Mahjong

Alternative Chinese name Traditional Chinese 麻雀 Simplified Chinese 麻雀 Vietnamese name Vietnamese mạt chược Korean name Hangul 마작 Hanja 麻雀 Japanese name Kanji 麻雀 Kana マージャン Chinese text Mahjong ( Chinese : 麻將 ; pinyin : má jiàng ) is a game for four players that originated in China . Variations for three players are found in Korea, Japan and Malaysia. It is known as three player mahjong . By far, the most common form is the four-sided mahjong. Mahjong involves skill, strategy, and calculation, as well as a certain degree of luck (depending on the variation played, luck can be anything from a minor to a dominant factor in winning). In Asia , mahjong is also popularly played as a gambling game (though may just as easily be played for fun). The stakes can be low, to keep the game interesting and competitive, or can be very high. High stakes may result in aggressive gambling and social behavior just as poker can be a friendly game or high stakes competition. Addictive playing is also linked to health problems . However, played with the right attitude, again just like poker, it is a very enjoyable and social game. The basic mechanics are easier than it may seem at first. Learning the subtleties of the game and mastering the many variable and highly different variations can take time. It is played with a set of 152 or so tiles of attractive characters and symbols and unlike modern playing cards, varies greatly from set to set. The aesthetics of the game is one of the attractive features of playing mahjong, as the forming of the tiles displays contrasting colours and patterns and appealing symmetry. The basic concept in most variations is relatively simple, each player receives thirteen tiles. In turn players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the fourteenth drawn tile to form four groups ( melds ) and a pair (head). There are fairly standard rules about how a piece is drawn, stolen from another player (melded), the use of dragons and winds, the kinds of melds and order of dealing and play.

Alternative Chinese name Traditional Chinese 麻雀 Simplified Chinese 麻雀 Vietnamese name Vietnamese mạt chược Korean name Hangul 마작 Hanja 麻雀 Japanese name Kanji 麻雀 Kana マージャン Chinese text Mahjong , also spelled majiang , mah jongg , and numerous other variants, is a game that originated in China . It is commonly played by four players (with some three-player variations found in South Korea and Japan ). The game and its regional variants are widely played throughout Eastern and South Eastern Asia and have a small following in Western countries. Similar to the Western card game rummy , mahjong is a game of skill , strategy, and calculation and involves a degree of chance. The game is played with a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols , although some regional variations use a different number of tiles. In most variations, each player begins by receiving 13 tiles. In turn players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the 14th drawn tile to form four groups ( melds ) and a pair (head). There are fairly standard rules about how a piece is drawn, how a piece is stolen from another player and thus melded, the use of simples (numbered tiles) and honors (winds and dragons), the kinds of melds, and the order of dealing and play. However there are many regional variations in the rules; in addition, the scoring system and the minimum hand necessary to win varies significantly based on the local rules being used.

Tile-based game This article is about the Chinese tile-based game. Original/Southern Name Traditional Chinese 麻雀 Simplified Chinese 麻雀 Literal meaning little sparrows Vietnamese name Vietnamese mạt chược Thai name Thai ไพ่นกกระจอก RTGS phai nok krachok Korean name Hangul 마작 Hanja 麻雀 Japanese name Kanji 麻雀 Kana マージャン Mahjong ( English pronunciation: / m ɑː ˈ dʒ ɒ ŋ / mah- JONG , Mandarin Chinese: [mǎ.tɕjâŋ] ) is a tile-based game that was developed in China during the Qing dynasty and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is commonly played by four players (with some three-player variations found in Japan , South Korea and Southeast Asia ). The game and its regional variants are widely played throughout Eastern and South Eastern Asia and have also become popular in Western countries. The game has also been adapted into a widespread online entertainment. Similar to the Western card game rummy , Mahjong is a game of skill , strategy, and calculation, and it involves a degree of chance. The game is played with a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols , although some regional variations may omit some tiles or add unique ones. In most variations, each player begins by receiving 13 tiles. In turn players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the 14th drawn tile to form four melds (or sets) and a pair (eye). A player can also win with a small class of special hands. There are fairly standard rules about how a piece is drawn, how a piece is robbed from another player, the use of simples (numbered tiles) and Honors (winds and dragons), the kinds of melds allowed, how to deal the tiles and the order of play. Despite these similarities, there are many regional variations to the rules including rather different scoring systems, criteria for legal winning hands, and even private table rules which distinguish some variations as notably different styles of mahjong.

