You're welcome! Of course, the expected etiquette may vary depending on with whom you play, so don't hesitate to ask the other players if you're not sure about what they consider to be good manners.
We have a rule on the tournament, that you have to first place the opened set with the taken tile and only after that you can discard. Helps avoiding the ocassional "I forgot to take the tile", which surprisingly happens a lot and leads to a dead hand, if I recall correctly. Since most of our players usually play online and we have only two real life tournaments in a year in our nearby cities.
One more thing. When you're calling a closed kan, always remember to flip the quad like it's falling away from you. This will help them verify that it is a quad.
There is no reason to be discouraged from playing in person with real tiles. Of course, it will be more difficult because you have to know about things that online mahjong would take care of for you. But if you are new to it, other players will surely understand and do what they can to help. And the dynamic of a real table is so much more interesting, in my opinion. If you are able to play in person, even if it's only once in a while, it will make you a stronger player overall.
@@LightGrunty I don't actually know how to calculate score and I honestly never really thought about needing to plan my pon and chi before I even see the tile drop, I'm still getting better at recognizing the "shape" of my hand and it isn't until I see the opportunity that I even begin to think if I want to take it. normally I try not to call, but sometimes in the middle of the game I'll be like "okay, maybe I want to call here just to get into tenpai so I won't have to pay at the end" but otherwise I wouldn't want to open my hand early on
A lot of these things come with experience and practice. To be quite honest, most players do not know how to calculate the scores of their hands, especially in casual games. After someone wins a hand, they might list the yaku and try to figure out the fu, then look at the scoring table to figure out the exact score. That wouldn't really be acceptable in a competitive environment, but chances are you aren't going to find competitive games outside of Japan. Online mahjong makes calling tiles easy because it tells you whenever calling is possible and gives you at least a few seconds before you have to make your decision. However, in real life, you would generally take some time during your turn to decide which tiles you would call if they are discarded. Of course, the situation might change from turn to turn, but thinking about what tiles to call isn't something you have time for during an opponent's turn. To put it simply, take a moment to think about what tiles you want to call before you discard to complete your turn. And don't worry too much about the scoring; it takes a lot of practice, and experienced players should be willing to assist you at the table if you need help.
@@LightGrunty i've been playing with friends for a couple of sessions now and out of eveything in this game, calculating hands is still the most difficult, although we are getting the hang of creating winning hands a couple of players are already even starting to combine hands calculating a basic hand below a mangan still takes the most time of the entire thing. Feeling the player level and experience actually rise is incredibly fun tho and very noticable. people have started developing their own playstyle and strategy and its showing :P
The mahjong set I used in these videos is a top-notch modern set from Japan, which my friend got for me. Apparently the one I use isn't sold anymore. It's really too bad, since it's such a high quality set and includes color tenbou.
As the player going after a person just discarded, how long do you give before drawing and discarding? Do you wait 5 seconds to see if anyone calls or do you just keep going?
It ultimately depends on the people you play with. Inexperienced players may want more time between turns, but experienced players would probably prefer a fast-paced game. Competition rule sets generally say to wait 1 second before moving to draw to confirm that other players do not call the discarded tile.
This mostly makes perfect sense to me, but I feel odd about discarding before drawing my tile... Maybe I misunderstood, but sometimes the tile you draw can change your intentions going forward, so discarding first could end up being a huge mistake... Where you just referring to drawing from someone's discard?
Yes, that was just referring to calling another player's discarded tile. Once you declare the call and reveal the tiles you will use to complete the call, it is common to discard before physically taking the other player's tile just to keep the pace of the game. This sort of etiquette varies depending on where and with whom you play. If you're ever unsure, it's best to ask the other players to see what is preferred.
I don't know if you're still active on this account but I just wanted to ask where do you recommend buying mahjong sets from (preferably an online shop because I have no way of traveling to Japan to buy a set there)
If you're buying outside of Japan, the options are a little limited. The only one I could think to recommend at the moment is the Japanese-style set from Yellow Mountain Imports. It is of average price and average quality.
Hi dude, i have one question, idk why the last one i needed when i called Riichi didnt take it.. why? i needed a 6 to make a "Stair" cus i had 4 and 5. So when i called Riichi 3 opponents DROPPED it and nothing happened!! I can't understand how sometimes it looks simple but now that i had the chance it didn't work my full hand was (3;3 CHARACTER, 4,5 CHARACTER, 3,4,5 BAMBOO, 6,7,8 BAMBOO, 7,8,9 DOTS. And then called Riichi. Can anyone tell me which was the last one i needed? I thouhgt it was 6 Character but nope If anyone has psn i will send the Screenshot of my hand...
If you declared riichi, then you definitely had a yaku. However, it is possible that you were furiten. If you had discarded one of your winning tiles, which would have been 3 or 6 characters, then you would be unable to win from another player's discarded tile.
