this post was submitted on
239 points (78% like it)
332 up votes 93 down votes
shortlink:
to anything interesting: news article, blog entry, video, picture...

238
239

This makes me want to learn how to play Mah Jong (youtube.com)

submitted ago by belisha_beacon

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on
all 66 comments
sorted by:
best
hot
new
controversial
top
old

[–]wakapedia 35 points36 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rLVjOmS6ro

This one shows it working inside without the top on the table

"There is a magnet inside each tile. The table uses the polarity to flip the tiles to the proper side."

[–]skookybird 6 points7 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I like how there is a dice-rolling button for each player.

[–]belisha_beacon[S] 2 points3 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Fucking magnets...

[–]thisisinappropriate 5 points6 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

...is how I spend my weekends.

[–]colloquy 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

How do they work?

[–]Godlesswanderer 27 points28 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I'm not sure if I've got the wrong idea of Mahjong from that pre-installed Windows Mahjong but I was expecting it to turn the blocks into a turtle shape or whatever else I thought you were meant to do.

[–]ih8evilstuff 23 points24 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

That's Mahjong Solitare. Mahjong is a tile game for four players. It is similar to the card game Rummy.

[–]Zilka 5 points6 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Windows Mahjong to Mahjong is what Solitaire to Poker. Actually that's why the full name of the game is Mahjong Solitaire.

[–]ProjectAzar 7 points8 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Mah Jong, specifically Riichi is a really fun game to pick up and play. Me an my friends have spent many a long night just working through a couple of hanchans. I highly suggest picking it up. A tile set is only about 50 bucks at your local Asian Supermarket, and the rules to Riichi Mah Jong are pretty easy to learn. Plus you get to say Chombo on a regular basis.

[–]akhenatron 1 point2 points ago* 

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I've played lots of Riichi in my time and have never once heard the term "chombo". Apparently it's when you make an illegal play? Guess that's what I get for never playing IRL. Tenhou!

[–]canned_coffee 4 points5 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Apparently players in China (which is over 90% of the adult population from where I was from) are getting arthritis from mixing and stacking the mahjong blocks so someone invented this and is now stinking rich.

[–]geojaz 2 points3 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

But of course, this will be used only by the elites.

$2k for a gaming machine is a lot of money these days. For pretty much anything other than a car or a house, even for a "rich" westerner. To say nothing of all those Chinese migrant workers plunking down their tiles on rickety plastic tables in back alleys while they throw back Yanjings after long hard days. It's the one constant across much of China- at least as I've seen- give or take the source of the local beer.

[–]supersaw 2 points3 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I'm pretty sure they can get the manufacturing costs of a knock-off model down from $2k, you know, it being CHINA and all...

[–]inventor2010 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

One of the other Youtube videos shows a very similar table (maybe the same model) being sold for $100 each. I guess a $2000 table would be for the rich.

[–]China_Baby 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

You can go use one for less than a dollar at a mahjong game-room.

[–]mahjonggseller 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Until you buy it and see it, don't count on it. I import these (http://www.WhereTheWindsBlow) and the customs and duty and shipping alone are several hundred dollars. The all wood tables that we sell are 1199.00 and there is no way a good quality table can be less with any profit involved. Yes, you can get them for less - put with plastic parts, etc. This is a GOOD PIECE OF FURNITURE that can be used for other games, too. There is a nice wooden top that protects the felt when you are not playing MJ. You get what you pay for, but 100.00 IS NOT REALISTIC. You can't buy a video game for much less than 100.00.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

It costs about $200 USD in China to buy a cheap machine table, even less if second hand. However, it's not as popular as one might think. Shuffling is part of the game and people can get paranoid if they can't see the tiles being arranged. Even casual players there can reset the game in matter of minutes, automated shuffling is for the truly lazy and/or degenerates.

[–]UmberGryphon 4 points5 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Mahjongg is very similar to Gin Rummy, to be honest.

[–]plonce 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Is it simplistic like cribbage, or skillful like bridge or poker?

