Mahjongtime: Read The Table Before Judging The Hand

By Author: Runong Wang
Total Articles: 4
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The name of a tile game does not explain its objective
A newcomer searching for mahjong can encounter a four-player table game, a solitaire matching puzzle or a variant with a smaller hand. The tiles may look familiar across those games, but the decisions are different. Before practicing, identify what ends a hand and what the player is trying to achieve.
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Read the table before evaluating the hand
A useful first check is the round and seat information. Then look at the hand structure and the visible discards. These are different sources of information: the hand suggests possible improvements, while the table gives context for judging a discard. Looking at only one of them can leave an important rule question unanswered.
When a hand appears complete, separate its structure ...
... from its qualifying yaku and its score. A bonus tile can increase value without supplying the yaku needed to win. Calls also change what is available, so a player should check the consequences before treating a faster hand as automatically preferable.
Match the guide section to the uncertainty
Mahjongtime provides explanations of tiles, winning shapes, turn flow, calls, yaku, dora and scoring. Opening one relevant section when a question appears is a manageable alternative to trying to memorize every rule before the first session. The guide also discusses situations such as furiten and drawn hands, where the apparent shape alone does not explain the outcome.
For a short review, keep a note of one decision: the tile considered, the reason for choosing it and the information that changed afterward. Keep the selected rules consistent when comparing sessions. This is an approach to organizing practice, not a guarantee of higher scores or a replacement for checking the rules used at a particular table.