I'm assuming that you are playing on a Yakuza game, but I'm not really familiar with their weird English translations for things. By "yaku", I meant a requirement for a winning hand that is worth points, like riichi or tanyao (all simples). As for ippatsu, you just have to win within the first turn after declaring riichi. There's not much you can do to increase your chances for that, since it's all luck. Just riichi as much as you can and hope for the best; keep trying and you'll get it eventually.
The set I'm using was discontinued a few years ago. If you're looking for a Japanese mahjong set, I would recommend anything under the AMOS brand. They're good quality sets without being too expensive.
@@LightGrunty Amos has both weighted and unweighted - the former for automatic tables? If you don't have an automatic table, do people prefer the heavier tiles anyway, or is the lighter "more traditional"?
@@Mikethealtarboy The weighted tiles just have some extra heft; it's really just a preference thing. But to be clear, these tile sets are not for use with automatic tables. Autotables will come with their own tile sets.
I have a question. Does it matter what colour the tiles are? Does it always have to be white? Because the black ones (I'm sure you know them, from YMI) also look really cool.
It does not matter so long as you can't tell the tiles apart when they're facedown. I do feel the need to warn you about getting a set without colored tile backs, though. If the entire tile is the same color, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to tell which side is the front for the haku tile. However, if it has the frame, like on a Chinese-style set, then that's no problem.
@@LightGrunty i'm late, but what would be the issue with it being impossible to tell apart the front and the back of the haku? seems like there shouldn't be any problem.
@@eduardoxenofonte4004 If you can't tell the front from the back for any haku, then for any revealed tile that appears to be the haku, you have to check both sides to confirm that it isn't some other tile that is just facedown. It can be a problem with discarded tiles, called tiles, and the dora indicator. Additionally, the front and back of mahjong tiles usually have different curvatures, so you might be able to spot the haku in the wall if it happened to have been placed faceup.
@@LightGrunty well, it isn't that hard to know if a tile is the haku or another tile facedown, as if it were another tile facedown, you would have seen its value when it was face up. the curvatures are a problem, though.
thank you for this. Living in Japan, some coworkers invited me to play recently. So I won't offend them, yay!
You're welcome! Of course, the expected etiquette may vary depending on with whom you play, so don't hesitate to ask the other players if you're not sure about what they consider to be good manners.
We have a rule on the tournament, that you have to first place the opened set with the taken tile and only after that you can discard. Helps avoiding the ocassional "I forgot to take the tile", which surprisingly happens a lot and leads to a dead hand, if I recall correctly. Since most of our players usually play online and we have only two real life tournaments in a year in our nearby cities.
And our community is relatively small, so banter about not won hands is fairly common, especially, when they're haneman or higher.
One more thing. When you're calling a closed kan, always remember to flip the quad like it's falling away from you. This will help them verify that it is a quad.
It really depends on what the janso you are at but basic manners at the janso are no slapping, no pointing, no fidgeting
This is helpful but I think I'm also pretty discouraged from wanting to play in person at the table now...I think I'll stick to online...
There is no reason to be discouraged from playing in person with real tiles. Of course, it will be more difficult because you have to know about things that online mahjong would take care of for you. But if you are new to it, other players will surely understand and do what they can to help.
And the dynamic of a real table is so much more interesting, in my opinion. If you are able to play in person, even if it's only once in a while, it will make you a stronger player overall.
@@LightGrunty I don't actually know how to calculate score and I honestly never really thought about needing to plan my pon and chi before I even see the tile drop, I'm still getting better at recognizing the "shape" of my hand and it isn't until I see the opportunity that I even begin to think if I want to take it. normally I try not to call, but sometimes in the middle of the game I'll be like "okay, maybe I want to call here just to get into tenpai so I won't have to pay at the end" but otherwise I wouldn't want to open my hand early on
A lot of these things come with experience and practice. To be quite honest, most players do not know how to calculate the scores of their hands, especially in casual games. After someone wins a hand, they might list the yaku and try to figure out the fu, then look at the scoring table to figure out the exact score. That wouldn't really be acceptable in a competitive environment, but chances are you aren't going to find competitive games outside of Japan.
Online mahjong makes calling tiles easy because it tells you whenever calling is possible and gives you at least a few seconds before you have to make your decision. However, in real life, you would generally take some time during your turn to decide which tiles you would call if they are discarded. Of course, the situation might change from turn to turn, but thinking about what tiles to call isn't something you have time for during an opponent's turn.
To put it simply, take a moment to think about what tiles you want to call before you discard to complete your turn. And don't worry too much about the scoring; it takes a lot of practice, and experienced players should be willing to assist you at the table if you need help.
@@LightGrunty i've been playing with friends for a couple of sessions now and out of eveything in this game, calculating hands is still the most difficult, although we are getting the hang of creating winning hands a couple of players are already even starting to combine hands calculating a basic hand below a mangan still takes the most time of the entire thing. Feeling the player level and experience actually rise is incredibly fun tho and very noticable. people have started developing their own playstyle and strategy and its showing :P
This is very informative, thanks for posting this. I'm curious where did you get your mahjong tiles from? They look nice.