Tile-based game This article is about the four-player tile-based game. Original/Southern Name Traditional Chinese 麻雀 Simplified Chinese 麻雀 Literal meaning little sparrows Vietnamese name Vietnamese mạt chược Thai name Thai ไพ่นกกระจอก RTGS phai nok krachok Korean name Hangul 마작 Hanja 麻雀 Japanese name Kanji 麻雀 Kana マージャン Khmer name Khmer ម៉ាចុង Mahjong or mah-jongg ( English pronunciation: / m ɑː ˈ dʒ ɒ ŋ / mah- JONG ) is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is played by four players (with some three-player variations found in parts of China, Japan , South Korea and Southeast Asia ). The game and its regional variants are widely played throughout East and Southeast Asia and have also become popular in Western countries . The game has also been adapted into a widespread online entertainment. Similar to the Western card game rummy , mahjong is a game of skill , strategy, and luck. To distinguish it from mahjong solitaire , it is sometimes referred to as mahjong rummy . The game is played with a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols , although many regional variations may omit some tiles or add unique ones. In most variations, each player begins by receiving 13 tiles. In turn, players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the 14th drawn tile to form four melds (or sets) and a pair (eye). A player can also win with a small class of special hands. While many variations of mahjong exist, most variations have some basic rules in common including how a piece is drawn and discarded, the use of suits (numbered tiles) and honors (winds and dragons), the basic kinds of melds allowed, how to deal the tiles and the order of play. Beyond these basic common rules, numerous regional variations exist which may have notably different criteria for legal melds and winning hands, radically different scoring systems and even elaborate extra rules. A group of players may introduce their own house rules which can notably change the feel of play.

Tile-based game This article is about the four-player tile-based game. Original/Southern Name Traditional Chinese 麻雀 Simplified Chinese 麻雀 Literal meaning little sparrows Vietnamese name Vietnamese mạt chược Thai name Thai ไพ่นกกระจอก RTGS phai nok krachok Korean name Hangul 마작 Hanja 麻雀 Japanese name Kanji 麻雀 Kana マージャン Khmer name Khmer ម៉ាចុង Mahjong ( English pronunciation: / m ɑː ˈ dʒ ɒ ŋ / mah- JONG ; also transliterated as mah jongg , mah-jongg , and mahjongg ) is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is played by four players (with some three-player variations found in parts of China, Japan , South Korea , Vietnam , and Southeast Asia ). The game and its regional variants are widely played throughout East and Southeast Asia and have also become popular in Western countries . The game has also been adapted into a widespread online entertainment. Similar to the Western card game rummy , mahjong is a game of skill , strategy, and luck. To distinguish it from mahjong solitaire , it is sometimes referred to as mahjong rummy . The game is played with a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols , although many regional variations may omit some tiles or add unique ones. In most variations, each player begins by receiving 13 tiles. In turn, players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the 14th drawn tile to form four melds (or sets) and a pair (eye). A player can also win with a small class of special hands. While many variations of mahjong exist, most variations have some basic rules in common including how a piece is drawn and discarded, the use of suits (numbered tiles) and honors (winds and dragons), the basic kinds of melds allowed, how to deal the tiles and the order of play. Beyond these basic common rules, numerous regional variations exist which may have notably different criteria for legal melds and winning hands, radically different scoring systems and even elaborate extra rules. A group of players may introduce their own house rules which can notably change the feel of play.