American Mah Jongg Lesson Fundamentals 6 Category Modeling (mock card)

[@MAHJLIFE]

The mock American Mah Jongg card is timeless and generic. This way, no matter when someone new to the game watches the video, they will have a stable reference as they learn how to play the game. To open or download the mock-American Mah Jongg card, look for a link in the video description by clicking "show more" above. Here is the link for convenience: img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/e948ceb0-0b50-4711-9519-71fff22b670c/downloads/1csnus7ad_304697.pdf

[@jerryanderson4474]

Michele, I am a retired Aerospace Engineer & just learning to play American Mah Jongg. I am taking two, 3-hour instructional classes at a local recreational center. It is overwhelming with all of the rules, protocols, etiquette & various combinations of standard hands. My instructor suggested watching some of your KZbin videos. And I have watched many of your instructional videos & they are great. Thank you so much for providing such detailed & informative guidelines for the game. You are an amazing teacher & a virtual encyclopedia of Mah Jongg information.

[@VeroYorkie]

Michele I have been playing and teaching Mah Jongg with my fellow Mah Jongg Friends for many years now. I just want to compliment you on your teaching style. I think you are the best I have seen and heard by far! It's not easy teaching. Your explanations are very understandable for the beginners who can feel very overwhelmed at first. Also just want to mention that I noticed that you are going to be interviewed by Fern Bernstein, author of "MahJongg Mondays" soon I see, on her Podcast. I'm looking forward to it! Thank you!

[@marybertelt3658]

Michele. I love your classes. Sweet voice, patient. Well done videos.

[@MAHJLIFE]

Welcome to the game and thank you for your words of encouragement :)

[@aureliastrosnider9896]

Thank you!!!thank you for showing us these combination of hands!!!! I just joined in our local Mahjong group!!! These prepared hands are definitely a useful method for newbie like me! As you could already notice, I'm a visual person..I have to see and coordinate which hands,,suits,,and dragons go with each completed.hands.

[@bryanmorton5412]

Best video so far. Wish we could have seen the 2018 card, somehow.

[@MAHJLIFE]

Is there a reason why you want to see the exercise with the 2018 card? kzbin.info/aero/PLLk097vMqukYCpSMGwb5HObQmGgMIP2qy Here is an article with downloads for the 2022 card: mahjlife.com/wiki/american-mah-jongg-article-id-162/

[@bryanmorton5412]

@@MAHJLIFE I'm assuming you were using the 2018 card when you made this video? I was just wanting to see the categories and hands you were talking about. I'm just starting out. Just ordered a 2022 card. About to start taking some lessons.

[@MAHJLIFE]

@@bryanmorton5412 ah i see now... all the lesson videos use the mock American mah jongg card so they are timeless. There is a link in the video description or you can download it from this article: mahjlife.com/wiki/american-mah-jongg-article-id-162/

[@donaldschlag8277]

In your example toward the end of the video (around 15:20), you explain why you can't claim the white dragon to complete the singles/pairs hand because you still have to discard the red dragon. Your hand should show 13 tiles at that point, rather then 14.

[@gracerael4831]

Very good, except for me, as a beginner, you go fast as you show the hands. I have to watch this several times but they are great videos. Thank you!

[@kathleenklein4231]

Again, you are so helpful!

[@donnavansteenhuyse9403]

Great direction!

[@dbswift]

I have a question (below). But first I want you to know that I'm enjoying your fundamentals lessons, thank you! At your suggestion, I purchased and read Mah Jongg Made Easy. And along with playing with my Sweetheart/Mah Jongg Coach, Sunny, I'm catching on and have even won a few hands! I am excited about learning to play Mah Jongg. Question: In Mah Jongg Made Easy, on p.15 ("The Play" section), it states that, "Exposed hands may also be played concealed, if the player is able to fill in the necessary tiles to complete the hand without claiming a discarded tile." My Coach (and her playing partners, whom I surveyed), had never used this rule or seen this play during their long years of playing American Mah Jongg. It may be that they have always been playing by a "local group" rule that did not allow for this play, but it is notable that none of them had even run into a discussion, or ever considered, this option. My Coach and I found several cases in the 2020 MNJL and your mock card of where this is possible. One example on your mock card are hands #1 and #7 in the "13579" category. Are we understanding this rule correctly? In any case, please clarify and/or give a couple examples of X or C hands where this could be done. If my understanding is correct, do you have any comment/perspective on why these experienced players in California may not have heard of it before? Thanks, Swifty

