HOPTOI’S CORE STRATEGY BY WALL (Article 116)

When I first learned to play American mah jongg using the National Mah Jongg League rules, I didn’t enjoy it. The game felt too rigid and restrictive. But I knew there had to be more, something I was missing. So, I dug deeper and struck gold. That’s when I discovered Tom Sloper, a game developer and mah jongg expert, who adapted a chess strategy to fit the phases of a mah jongg game. This approach completely transformed my understanding and experience of the game. It was a pivotal moment in my journey to mastering American mah jongg.

Since then, I’ve taken his phased strategy and made it my own, calling it Hoptoi’s Strategy by Wall. It’s now the foundation for many of my strategies and tactics. This strategy is about pacing—helping you make smarter decisions as the game progresses and guiding you to hit critical milestones based on the wall in play. What is the key to making any strategy work? Timing.

Tactics for the PRE-GAME (during the Charleston, first wall, and the first part of the second wall)

• Arrange tiles in order: Jokers, Flowers, Winds, Dragons, each Suit in numerical order; no spaces
• Multiples (i.e., pair, pung, kong) are more powerful than singles; if there are multiples in your hand, choose a category that uses the majority of them and keep tiles that fit that category regardless of suit
• If there are no multiples in your hand, visualize or arrange your tiles by category (e.g., 2468, 13579, 369) and then select the category that uses the majority of your tiles
• If the choice is still unclear, choose the Consecutive Run category and keep tiles within four consecutive numbers regardless of suit
• Set unwanted tiles to one side of your rack (these will be your discards)
• Below are best to worst-case passing scenarios:
  1. A different numbered tile from each suit
  2. A single Wind or Dragon with mixed numbered and mixed-suited tiles
  3. All the same category
  4. All the same suit
  5. White Dragons or Flowers (pass rarely)
  6. Like Numbers or Pairs (pass as a last resort)
• Do not focus on which hand you are going to play until you have no discards
• Reassess your hand after each pass, especially if a new multiple forms

Red Flags

• Opponents passing blind
• Opponents stopping the Charleston
• Opponents negotiating low

Tactics for the BEGIN-GAME (drawing tiles from the last part of the second [short] wall)

• Stay concealed as long as possible.
• Ensure that you are not playing a concealed hand before calling a discard.
• Reassess your hand if a new multiple forms.
• Call a discard for an exposure if you know what hand you are playing, and it has no gaps and one or no weaknesses.

Red Flags

• Opponents making exposures; could be an indicator that they have a well-developed hand
• Opponents discarding jokers; could be an indicator that they are playing a singles and pairs hand

Tactics for the MIDDLE-GAME (drawing from the third wall; tiles 40-80)

• Watch what other players discard and expose to identify their category, then adjust your strategy accordingly.
• Commit to one category towards the end of the second wall.
• Commit to a single hand towards the end of the third wall.
• Redeem jokers from another player’s hand to prevent someone else from benefitting; leave at least one joker amongst their exposures to avoid paying for a jokerless hand.
• JOKER BAIT – Keep pairs, flowers, and dragons even if you do not need them; when someone makes an exposure with a joker, you may be able to make an exchange. The ideal time to discard the first tile is in the middle of the middle game (60 tiles remaining). Dig deeper: https://mahjlife.com/wiki/joker-bait-article-181/

Red Flags

• Opponents making exposures; could be an indicator that they have a well-developed hand; especially the post-exposure discards have greater meaning
• Opponents discarding jokers; could be an indicator that they are ready on a pair tile

Tactics for the END-GAME (drawing from the fourth wall; last 40 tiles)

If you are ready to win, play to win. However, if you draw a tile that could give another player a winning hand, consider these variables:

1) The number of picks that remain in the wall

2) The number of your winning tile is in an exposure or has been discarded

3) The number of your opponent’s winning tile is in an exposure or has been discarded

4) The value of your opponent’s likely hand

If your hand is of equal or greater value and if your potential to win is greater than that of your opponent, discard the tile. Otherwise, break up your hand and discard safely.

If you are unable to win because the tiles you need are either in exposures or have already been discarded:

• Do not claim discards for an exposure – it gives other players valuable information
• Discard tiles that have been exposed or previously discarded; it’s best to discard number tiles where 3 are out (except Year tiles)
• Discard jokers (jokers cannot be claimed)

Tournament Play (previous strategies apply)

• Lose small (do not discard the winning tile)
• Win big (play high-scoring hands)
• When 100% confident, call other players dead

Verbal, Physical, and Tile Tells

• Never comment about your passes or hand
• Control your facial expressions and body language
• Change the way you arrange your tiles
• Adjust your strategy based on observing other players:
  • Listen to what they say
  • Watch how they react to discards
  • Watch how they arrange their tiles
  • Note the types of hands they play

Red Flags

• Opponents making exposures are likely playing to win; post-exposure discards have the most significant meaning
• Opponents discarding jokers have likely folded

In this video, I’ll show you how to train your eye for in-person games so you can recognize the current wall and use that knowledge to make the best decisions as the game progresses.

This is a recurring topic in Nitty-Gritty PRIMETIME Let’s Play Livestreams. The schedule is in the American Mah Jongg Skills and Strategies Matrix (Article 210).