Play with Purpose

Prepare for an unforgettable night filled with fun, prizes, and the power of giving back! Join us for a game within a game, where every bingo call brings excitement, rewards, and hope for the children of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Your participation helps fund lifesaving treatments, so donate, grab your bingo card, and let’s play with purpose! Viewers who get a BINGO will win Mahj Life MERCH! It occurs on the third Saturday in March and September from 4:45 to 9:00 PM ET.

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GLOSSARY

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100+ Viewers: When there are more than 100 viewers in the livestream.

50+ Viewers: When there are more than 50 viewers in the livestream.

75+ Viewers: When there are more than 75 viewers in the livestream.

Agony: Intense frustration and emotional turmoil experienced during hand development, often peaking just before a player is forced to fold. It arises from a series of near-misses, unfavorable draws, or strategic roadblocks that prevent completing a winning hand, making the final decision to fold especially painful.

Bad Beat: A subjective term for one of two situations, 1) more than one player is ready to win with the same tile, and the player seated closer to the discarder gets preference, or 2) more than one player is ready to win, and the player with the weaker wait wins; See wiki WAIT PATTERNS MATTER (ARTICLE 225).

Big Hand: A hand valued at 40 or higher

Blackbelt: Veteran player at the table!

Blind Pass: A pass that is less than three tiles requiring a player to supplement tiles from their incoming pass without looking to make up the difference.

Blind Pass: A pass that is less than three tiles requiring a player to supplement tiles from their incoming pass without looking to make up the difference.

Boomerang: When a tile is sacrificed in the Charleston and returns to the hand.

Bouquet: Playing a hand with four or more flowers.

Committed: When a player claims discards to make an exposure that limits hand choice.

Contender: Middle or moderate perceived position of a player in the game based on the strength of the hand, number of discards in the hand, number of discards visible, and number of picks left in the wall.

Cringe: Someone did something that caused feelings of acute embarrassment or awkwardness (e.g., cringeworthy).

DQ: A state in which a player is ineligible to win because of an inviable hand or violations of the rules (e.g., disqualified). See wiki REASONS TO DISQUALIFY ANOTHER PLAYER (ARTICLE 24)

Dealt In: When a player discards a tile that completes another player’s hand, resulting in mah jongg

Diversion: To deliberately distract opponents’ attention (e.g., discarding a symbol tile instead of a joker).

Double Wait: Need one of two tiles or a joker that can be used in one of two big multiples to complete the hand. See wiki WAIT PATTERNS MATTER (ARTICLE 225).

Dragons: Tiles that represent dragons – red, white and green.

Draw: When the tiles in the wall have been depleted without a player declaring mah jongg. This is also known as a wall game.

Earthly Hand: A hand completed by East after the Charleston.

Expedite: To quicken hand development by calling discards to make exposures.

Finesse: If a player’s last move before declaring mah jongg is to redeem a joker from their rack or another player’s rack, it is considered self picked and everyone pays the player double; the term was coined by Ruth Unger, past president of the National Mah Jongg League.

Fold: To forfeit interest in one’s hand to discard as safely as possible and avoid giving someone a winning tile; the player does not say, “fold;” they discretely try to block opponents from winning

Force: A situation where a player commits to a specific hand despite having minimal supporting tiles, often taking risks to complete it.

Friend: A player at the table who frequents the Mahj Life livestreams.

Frontrunner: Front or strong perceived position of a player in the game based on the strength of the hand, number of discards in the hand, number of discards visible, and number of picks left in the wall.

Gap: A missing component block of a hand (e.g., gathering tiles for 369 but have no 3s).

Gap Hand: A situation where one or more components of a hand is missing (e.g., gathering tiles for 369 but have no 3s).

Got Robbed: A situation where a player is waiting for a specific tile, but another player claims it first due to turn order, preventing the waiting player from developing their hand.

Got Skipped: A situation in which a player’s turn is skipped because another player claims a discarded tile, disrupting the turn order and preventing the next player from drawing from the wall.

Gremlins: Entities that create havoc manifesting as technical issues (i.e., lag, lost connection, robot position).

Heavenly Hand: A hand completed by East before the Charleston.

Immunity: A situation that occurs when a player has decided to fold because they have a risky tile then another player discards the same tile with no caller allowing the other player to discard safely and maybe play to win!

Indestructible: A hand with two pungs or kongs, thereby allowing the use of any number of jokers to complete the hand (Hand of Least Resistance).

JFK: A mantra in the form of an acronym representing Joker, Flower, Keeper. When spoken aloud or in the mind with strong conviction, it is believed to influence the next tile drawn from the wall, ensuring it is one of these three valuable tiles.