[@MAHJLIFE]

Concealed hands (C) must be built by picking from the wall until waiting for one tile (ready to win). When that tile is discarded or picked from the wall, the hand can be completed. Exposable hands (X) can be completed by claiming discards to complete a block of three identical tiles or more (i.e., pung, kong, quint). Sometimes, a player will draw their tiles from the wall and might complete the hand without claiming a discard to complete any block in the hand. There is no bonus for winning with an exposable hand with no exposures. I hope this helps :)

[@dbswift]

@@MAHJLIFE Your definitions of C and X hands is very clear, thank you. So...the statement in the the booklet, "Exposed hands may also be played concealed, if the player is able to fill in the necessary tiles to complete the hand without claiming a discarded tile", simply means that X hands may be completed without ever exposing any tiles (i.e., without ever claiming a discarded tile). Got it. Thank you!

[@dbswift]

@@MAHJLIFE m

[@dlparker-1]

Your videos are really really good! I'm learning from you! In Like Numbers, does the kong of numbers always need to be the same # - even if a different suit?

[@MAHJLIFE]

@@dlparker-1 Hands in the Any Like Numbers category must use the same number in mixed suits.

[@chandikadirgamar3232]

Super helpful. Thank you. Befuddled New Player!

[@MAHJLIFE]

My pleasure and welcome to the game!

[@Mercatoyd]

Hi Michele...I'm fairly new and after re watching a couple of your videos I've come to better understand a few things that I only thought I understood but, was wrong..thank you for offering these lessons.. anyway... my question : I've purchased a set and it contains seasons as well as flowers. No one I've spoken with can answer what and when you use the season tiles. Thank you in advance. Tom

[@MAHJLIFE]

All mahjong sets come with Flower tiles. There are two sets of Flowers, Seasons (1 SUM, 2 SPR, 3 AUT, 4 WIN) and Flowers (1 PLUMB, 2 ORCHID, 3 CHRYS, 4 BAMBOO). For Asian styles, the Flowers are bonus tiles and are not part of the 14 tile hand. If a player has a Flower and it is the same number as their seat for any given hand (1 EAST, 2 SOUTH, 3 WEST, 4 NORTH), they will get addition points if they win. For American mah jongg, the Seasons and Flowers together are called "Flowers". The numbers and letters on the Flowers do not matter. If a hand calls for a Flower, indicated by an F, any Flower tile will do. Many times, sets will come with extra Flowers, Jokers, and blank tiles. Just be sure that you use only 8 Flowers and 8 Jokers.

[@Mercatoyd]

@@MAHJLIFE Thank you so much for your speedy and easy explanation. Tom

[@jose1phine]

beginning to understand- one question. re 2468 2nd line. If you have your 3 suits can the date be comprised of any one of those suits? Thank you for your help.

[@MAHJLIFE]

My pleausre :)

[@juliedownie5330]

Very helpful.... still trying

[@c.m.6961]

When the hand calls for the year, does it have to be the current year or can you enter any year? Your videos are so helpful!

[@MAHJLIFE]

The year block represents the current year. For example, YYYY you would need 2 dot white dragon 2 dot 3 dot to represent 2023.

[@c.m.6961]

Thanks again Michele!

[@MAHJLIFE]

@@c.m.6961My pleasure :)

[@natalieinnella3561]

Hi Michele, I Have a question for you - can you tell me if I am wrong by discarding a 1 Bam, 1 Crack or 1 Dot and naming the tile just Bam, Crack or Dot? I had read that this is the way it is done but someone called me out today and said that it is a rule to say 1 in front... Does it really matter?Thanks - Natalie

[@MAHJLIFE]

For American Mah Jongg, discards should be correctly and fully named. This is not explicitly written in Mah Jongg Made Easy but it is implied on the middle panel on the back of the card, "A tile cannot be claimed until it is correctly named. Correctly named tile can then be claimed for an exposure or mah jongg."

