The last tile in a row of six gets laid down, the room falls silent and you notice the pattern snap into place as your mind tallies up extra points. That’s when you realize how good that instant gratification feels; it’s so great that it hides the arithmetic truth behind the move. How much did … Read more

Triominoes’ most poorly understood mechanism is the bridge bonus. On paper it appears straightforward: Connect two distinct sets of tile and receive an additional forty points. In reality, people will miss it completely; because they don’t see the board as a graph, or declare it even though not all touching sides are paired up. This … Read more

The coffee table’s not big enough for all those player you invited, so now you want the game to flow smoothy. The dominoes pile up, private trains collide with the shared Mexican Train. Because there is no set space for boneyard, someone knocks it over. The calculator above will help you match table footprint, boneyard … Read more

Chances are you’ve seen this debate unfold already. There’s a jumbled heap of dominoes with two individuals standing nearby; one claims that the set is intact while the other claims something is amiss. This could occur in a bar or at family reunion. They begin by counting all the tiles, but they conclude by arguing … Read more

The deal is what gets people nervous about setting up mah jongg: How many tiles are left? And why does it matter? Because the physical logistics of playing mah jongg, how it’s dealt, where pieces go on the table, etc., determine the pace and level of strategy of a match. If you don’t know how … Read more

“You have a humble hand on the table. When shape fits, you call agari. The indicators is turned over; the room falls silent. It’s no longer about managing your tiles; now it’s math time. In riichi mahjong, dora (bonus han) don’t applies toward yaku requirements. They can turn a one-han score into big payday. In … Read more

In American mahjong, there’s some misunderstanding about the Charleston. For instance, new players might think it’s this free-for-all of everyone throwing out whatever tile they don’t want. In reality, it’s a carefully planned process and getting the order off just right is what sets the pace for the rest of the game. Most people gets … Read more