[–][deleted] -1 points0 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I love Mahjong, but I'm not very good at it. I honestly would compare it to chess (which I love and am equally poor at). Basically, in both games, you have to plan out several moves in advance. Poker (which I'm quite good at) is a skill-based game, but doesn't require the same future planning (even in study or omaha).

[–]plonce 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Thanks, that helps. A few more questions if I may...

Chess is a game where there is zero luck. It seems to me that luck plays heavily into Mahjong. Is that correct? And to what extent do your starting tiles affect your ability to win?

[–]suntorytime 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Luck does help in Mahjong, but you need to be really lucky to win based purely on luck. Skill is more important to offset your losses because you can never be lucky the whole time.

On another note, when my family have a gathering they usually argue about seat placing because it affects their 'wan' (luck). If one player is particularly unlucky they switch seats after a mid session break to stop them whining about their bad luck.

[–]akhenatron 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Depends on which variation you play really. If you want mahjong with minimal luck and maximal strategic play, Riichi (aka Reach or Japanese) is your game.

[–][deleted] -5 points-4 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Luck plays a part in Mahjong. I've heard somewhere that every game is winnable, but I'm not sure if that's true. Starting tiles can play a role only in the solution being more obvious in some cases than in other (e.g., matches being closer together, fewer multi-move plans required to unlock pieces, and so on).

[–]fuzzybunn 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

As a chinese in my late 20s and therefore of sufficient age to join games, I'd just like to say that if you see one of those, run. Players who need this table will strip your wallet bare faster than you can say peng.

[–]runningwild 3 points4 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Can someone explain this for me and be very detailed: http://imgur.com/HB4OO.png

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

The hand shown in the picture is technically a winning hand(mixture of 3-of and straight, in mixed suits), but also the easiest one and lowest one you can get. Value-wise in poker terms, it's like getting a high card with nothing else. With this hand you get negligible amount of points, and in some house rules it's illegal to win like this, because you basically stole a win from your opponents who are trying to collect more valuable hand, while gaining nothing for yourself.

[–]1n1billionAZNsay 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I never knew that was an official rule. I have played hands like that and it's the only reason I can think of that seems to make sense.

[–]HeyItsMau 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Hmmm, if you're playing for money these hands are important. Sometimes you just get shitty draws and you gotta play "chicken". I feel like distinguishing when you go for valuable hands and when you go for "chicken" hands is a large part of Mahjong.

[–]djwu 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

In Mahjong you try to make a set hand, the more complicated it is, the more points you get (like all the same suits like bamboo, numbers, or circles kinda idea), I think that's what it meant by no multiplier. that or no flower tiles. depends on which rules it is though sorry it isn't severely detailed but just the way I'm seeing it

[–]akhenatron 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Basically. It's saying he can't go out on the other player's tile because his hand wouldn't contain any of the scoring combo requirements. Your hand has to meet at least one of the special scoring requirements. There are no flower, season, or joker tiles in Riichi.

[–]runningwild 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

By special requirements do you mean a specific hand?

From what I know I have a Wan/Manzu pair, a Wan set, a Pin set, a Sou set, with a single wait for a 5 pin which will create another Pin set.

All I know is that I just need to get 1 pair and 4 sets to win. So having met this one requirement i'm confused as to why it won't let me finish.

[–]akhenatron 0 points1 point ago* 

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

1 pair, 4 sets is the structure required for a winning hand, but it's not the only requirement. Besides that, a winning hand must meet the requirements of at least one multiplier, called "yaku" There are many yaku, such as having the same run twice, no runs, the same run in 3 suits, triple dragons of one color, only 1s 9s and honors, etc. If you're playing online, the site will usually have a scoring chart that you can refer to while learning which combos will give you yaku.

edit: here is a pretty decent explanation of "why the computer won't let you win", and a yaku chart.

[–]runningwild 0 points1 point ago* 

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

This site is amazing. Thanks dude.

Edit: Ha! I finally got a win by getting 1 fan from Yaku-Pai (triple east wind).

[–]ProjectAzar 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

BTW, the hand you had would have been a valid Ron, and you would have been able to declare mahjong had you not had an open hand (declared that chi). The hand you would have then had would have been a pinfu, worth 1 yaku. I believe anyway, pinfu is a weird hand, and I don't remember all the rules exactly.

