Mahjong Games
While there are many regional variations of mahjong, most share common rules. These include rules for drawing and robbing the pieces, using honors and suits, and basic kinds of melds. Some regional variations, however, may vary in their scoring systems, criteria for winning hands, and other extra rules. Here’s an overview of some of the more commonly seen varieties. Listed below are a few examples of the different types of mahjong games.
American mahjong
American mahjong, or mah jongg, is a game similar to the Chinese mahjong game, but using racks for tiles, jokers, and “Hands and Rules” score cards. This type of mahjong game is popular among families and groups, as well as among competitive gamers. Unlike its Chinese counterpart, American mahjong is much easier to learn, with a relatively low learning curve.
Taiwanese mahjong
Mahjong is very popular in Taiwan. Most people learn the game from their family members. Taiwanese mahjong games are unique, however. Players must search for and connect pairs of identical pictures to remove them from the board. The game is played with a mouse and the aim is to make the entire board empty. After a game, the player can upload his score to the Game Center and compete against his friends in nine international tournaments.
South African mahjong
The rules of the South African mahjong game are similar to those of Cantonese mahjong, but differ in some important ways. While a hand may score three or four faan, a chicken hand may not be worth much, and flowers are often used to boost the scoring. South African mahjong games are played with 168 tiles, not 108, as is the case with Thai mahjong.
South Korean mahjong
Many variations of the South Korean mahjong game exist. The game’s rules are the same in both Korea and Japan, although the South Korean version is slightly different. The number of tiles should always be thirteen, and each player takes one tile and discards it. There are also rules for how to score a game. The fourth kong piece and flowers are set to the side, but are not included in the thirteen tiles.