Joker Bait: An unwanted pair held until later in the game when players have had time for hand development. The player will discard one of the pair tiles to coax another player to make an exposure with a joker. The second tile in the pair would be used to do a joker exchange. The term was coined by Tom Sloper of Sloperama.

Joker Bait Hit: The jokerbait tactic worked!

Joker Bait Miss: The jokerbait tactic failed!

Longshot: A hand in which the chances of winning are slight but possible with careful hand development.

Multiple Wait: Need one tile or a joker that can be used in a big multiple to complete the hand. See wiki WAIT PATTERNS MATTER (ARTICLE 225).

Naked Wait: A situation where a player is one tile away from winning, with all other tiles in their hand already revealed.

New Member: A viewer becomes a channel member during the livestream; learn more

On Tilt: An expression that means to become frustrated or agitated, especially after a loss or setback which can lead to poor decision-making.

Packed: A hand that has had four or more jokers.

Pair Wait: Need one tile for a pair that would complete the hand See wiki WAIT PATTERNS MATTER (ARTICLE 225).

Posy: A colloquial term for a flower when it’s needed.

Power Play: A hand development strategy that uses three powerful tactics that have the potential to transform significantly a dealt hand. The tactics are Optimize (target multiples [pair, pung, kong], Maximize (target the predominant pattern [e.g., consecutive run, evens, odds, 369]), and Streamline (choose to play a hand with consecutive runs).

Purity: A hand without jokers. Also known as jokerless hand.

Push: To play to win regardless of risk.

Quad Wait: Need one of four tiles or a joker that can be used in one of four big multiples that would complete the hand (MPIAMJQSTT: Wait patterns).

Quint without jokers: A bold strategic decision to pursue a quint despite not having any jokers, relying on the belief that they will appear just in time. This high-risk, high-reward move is a signature play of Michele Frizzell, showcasing confidence, vision, and trust in the flow of the game..

Ready: When a player needs only one tile to complete a given hand.

Ready by 41: Ready to win with 41 tiles remaining in the wall. This marks a critical transition into the endgame, as it is the final draw of the third wall, signaling heightened strategy and urgency in the final stage of play.

Recovery Mission: The process of regaining momentum in hand development after a setback, such as a misstep, missed opportunity, or sacrificing essential tiles. It involves strategic adjustments, adaptability, and sometimes a bit of luck to steer the hand back toward completion.

Red Flag: A warning sign that can provide information if interpreted correctly.

Retail Therapy: The exciting opportunity to exchange exposed jokers from opponents’ melds. This moment provides a surge of optimism and a strategic boost, allowing a player to strengthen their hand and increase their chances of winning.

Risky Pass: A pass that has the potential to strengthen an opponent’s hand, making the decision a calculated gamble.

Sabotage: Destruction or interference intended to weaken an opponent.

Semi-Stealth Mode: The act of reducing one’s detectability by playing an exposable hand with only one exposure.

Set: When a player can call for each block in a given hand.

Shopping Spree: The exhilarating moment when a player is able to exchange multiple jokers in a single turn. Much like a real shopping spree, this opportunity allows the player to quickly upgrade their hand, gaining a significant advantage and increasing their chances of completing a winning combination.

Single Wait: Need a tile needed to fill a gap that would complete the hand. See wiki WAIT PATTERNS MATTER (ARTICLE 225).

Spam: A situation in which the tiles you need are continuously discarded in succession over multiple rounds, often frustratingly just out of your reach.

Stealth Mode: The act of reducing one’s detectability by playing a concealed hand or playing an exposable hand with no exposures.

Stopped Charleston: Someone stopped the Charleston!

Strong Start: A dealt hand with seven or more tiles towards a category or hand.

Switch after 60: A tactical adjustment made when a hand becomes unwinnable, focused on leveraging its remaining strengths to salvage the situation and maximize any potential advantage.

Triple Wait: Need one of three tiles or a joker that can be used in one of three big multiples to complete the hand. See wiki WAIT PATTERNS MATTER (ARTICLE 225).

Underdog: The back or weak perceived position of a player in the game is based on the strength of the hand, number of discards in the hand, number of discards visible, and number of picks left in the wall.

Weed: A colloquial term for a flower when it’s not needed.

Widespread Deal: A dealt hand where all the tiles are singles, meaning there are no multiples (e.g., pair, pung, kong).

Win by Discard: A player completes their hand by taking a tile that another player has discarded.

Win by Joker Exchange: A player completes their hand by doing a joker exchange.

Win by Self-Pick: A player completes their hand by picking their winning tile from the wall.

Window Shopping: When a player sees jokers in exposures and they search to see if they are available for exchange.

Zombie: A player with an unwinnable hand who stays in the game unnoticed, strategically discarding to block their opponents’ chances of winning.