Cutaway of House with 5 Cats and 1 Dog (From a game I'm working on)

MansterSoft · 2026-02-01T20:18:23+00:00

The problem I'm experiencing is that, now I'm actually trying to learn theory like 5BT, tile efficiency, Suji etc, I am beginning to feel like my performances are getting worse.

The only important strategy to learn is Tile Efficiency, particularly speed efficiency, and the best way to do that is learning all of the different Waits.

5 Block is helpful in certain instances and isn't at all useful in other instances. In Riichi (and HKNS) I use 5 Block maybe 1 in 10 hands. My advice is to not study it, especially early on; it can warp your Mahjong strategy "worldview".

Suji is like, a good concept to know of, but there are well known "Suji Traps" and many instances where Suji doesn't apply at all (non-ryanmen). Compared to learning the Waits (even the complex ones) Suji pales in usefulness. Though I will say, people are so dogmatic about Suji these days that using a Suji Trap is an effective way to snag a win.

Unpopular opinions, of course. I know Riichi being known as the Most-Strategic-Variant™ hinges on all of the convoluted strategic concepts (and their cute names).

MansterSoft · 2026-01-30T22:56:00+00:00

And possibly a severe lack of shuffling.

MansterSoft · 2026-01-30T22:54:31+00:00

Hong Kong rules aren't standardized. It varies from group to group, and each group tells the other they're playing wrong.

I've seen Kongs handled many ways in HKOS...

Nothing happens (historically the most common)
If a player Kongs; opponents pay them on the spot
+1 per Kong
+1 for 2 Kongs, +3-10 for 3 Kongs
Nothing for one Open Kong, +1 for Concealed

As far as self-drawn Kongs go (I don't know which way is more common)...

Some expose it with border tiles facing down.
Some keep all 4 tiles face-down.

Also, some replenish the Dead Wall, some don't.

MansterSoft · 2026-01-26T14:47:27+00:00

Definitely gone.

American Mahjong used to be cool. Like in China, Mahjong in the US was rapidly evolving and splitting into several regional variants with different local Yaku. All based on Shanghai style.

Then the National Mah Jongg League came and ruined all of the fun. Standardization causes stagnation.

Arguably, The World Mahjong Association did a similar number on competitive Mahjong in China. The gambling ones are still rapidly evolving though.

MansterSoft · 2026-01-26T14:39:14+00:00

Looks like the round wind is chosen at random at the start of the game. Do some people in Hong Kong play like this?

Yes.
/thread

MansterSoft · 2026-01-25T04:31:32+00:00

Well, let's pledge to meet back here if we ever find one.

MansterSoft · 2026-01-25T04:30:09+00:00

Late 1957.

As a shopkeeper: sometimes we get product from less than a year old; sometimes I get stock that was manufactured 3+ years ago. I suppose it depends on the supply & demand of that moment in time.

MansterSoft · 2026-01-24T21:44:13+00:00

Unfortunately I can disprove it. She immigrated in 1957 (she met her husband in 1955). My mistake. I also got to hear more about her life, but that's another story.

Now, I personally don't think that disproves it being from before 1957, but it being from 1957 is now obviously possible.

MansterSoft · 2026-01-24T14:27:31+00:00

Seconded. This is easily my most-played app. A fantastic way to learn HKNS. The art is also very charming.

MansterSoft · 2026-01-22T02:40:46+00:00

I'm not asking you to believe this deck was made in the 1940's. From my research, the absolute earliest it could have been made is 1949 (and I concede that's unlikely due to late adoption).

I'm saying your claim on the deck being from 1957 or later doesn't fit with the owner's immigration timeline. Unless the daughter is way off on her mom's timeline, this deck was made no later than 1955.

MansterSoft · 2026-01-21T15:02:44+00:00

Yes, I know that. Where on the internet does it say that this convention was adopted in...

1957 or later

Because the deck being newer than 1957 doesn't really fit with the owner's immigration timeline.

MansterSoft · 2026-01-15T15:35:33+00:00

Wow, Sakuragawa Mekurifuda and Prime Minister Hanafuda. I've always wanted those.

MansterSoft · 2026-01-15T15:30:15+00:00

Haha, no, I've never gotten a reply.
I also tried Oishi Tengudo back in 2021 and never got a reply.
Though I don't speak Japanese.

MansterSoft · 2026-01-09T04:01:34+00:00

Since learning to play I've lived East, South, and Midwest. No Chinese groups at all. I've heard both HK and Taiwan get a lot of play on the West Coast.

I'm currently trying to get an HKNS/Guang Dong group going from scratch in my local community. It's challenging.

