An Unbeatable Tip for Mah Jongg Players (New or Experienced): Just Relax and Enjoy

I recently polled my fellow American Mah Jongg-ers for strategies to consider including in an upcoming new edition of my Flipbook. An often-overlooked tip one friend offered is worth taking a closer look at here.

She said, “My only trick is to relax and enjoy the game as luck reveals itself and then hides.”

Luck. A four-letter word that can bring either instant smiles when it shines upon you or negative grumbles if it ignores you. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines luck variously as a “force that brings good fortune or adversity,” or “the events or circumstances that operate for or against an individual,” and “favoring chance, also success.”

Newcomers to American Mah Jongg have little to no idea how much luck matters in whether you win or lose a game. Some skill is definitely involved, so it’s not 100% luck. If you want an experience of pure chance, play the dice game Bunco. Succeeding at American Mah Jongg requires strategic thinking, but with a huge dose of luck thrown in.

You could be “set” (only one tile away from “Mah Jongg”) early in a game, only to find yourself waiting and waiting for that one elusive tile you need. Then, while you’re feeling so proud of yourself for being very patient and keeping a poker face, just knowing your tile is going to be thrown at any second now … your victory is cruelly snatched away when someone else declares “Mah Jongg!” before your desperately needed 14th tile shows its face. It can be truly frustrating. When this happens, remind yourself to breathe and say silently, “Self, it’s only a game!”  Then laugh it off.

But seriously, if you want to increase your chances of getting that one tile you need, I highly recommend you try playing an alternate version of American Mah Jongg. Gladys Grad invented it about 11 years ago. She calls it “Siamese Mah Jongg” because it’s double Mah Jongg. Two players can play it with one set and two racks apiece. Each player is trying to get two separate Mah Jonggs in one game (or two at the same time!). Check out her website for all the details: https://mahjongg.org/

Or you could play “Royal Siamese” Mahjongg, a game for four players. Each uses a special double rack, and the game is played with two sets!

Imagine in a regular game of MJ needing just a couple of tiles, but you aren’t able to pick up either one as they are discarded, either because the tile (or tiles) you need are part of a pair or because you don’t have Jokers.

Then imagine how much more fun the scenario would be if you knew there were eight of those tiles in the sets you are playing with. A few are discarded before you are able to pick one up? No sweat. There will be many more opportunities to get that tile!

Increasing the number of tiles you’re playing with will increase your luck. At least that’s been my experience.

Of course, Siamese Mahjongg and Royal Siamese Mah Jongg are not for beginners. So, if you are fairly new to the game, hold off on trying these advanced versions of the game until you feel you have mastered the regular version first. But keep it in the back of your mind as something to try in a few months or maybe a year or two. Once you and your friends try it, I think you’ll really enjoy the challenge!

In conclusion, I’d like to say a few words about gratitude. Thanksgiving was just celebrated last month so it seems fitting that I end this post talking about being grateful. And since luck can mean to prosper or succeed through chance or good fortune, let’s take a moment to acknowledge our good fortune.

I’ll start by stating how easy it is for me to forget to be thankful.

In the hubbub of daily life, getting work done, taking care of business, caring for loved ones, running errands, staying in touch with those far away, paying bills, keeping physically and mentally fit, etc., it can be so hard to remember to take some time every day to be present. To enjoy the simple things. To thank your friends for their support, your children for the joy and spontaneity they bring to life, your significant other for putting up with your moods ... and, well, I think I’ve said enough about my life for now.

How about you? To whom in your life do you want to express more sincere gratitude for how they make your life more enjoyable, more challenging, more meaningful? I say, tell them now.

And for Mah Jongg players, I recommend we all practice more gratitude for our good luck in finding such an enriching game that not only keeps our brains active, it also allows us to connect with one another in friendship as we grow into our golden years. Social connections are life-enhancing, and studies show that as we age, if we have a few close friends we can count on, we’ll live longer and healthier lives. That’s what I call the best luck of all.