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Occult mahjong: Difference between revisions
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'''Occult mahjong''', or '''flow mahjong''', is a school of thought that focuses on luck, instinct, superstition, and the "flow" of luck. For example, an occult style of thought believes that the luck from one hand carries over, or "flows", onto the next. | '''Occult mahjong''', or '''flow mahjong''', is a school of thought that focuses on luck, instinct, superstition, and the "flow" of luck. For example, an occult style of thought believes that the luck from one hand carries over, or "flows", onto the next. | ||
The converse of occult mahjong is dubbed '''digital mahjong''' or "scientific mahjong". A digital mindset focuses on probability and statistics. | The converse of occult mahjong is dubbed '''digital mahjong''' or "scientific mahjong". A digital mindset focuses on probability and statistics, "reading the gamestate, ignoring the players". '''Analog mahjong''', a more practical form of occult mahjong, focuses on reading the players (e.g. taking an "objectively" worse [[wait]] to try and hit a specific player). | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
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==Occult mahjong takeaways== | ==Occult mahjong takeaways== | ||
The use of the term "occult" can be seen as pejorative - saying occult dismisses the entire thing as bogus. It's true that there were many silly superstitions, such as "calling discards to shift the tile luck to you". However, there | The use of the term "occult" can be seen as pejorative - saying occult dismisses the entire thing as bogus. It's true that there were many silly superstitions, such as "calling discards to shift the tile luck to you". However, there is an important takeaway: it can be useful to ''read players''. It is possible to gain information by knowing players' habits, behaviors, and/or subconscious cues. | ||
*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. | ||
* | *Trying to read the ''precise'' contents of a player's hand, e.g. feeling that a given [[riichi]] is a cheap or expensive hand, is in the realm of occult play. However, discard reading as a whole does not count. 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, which is clearly not occult. | ||
These things are hard to reproduce - behaviors change from player and player. Thus, a "purely digital" player may disregard the players themselves, only focusing on the gamestate. The strategy of reading the players may be called analog mahjong, to separate it from the more dubious end of occult mahjong. | These things are hard to reproduce - behaviors change from player and player. Thus, a "purely digital" player may disregard the players themselves, only focusing on the gamestate. The strategy of reading the players may be called analog mahjong, to separate it from the more dubious end of occult mahjong. | ||