The mahjong set I used in these videos is a top-notch modern set from Japan, which my friend got for me. Apparently the one I use isn't sold anymore. It's really too bad, since it's such a high quality set and includes color tenbou.
@@LightGrunty what size are your tiles in millimeters?
If I remember correctly, they are 28 mm tall, which is the standard for Japanese tiles.
As the player going after a person just discarded, how long do you give before drawing and discarding? Do you wait 5 seconds to see if anyone calls or do you just keep going?
It ultimately depends on the people you play with. Inexperienced players may want more time between turns, but experienced players would probably prefer a fast-paced game. Competition rule sets generally say to wait 1 second before moving to draw to confirm that other players do not call the discarded tile.
This mostly makes perfect sense to me, but I feel odd about discarding before drawing my tile... Maybe I misunderstood, but sometimes the tile you draw can change your intentions going forward, so discarding first could end up being a huge mistake... Where you just referring to drawing from someone's discard?
Yes, that was just referring to calling another player's discarded tile. Once you declare the call and reveal the tiles you will use to complete the call, it is common to discard before physically taking the other player's tile just to keep the pace of the game.
This sort of etiquette varies depending on where and with whom you play. If you're ever unsure, it's best to ask the other players to see what is preferred.
I don't know if you're still active on this account but I just wanted to ask where do you recommend buying mahjong sets from (preferably an online shop because I have no way of traveling to Japan to buy a set there)
If you're buying outside of Japan, the options are a little limited. The only one I could think to recommend at the moment is the Japanese-style set from Yellow Mountain Imports. It is of average price and average quality.
Hi dude, i have one question, idk why the last one i needed when i called Riichi didnt take it.. why? i needed a 6 to make a "Stair" cus i had 4 and 5. So when i called Riichi 3 opponents DROPPED it and nothing happened!! I can't understand how sometimes it looks simple but now that i had the chance it didn't work
my full hand was (3;3 CHARACTER, 4,5 CHARACTER, 3,4,5 BAMBOO, 6,7,8 BAMBOO, 7,8,9 DOTS. And then called Riichi. Can anyone tell me which was the last one i needed? I thouhgt it was 6 Character but nope
If anyone has psn i will send the Screenshot of my hand...
If you declared riichi, then you definitely had a yaku. However, it is possible that you were furiten. If you had discarded one of your winning tiles, which would have been 3 or 6 characters, then you would be unable to win from another player's discarded tile.
@@LightGrunty sorry i dont get was yaku or furiten, do u have psn? so i can show you my full hand
i really wanna get an ippatsu for the %100 Completion List, its the only requirement left... i'm running out of time 😟
and yes, when i called riichi i dropped the 6 character... what a dumb 👾
I'm assuming that you are playing on a Yakuza game, but I'm not really familiar with their weird English translations for things. By "yaku", I meant a requirement for a winning hand that is worth points, like riichi or tanyao (all simples).
As for ippatsu, you just have to win within the first turn after declaring riichi. There's not much you can do to increase your chances for that, since it's all luck. Just riichi as much as you can and hope for the best; keep trying and you'll get it eventually.
What tile set are you using in this videos? Is it buyable in the UK?
The set I'm using was discontinued a few years ago. If you're looking for a Japanese mahjong set, I would recommend anything under the AMOS brand. They're good quality sets without being too expensive.
@@LightGrunty Amos has both weighted and unweighted - the former for automatic tables? If you don't have an automatic table, do people prefer the heavier tiles anyway, or is the lighter "more traditional"?
@@Mikethealtarboy The weighted tiles just have some extra heft; it's really just a preference thing. But to be clear, these tile sets are not for use with automatic tables. Autotables will come with their own tile sets.
I have a question. Does it matter what colour the tiles are? Does it always have to be white? Because the black ones (I'm sure you know them, from YMI) also look really cool.
It does not matter so long as you can't tell the tiles apart when they're facedown.
I do feel the need to warn you about getting a set without colored tile backs, though. If the entire tile is the same color, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to tell which side is the front for the haku tile. However, if it has the frame, like on a Chinese-style set, then that's no problem.
@@LightGrunty Thanks for the answer.
@@LightGrunty i'm late, but what would be the issue with it being impossible to tell apart the front and the back of the haku? seems like there shouldn't be any problem.
@@eduardoxenofonte4004 If you can't tell the front from the back for any haku, then for any revealed tile that appears to be the haku, you have to check both sides to confirm that it isn't some other tile that is just facedown. It can be a problem with discarded tiles, called tiles, and the dora indicator. Additionally, the front and back of mahjong tiles usually have different curvatures, so you might be able to spot the haku in the wall if it happened to have been placed faceup.
@@LightGrunty well, it isn't that hard to know if a tile is the haku or another tile facedown, as if it were another tile facedown, you would have seen its value when it was face up. the curvatures are a problem, though.
So, basically don't ever play IRL if you're a beginner, if you're supposed to know everything in advance...
Not really, tell the people you play with that you're a beginner and for sure they will understand, especially Japanese against foreigner