PLANNING DISCARDS (ARTICLE 260)

Discard planning in American Mah Jongg is the art of deciding which tiles to let go of to give yourself the best chance of completing a hand while minimizing the risk of helping an opponent. Effective discard planning blends a solid understanding of the game’s design with the ability to adapt to what’s unfolding at the table.

When you get your dealt your hand, look for its strongest features—typically multiples or a predominant suit or pattern. Use this information to select a category from the card that matches your tiles. Then, pass isolated or unhelpful tiles during the Charleston. Once you’re down to all “keepers,” narrow your focus to one or two promising hands to guide which tiles to continue passing. For more on this process, see Exercising Charleston Options.

After the Charleston, begin discarding useless and isolated tiles, which have already been exposed or discarded by others—these are less likely to help your opponents and won’t help your hand. My preferred approach here is the outside-in strategy, where you first discard the least flexible tiles. It’s a method explained in Tile Efficiency.

You may hear about a discard tactic called, “1-4-7,” or “suji.” This is a complex discard tactic using number tiles for Asian versions of the game where chows are prevalent. It doesn’t apply to American mah jongg because chows are rare – only in two hands on the card this year and a discard to complete a chow can only be claimed if the player is ready to win. When using suji, a player must keenly observe opponents’ discards and relate them to tiles grouped in threes — 1-4-7, 2-5-8, and 3-6-9. If an opponent discards a tile, the others in that group are safer because they can’t form a two-sided wait with it. For example, if someone discards a 6, the 3 and 9 are likely safer to discard than any other number. Terminal tiles (1s, 9s) are usually safer than middle tiles (3-7), and if both outer tiles in a group are visible (like 1 and 7), the middle tile (4) can be an assumed safe discard. This tactic is unreliable begin game, or when opponents use edge or pair waits. For stronger defense, players combine suji with other discard tactics like genbutsu (any tile that an opponent has already discarded or exposed).

Remember, discard planning isn’t static. As the game progresses, you must reassess. Ask yourself whether your hand is strong enough to push for a win. If not, it’s time to fold and focus on blocking your opponents. Timing is key, and Why Wait Patterns Matter provides good insight on when to make that shift.

Finally, your personal playing style matters. Aggressive players may take risks early, discarding potentially dangerous tiles to speed toward a win. Conservative players, on the other hand, tend to discard more cautiously, especially in the later stages of the game. Understanding your style of play and reading the styles of others at the table will help you refine your discard choices. For more on this topic, see Playing Defensively.