I have often had conversations with my MJ friends how much of the game of MahJongg is Luck versus Skill? The percentage has been bandied about – one will say, it’s all luck; well not many agree with that. Some will say, it’s 50/50. Others lean toward, a higher percentage to the better player. If it was 50/50 skill versus luck, why would better players consistently win? So I thought I would come up with an interesting idea for us to debate: seeing the following hand, how many of you would choose a different direction to go? How many of you would pass the same tiles as I did here? How many of you can see that a better way may have been to do something else? I would welcome your feedback. As you watch the hand progress, any “ah – ha! moments” are encouraged to let us know! Add comments, email us or better yet, add your opinion on Facebook!
So, here’s the progression of the hand in order of the Charleston.
I am now waiting for my First Right – do you see what I am passing? What would you have passed???
First Right Received – what do you deduce?
I’ve now received my First Right. Hmmm, tells me some: Player who passed it isn’t saving winds or low odds it seems…
I decide to keep the East I received so maybe I should be saving what they are passing???
I received back:
I decided to keep the 4 dot, and see how the Easts and Wests and the 4’s treat me! I know it’s a closed hand, but I’ll also position myself to keep more of the winds and 2014 so I can have options. My two jokers certainly also give me options… a bit of the luck factor.
So I decided to send over to my left a bunch of Kraks. Probably not a good move to send all of one suit..
So now, the player who sent me kraks last time, sent me over a couple more. More tell tale info.
More decisions, hmmm. Should I stay with the low dots? Not too many winds coming my way, but at least one more. And, I have another 4 now, so the 4s with the Easts and Wests are still viable, and since I have both the pairs I need for that hand (the 4 Dots and the pair of Easts), even though it is closed, that certainly helps. What would you do?
I need to make a decision it seems.
. I am hoping for more help. And usually I don’t want to send pairs together but… c’est la vie!
Next pass…
Maybe I could have kept that South just to be safe to have a fall back. But no second guessing …
….I am pretty happy to give this hand a try. Closed, yes, but I have those 2 jokers to help me and there’s some of the “luck” part! Wish me luck for the rest.
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2014