[–]rarebit13 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

What software is that?

[–]runningwild 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

http://www.gamedesign.jp/flash/mahjong/mahjong_e.html

The main site has a bunch of amazing games. Dice Wars is my favorite time waster.

[–]rarebit13 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Cool, thanks! Gonna look up dice wars right after I check out the Mah Jong game.

[–]Paisleyfrog 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Tread carefully around dice wars, it's digital crack.

[–]ElXGaspeth 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Much like Minecraft.

[–]isjhe 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Oh my god YES! I used to waste so much time with dice wars. Time for another game...

[–]mirado 0 points1 point ago* 

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Your hand had no "han" aka a multiplier. For your hand to have been legal in Riichi mahjong you would have had to have a closed hand with those tiles; which would have given you 1 han. That is, you couldn't have chi'd (stolen from the player to your right) to get the 4-5-6 combo. In order for you to have won that hand after opening it you would have had to get something like a pon of the round's wind or dragons... something along those lines.

[–]msiekkinen 3 points4 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

My previous knowledge: match the fucking tiles. This: WTF?!

[–]akhenatron 5 points6 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

That's solitaire, or "white man's mahjong" as my friends call it.

[–]lolstebbo 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

MY APARTMENT NEEDS ONE OF THESE. Hopefully my lurker roommate sees this and agrees with me.

[–]Anthaneezy 11 points12 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

i don't lurk, mike... also, please wash the pot after you make ramen, dude, the noodles are all gross now.

[–]redditLobster 4 points5 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Fuck you Dave, Mike and I will wash our shit after you stop leaving my Battlestar Galactica Blu-Rays on the coffee table.

[–]LeonGrey 10 points11 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Listen, I live in the apartment next door and I'm sick of hearing you fuckers argue about stupid shit.

[–]jolee211 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

If my posse and I had one of these tables way back when, we would have played way more games!! I would have lost way more money too!!

[–]richlizard24 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

You'd have to really love Mahjong to invest $2000 in a Mahjong table.

http://www.automahjongtables.com/

[–]inventor2010 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

You need to find a different store. Another youtube video shows similar tables going for $100 each.

[–]NeilyG 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

The dice don't seem to turn very much when they are being rolled

[–]Kooh 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

There are even automatic tables that counts your points for you... just sit back and flip tiles

[–]chandra_ekajaya 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

chandra ekajaya thinks this is cool stuff!

[–]DrKenshin 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

There was one like it on The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift... made me want to learn to. I got an iPhone app that had a great tutorial but it's hard to remember all of it if you don't play often. Still, not the same as playing for real I guess but I've never seen a set being sold anywhere near where I live.

The one thing I still ask myself is why don't we have tables like this for say Dominoes here in America?

EDIT: There's also a real nice version in the XboxLIVE Arcade if you own a 360. The online play is real good too, at least you get to play with real people, which is always more fun.

[–]TheGallopingGhost -2 points-1 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I may be overgeneralizing, but domino is mostly played by people who have spent time in prison. That seems to rule out the kind of people that value their time enough to spend money on an auto-shuffling table.

[–]unoriginalgangsta 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

That looks nothing like the game that come on my 1998 edition of 2,000 Awesome PC Games.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

What I will always remember is walking down the dark back streets of Hong Kong late on hot summer nights and listening to the constant rattle of Mah Jong tiles echoing between the decrepit buildings.

Heady stuff.

[–]unrealious 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I thought that I knew how to play Mah-Jong.

[–]Am3692 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I must get this... anyone know where to buy it?

[–]mahjonggseller -1 points0 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Yes, http://www.WhereTheWindsBlow 1199.00 for a 38 x 38 " AMERICAN or ASIAN version can be played!

[–]saigon_medic -1 points0 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

fucking hipsters

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. © 2012 reddit inc. All rights reserved.

REDDIT and the ALIEN Logo are registered trademarks of reddit inc.

π Rendered by PID 4551 on app-81 running 4208376.