulesets do not include this second die roll in order to save time.
+===Dead wall===
+{{Main|Wanpai}}
+After the walls are broken, the [[dead wall]] is created. From the initial wall break, players count 7 tiles to the right of the initial break, and breaks that section of the wall. This leaves 14 tiles (7 tiles double stacked) left for the dead wall. The third tile closest to the initial break is flipped over and used as a [[dora]] indicator.
+===Dealing the tiles===
+From the initial break, the dealer (East) begins by taking a group of 4 tiles from the regular wall. The South takes the next group of 4. Then West with 4 more, and North with 4 more. This procedure is repeated 2 more times, to ensure an initial deal of 12 tiles for each player. At this point, the dealer East takes the first and third tiles on the top row of the wall. South takes the next available draw, then West, and finally North. At this initial deal of the tiles, the dealer East should have 14 tiles, and the rest have 13. The game hand begins with the dealer discarding 1 tile.
+Players are recommended to arrange their tiles according to suit, but it is not necessary. Sufficiently experienced players are able to read their hands with the tiles in randomized order.
 ==Automatic tables==
 {{main|Automatic mahjong table}}
-Sometimes, the automatic table is used. These tables include one or two sets of tiles, with different colored backs. The table uses magnets to properly align the tiles face down. These tables randomly and conveniently arrange the tiles into the 4 separate walls. With push of the red button, four 17x2 walls of shuffled tiles rise up from below. With the push of a red button on the central island, it rises up and the discard ponds collapse to allow players to push tiles into the mixer below.
+An automatic table can be used to save time. Automatic tables can build walls, and some can even deal the starting hands. The rest of the processes are done normally by the players.
-The automatic table includes one or two sets of tiles, with blue or orange backs. With the push of a red button on the central island, it rises up and the discard ponds collapse to allow players to push tiles into the mixer below. With another push of the red button, four 17x2 walls of shuffled tiles rise up from below. Automatic tables are real and not that uncommon.  However, they are rather expensive, with the cheapest tables priced around ¥2000, or roughly $2000 or so.
+Automatic tables are expensive (costing ~$1000 USD at minimum), so do not expect to use an automatic table for personal play. However, they are not uncommon, and are often used in [[jansou|commercial venues]].
-Some automatic tables are capable of keeping score, based on [[tenbou|point sticks]] stored in four pull out compartments. In the event of riichi, the central island has four slots where 1000-point stick rīchi bets can be placed.  In front of each player, an display shows the player's current score.
+==External links==
+* [http://www.japanesemahjong.com Basic set up site]
-==External links==
 [[Category:Game rules]]