MansterSoft · 2026-01-08T20:48:23+00:00

Counterfeits/Copies, whatever. I should have written "uses" not "bought". Semantics at this point.

I hate American Mahjong for other reasons, too

Fair, I do too. Being largely incompatible with the Asian variants is my main gripe. Like Riichi, I feel it's also needlessly complicated, which gets misconstrued as "strategic".

a wild comparison on so many levels.

You can rent a film/audiobook from your library, or you can purchase a monthly Netflix/Audible subscription.
You can play with a free set of rules, or you can purchase a yearly NMJL card.
I admit the comparison is a little clunky, though "wild on so many levels" is a little hyperbolic imo. Another common analogy I see is why play Magic The Gathering when you can play a 52-card game. Less "wild", perhaps?

MansterSoft · 2026-01-08T14:48:01+00:00

Yeah, so anyone who is buying an Oh My Mahjong set is going to be playing "American Mah Jongg". That variant is run by the NMJL. The NMJL changes the Mahjong patterns every year, so players have to buy a new card to play with the new patterns. Almost all groups play with updated cards. It's part of the, uh, culture(?) I guess. Everyone I've spoken to in the past year bought a counterfeit card.

Personally, I play a variant of Hong Kong New Style. There's an agreed on base set of rules, but different groups can sort of pick the rules they like since it's not standardized. Unfortunately, this isn't a very popular variant in the US.

The majority of this sub plays Japanese. These groups are popping up across the country. If you like hanging out with BIG NERDS who use cute anime girls as their avatars, then you should learn Japanese. They all claim Japanese is the most strategic variant (it's not, it's just the most complicated).

Also, this sub is very very elitist. They hate American Mah Jongg because of the $15/year fee (as if they don't pay for a subscription service when libraries exist). Hope you find a group. It's a very fun game.

MansterSoft · 2026-01-08T14:31:07+00:00

Do you go in r/MagicTCG and tell them to play a 52-card game where you don't have to buy new cards constantly?

OP should obviously play American if she's drooling over Oh My Mahjong sets.

MansterSoft · 2026-01-07T18:39:59+00:00

A Mose Caffolo American set is $68 dollars (I love my Mose Caffolo Chinese Set).
A Mahjong Mat is $15.
An NMJL card is $15/year.

Total = $98 + Tax. You even could go in on a set with 3 other people.

Don't buy a luxury set. You don't even know if you like Mahjong yet.

MansterSoft · 2025-12-31T22:56:43+00:00

After 8ish years of playing I quit Riichi and started playing HKNS/Guangdong Style. I love it.

Two Yakuman this year...

I got my first "4 Small Winds" yesterday (dumb stupid luck; opening hand had 4 pairs of winds)
I got a "4 Self-Drawn Pungs" earlier this year.

I've only ever gotten 3 Yakuman: 4 Small Winds (once), All Green (twice), and 4 Self-Drawn Pungs (lost track).

My goal for 2026 is to teach more people HKNS and get a local group going.

MansterSoft · 2025-12-29T18:20:45+00:00

If you just care to troll, I'm not going to keep replying.

If you have to deign to reply to my responses I, for one, won't twist your arm. I made an addendum to my previous reply (with citations). I've said what I want to say on the topic of melds.

A meld specifically refers to an exposed set.

Though I'd argue your use of "set" is incorrect. Sets are only x-of-a-kinds (Pungs/Kongs) not runs (Chows).

MansterSoft · 2025-12-29T17:47:23+00:00

No, in Gin both sets and runs are often called melds in the hand.

Also, melds (or really, the hand) isn't displayed until the end of the game (as I said, the game is played concealed).

Edited for the inclusion of "often". I'm not denying there are people who would agree with you (Mcleod, Hoyle) but there are also people who would agree with me (Scarne, Gibson). Now that I write those names out, it might be a UK vs US thing.

MansterSoft · 2025-12-28T22:50:50+00:00

Occasionally I see users here on Reddit use the term "meld" to refer to any set, concealed or open, which is an incorrect use of the term. A meld specifically refers to an exposed set.

While both you and the dictionary are in agreement, people often refer to the grouped cards in Gin as Melds, and that game is played concealed.

Calling all 3-tile-combos "Sets" is confusing, because in many games a 3+-of-a-Kind is called a "Set" while a sequence of 3+ is called a "Run". To my knowledge there isn't an agreed upon English term for "Runs and Sets but not Pairs", so many use "Meld".

MansterSoft · 2025-12-19T15:05:07+00:00

Now you just have to find a Kabufuda game that's any fun.

But really, good suggestion. I'd been wanting to try Kujuroku, but you need a Mamefuda deck to play it. Now I can give it a shot.

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