Occult mahjong: Difference between revisions

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Mahjong is a gambling game where luck plays a very high factor. Therefore, it is natural for superstitions to form.
Mahjong is a gambling game where luck plays a very high factor. Therefore, it is natural for superstitions to form.


Before the internet became widespread, occult mahjong was reportedly quite popular.<ref>''Riichi Mahjong Theory Reformist'' (リーチ麻雀論改革派) criticizes the then-popular style of occult play.</ref>
Before the internet became widespread, occult mahjong was reportedly quite popular.<ref>''Riichi Mahjong Theory Reformist'' (リーチ麻雀論改革派) criticizes the then-popular style of occult play.</ref> Many professionals focused on how to improve your luck.


==Occult mahjong takeways==
==Occult mahjong takeways==
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*For a more obvious example, if you know a player tends to discard [[hatsu]] after [[haku]]/[[chun]], then that is useful.  
*For a more obvious example, if you know a player tends to discard [[hatsu]] after [[haku]]/[[chun]], then that is useful.  
*Emotions can be read, just like in poker. Players could be visibly excited/anxious when they have a big hand and show it through the behavior, or annoyed when they have a bad hand.
*Emotions can be read, just like in poker. Players could be visibly excited/anxious when they have a big hand and show it through the behavior, or annoyed when they have a bad hand.
*Reading discards and getting a sense of what their hand may contain can also be considered "occult". Basic examples, like "a player discarded a lot of souzu/pinzu, so they are likely to have a manzu honitsu" can be considered part of probability. But trying to get a precise read on the hand's contents is in the realm of "occult" play.
*Reading discards and getting a sense of what their hand may contain can also be considered "occult". Basic examples, like "a player discarded a lot of souzu/pinzu, so they are likely to have a manzu honitsu" can be considered basic probability. But trying to get a precise read on the hand's contents, e.g. feeling that a given [[riichi]] is a cheap or expensive hand, is in the realm of occult play.
**Another, less clear example: "if many tiles are safe against a riichi, it's likely to have a bad wait". When thinking about probability, it makes some amount of sense. However, a digital player should think "as more tiles become safe, the dangerous tiles become ''more'' dangerous". An occult player may "sense" that a hand has an [[honor]] tanki wait and discard tiles brazenly.


As you may surmise, these tips are more useful when playing with physical tiles or with a specific group. In an online client, you'll often encounter a player once and never play them again.
As you may surmise, these tips are more useful when playing with physical tiles or with a specific group. In online clients, you'll often encounter a player once and never play them again, and reading emotions is impossible.
 
== References ==
{{reflist}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
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