[@brdwyguy]

can you use 2 jokers and a tile to make a pung (3 of a kind)?

[@MAHJLIFE]

Yes, you can use any number of jokers in a block of three or more identical tiles (i.e., pung, kong, quint).

[@brdwyguy]

@@MAHJLIFE Thank You so much for answering our 'dumb' questions from video to video. I'm sure it gets frustrating for you to have to answer the same type of questions over and over. Thank You - JoeyD (brdwyguy)

[@MAHJLIFE]

@@brdwyguy there are no dumb questions here and FAQs are always welcome. Please don't hesitate to ask anything about the game :)

[@LindaFarmer-s8q]

Am a newbie to mah jong. While playing online (with robots), I had three 9s exposed with a joker. The missing 9 came up in the draw. How do I claim it to replace my joker in the exposed 9s.

[@MAHJLIFE]

Typically. you double-click on the joker to do the exchange.

[@beamacgregor]

Michele kindly explain how I can print your full size mock MJ card. Thank you, Bea

[@mpbailey18]

it's under her description of the video.... Mock American Mah Jongg card goo.gl/MqqaUb

[@michelekelly]

Hi Michele with one L like me :) In the addition hand you demonstrated in this video, (the last one in the category with 3 different suits), what tile makes up the 1? I know the white dragon is the 0, but I can't remember the 1. Relatedly, I assume that needs to be a different one from the Kong of 1's as they are a different color?

[@MAHJLIFE]

The Addition category uses a math-play formula using Flowers and number tiles. For the NMJL 2019 card, there are two options ( one suit or mixed suits) and the formulas are FFFF NUMBER-KONG + NUMBER-KONG = SUM. For the NMJL 2019 card, the formulas have different SUMS: 11, 12, and 13 but regardless of which option you play, the SUM has to be one suit. For example: One Suit: FFFF 5555 Dots + 6666 Dots = 11 Dots Mixed Suits: FFFF 5555 Dots + 7777 Bams = 12 Cracks

[@michelekelly]

@@MAHJLIFE thanks. I understand, surprisingly.

[@lindajimmerson4807]

If someone calls for a discard and racks it with the rest of the exposure, can the called tile be returned and the exposure tiles be returned to rack if a mistake is made (before discarding)?

[@MAHJLIFE]

No. Once a discard has been racked or tiles from the hand have been exposed, the player is committed to the exposure.

[@vernaharris8730]

Michele, my group and I are new to mahjong and we have two questions...In Am. MJ league rules, 1) if a person only needs one tile to complete a pair, can they pull that tile from the last discard in order to call mahjong? 2) In the consecutive runs category fifth one down, it says any suit~does this have to be these number have to be 1&2 or can these be any consecutive numbers. On the other ones it explains but on this one, we aren't so sure. Thank you!!!

[@MAHJLIFE]

Welcome to the game! 1) When a player is ready to win and their wait does not matter (i.e., single, pair, pung) so they can claim any discard to declare mah jongg. 2) For American mah jongg, any hand in the Consecutive Run category can begin with any number as long as it ends with a 9. For the 2019 NMJL card, the committee neglected to state any 2 consec. nos. They posted the correction on their website www.nationalmahjonggleague.org/faq.html#loaded

[@vernaharris8730]

@@MAHJLIFE Thank YOU for the clarification. This is going to help tremendously!!!

[@MAHJLIFE]

My pleasure, anytime :)

[@dianedeleasa5809]

I's a bit confused when you are talkng about the quints. You say you need 4 consecutive numbers. Could you show us an example instead of just have a card that says quints (e.g. Im looking at a 2024 card and the first line in quints is" FF 11111 22 33333).

[@MAHJLIFE]

Any video titled "American Mah Jongg Lesson Fundaments" uses the Mahj Life Mock-American Mah Jongg Card. Click the download link in the video description or look under downloads in this wiki article to get the card: mahjlife.com/wiki/american-mah-jongg-article-162/

[@jdamndoe]

Recently I was watching some friends play (I’m learning) and one said Jokers can be used to make up any hand - and you don’t even need a another card. Is that true?

