HANDLING FLOWERS (Article 12)

All mahjong sets come with Flower tiles. There are two sets of Flowers, Seasons (1 SUM, 2 SPR, 3 AUT, 4 WIN) and Flowers (1 PLUMB, 2 ORCHID, 3 CHRYS, 4 BAMBOO). For Asian styles, the Flowers are bonus tiles and are not part of the 14-tile hand. If a player has a Flower and it is the same number as their seat for any given hand (1 EAST, 2 SOUTH, 3 WEST, 4 NORTH), they will get additional points if they win. For American mah jongg, the Seasons and Flowers together are called “Flowers”. The numbers and letters on the Flowers do not matter. If a hand calls for a Flower, indicated by an F, any Flower tile will do. Many times, sets will come with extra Flowers, Jokers, and blank tiles. Just be sure that you use only 8 Flowers and 8 Jokers.

One of the differentiators of American Mah Jongg is that Flowers are not bonus tiles, they are components of ~45% of the hands on the reference card. Since many hands use Flowers, if and when to discard them is a time-sensitive tactical decision with several variables to consider.

During the Charleston, my focus is gathering tiles to support the strength of my hand. Here is the hierarchy of passing unwanted tiles in order of low to high risk:

• A single Wind or Red/Green Dragon with mixed numbered and mixed-suited tiles
• A different numbered tile from each suit
• All the same category
• All the same suit
• White Dragons or Flowers (pass rarely)
• Like Numbers or Pairs (pass as a last resort)

In my opinion, Flowers are the most valuable tiles in the set next to the White Dragon. Flowers are required in 44% of the hands on the NMJL 2023 card. I pass Flowers rarely – maybe once on a game-day. I think passing a Flower is equal in risk of passing like numbers. Both of those I see as one step down from passing a pair which should be a last resort. If I’m one or two tiles from being ready to win during the Charleston, I may pass a Flower.

Also, I don’t think flowers are as useful for joker bait as other tiles because there are so many of them. If I have two or more Flowers, I look for hands that can use them. If a hand without Flowers develops, I discard the Flowers as soon as possible because they increase in risk as the game progresses.

If I draw an unwanted Flower in the end-game (i.e., 4th wall), I pause to assess the risk of discarding it. First, I look in the discards and exposures to count how many Flowers are out to determine if my opponents need them. Then, I have to decide if I am going to play to win or fold. I assess my potential to win by comparing the number of picks remaining in the wall to the number of discards in my hand. I also look at the discards and exposures to see if my tiles could be in the wall or if they could be in my opponent’s hands. If I am playing to win, I discard the riskiest tiles first (i.e., Flowers, year tiles, White Dragons, fresh tiles). If my potential to win is slim, I fold and discard as safely as possible.