An ancient and traditional Chinese game, Jah Jong has gone global in many ways. There are Chinese, Japanese, and even American versions of the rules. The game, no matter which way you play, involves a bit of luck, some skill, and a pinch of intelligence. In fact, the name actually means “the game of the hundred intelligences”. The game has traditionally been used as a game of chance in China.
However, Mah Jong is usually played by four people; it can be played by as few as two or as many as five people. In a complete game of Mah Jong, 16 hands are played. They are played in four rounds. Each round is named after a direction: first east, then south, then west, and finally north. Each of the players actually like a direction or wind corresponding to the order in which they play. The first player, or this one, is determined by a roll of the dice.
The next part of the Mah Jong game rules and procedures explained is building the wall. This is done by arranging the tiles in stacks. 18 stacks are formed once the tiles have been thoroughly mixed. The stack is broken and tiles are distributed among all the players, so that each player ends up with 13 tiles. The rest of the tiles will be in the middle and are known as a wall.
Below, the rules and procedures of the Maj Jong game include each player discarding tiles and drawing from the wall. The idea is to get 4 games and a couple of chips. A set is a sequence of three in a row of the same suit, known as a CHOW (like a mini straight flush in poker). You can also get three of a kind, or PUNG. Finally, poker is also a set and is known as KONG. Once a player has gotten four sets and one pair, the game is over. If nobody wins and the wall disappears, there is raw publicity. There are many scoring variations depending on where you play and who you play with.
There are a number of mah jong rules that have been formulated for international competition. There are world championships held all over the world. Now it is not only a gambling game, but also an international sport. International rules were first used in 2002, when the first World Championship tournament was played. This new set of rules combines traditional scoring with many of the modern elements that have been shaped over the years.
Mah Jong is a game that is taking the world by storm. Although simple, its tradition dates back to Chinese history as a gambling game. Today, however, the game is played for gambling, for fun, and for sport. With the development of world tournaments, the game of mah jong has become global and part of popular world culture. So grab some chips and be a part of the movement. Sit down at that table and you’ll be addicted to skill, intelligence and luck in a matter of a few hands.