[@MAHJLIFE]

So sorry, I'd like to help... can you explain again in other words because I need more context?

[@jdamndoe]

I meant block, not hand. But surely I misunderstood because in this video you specifically say that a joker can only be used with at least a pair to make up the remaining block.

[@MAHJLIFE]

Ah... jokers can be used in any block of three or more identical tiles. In other words, you cannot use a joker as part of a pair (i.e., 22) or in a block of single tiles (i.e., NEWS, NN E W SS, 2019).

[@jdamndoe]

Michele Frizzell Thank you!! ❤️

[@cmvc95]

This is interesting. When I read this, I'm hearing a different question. If you use jokers in a block, do you need to include any of the original tile to make the block? For example, if you are using jokers to make a kong of 4 Dots, do you need to have at least one 4 Dot tile, or could you just use 4 jokers? From what I understand, the original tile is not required and all jokers could be used for any valid block.

[@donnadrake7309]

What is the significance of concealed ?

[@MAHJLIFE]

@@donnadrake7309 A concealed hand is both a state in the hand development process and a type of hand that is more difficult to make. If there is a “C” in the right margin, the hand must be developed only by picking tiles from the wall until it’s ready to win. If there is an “X” in the right margin, the hand can be developed in the same way but a player has the choose of making exposures (e.g., melds) by claiming discards which is why most of these hands are easier to make. Also, consider that staying concealed keeps you under the radar of observant opponents who can figure out what you are playing to thwart your hand development progress.

[@marybertelt3658]

Should your videos be watched in a certain order?

[@MAHJLIFE]

If you are new to the game, yes. There is an index with links in the video description but you can also find a PDF with direct links in this article under downloads: mahjlife.com/wiki/american-mah-jongg-article-id-162/

[@judysbakeryandtestkitchen1654]

In year #4, isnt the year in Craks? Three suits represented?

[@MAHJLIFE]

White Dragons when used in a block of year tiles becomes a zero and is neutral so, in this case, does not correspond to Dots. For example, there could be a year hand like FF YYYY (green) DDDD (red) DDDD (blue) shown in three colors. The dragons need to correspond to the suits not used in the year block. In the case of a block of year tiles in cracks (I.e., 2021; 221 craks with a White Dragon as a zero) you would need a Kong of Green Dragons and a Kong of White Dragons. A hand on the 2021 card is FF 2021 (blue) 2222 (green) 1111 (red). Let’s say you block of year tiles in cracks (I.e., 2021; 221 craks with a White Dragon as a zero) you could use either 2222 Bams with 1111 Dots or 2222 Dots with 1111 Bams.

[@2karencraig]

I clicked on the mock card, but no card appeared. Thanks

[@MAHJLIFE]

Please send me an email [e-mail]

[@MAHJLIFE]

This link will take you to a wiki article with a download section that includes links to the mock American mah jongg card: mahjlife.com/wiki/american-mah-jongg-article-162/

[@marylouverde4860]

Great

[@artindeedgallery93]

I don’t see the mock card. Where is it

[@MAHJLIFE]

For future reference, the link to the mock card, and other information, is in the video descriptions. If you are on a desktop computer, click "SHOW MORE" under the left side of the video title. If you are on a smart phone or tablet, click the little grey down arrow under the right corner of the video. Here is the link for the mock card for convenience: tinyurl.com/27shb26y

[@martin75027]

What is a concealed hand?

[@MAHJLIFE]

A concealed hand is one that has no exposures whether per the "C" on the card for a given hand or by choice. When playing a concealed hand, you are eligible for joker exchanges and when you are ready to win, any tile can be claimed to declare mah jongg.

[@susannemchin5235]

No mock card?

[@MAHJLIFE]

it’s in the video description and pinned at the top but here is for convenience under downloads: mahjlife.com/wiki/american-mah-jongg-article-162/

[@springberv9631]

Thank you so much