Mah Jongg plays a role in Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

I played regularly for many (many, many, many) years using the National Mah Jongg league cards, but stopped during Covid. My group disbanded and I haven't found another group to play with.

As mentioned above, there are different amount of tiles in a set depending if it's an American style or Chinese style Mah Jongg set. Before you buy online be aware of how many tiles the sets contain. I've seen complete sets offered through estate sales for very little money. Maybe check on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.

One one cruise a number of years ago, several young couples were playing Mah Jomgg. I was curious and asked where they learned to play and they explained that they were military and learned how to play during their base assignments.

One of my group members also played In a Chinese Mah Jongg parlor for really big money. The game and its rules were entirely different than the National League rules.

I had heard of it but knew nothing much about it. You got me to download an app and now I can't stop playing! I love it! It's a little escape from the real world that's fun. Thanks so much for getting me interested!

For you Mtn--Vintage Mahjong

Please note, the apps which you can download, while fun, are primarily matching type games, nothing to do with an actual game of Mah Jongg, either American or Chinese style.

blubird is correct about the majority of the free/app MJ games. There may be others, but realmahjongg.com does require use of the National Mah Jongg League card to play and is pretty close to actual in person play. It is subscription based after a free trial but is a great way to practice, learn the card and play in-between regular get togethers.

Thank you for straightening me out! Obviously, I have no idea yet about Mahjong!

I was thinking that a game similar to Mah Jongg which might be more familiar to most is rummikub, where you have to create runs of matching colors or multiples of a kind. However, American style (National Mah Jongg League style) adds to the fun by making ’hands’ from a printed card which changes every year.

i grabbed a picture from ebay to show you what a card looks like:

Heres a look at inside a card with the hands from a specific year

(Not my pix, just screen grabs from ebay)

I'd love to find vintage ones but a whole set in tact is probably rare.

I had DH’s ex-mother-in-law’s set which was given to me by my stepson when he helped her move into a nursing home. When it became apparent that I was never going to use it, I gave it back to DSS.

I bought a set in Chinatown in San Francisco some years ago because I thought I would learn to play. My dear aunt, for whom I am named, told me that what I had was pretty but could not be used to actually play. Something to do with jokers.

I’m still interested, but I’ve never learned to play. There is a group that plays at the country club who are willing to teach me. I just need to get my act together and go at least watch them play!

My mom played it, and I have recollections of bowls of m&m's.cut up pineapple ( in the pineapple) and tiles clacking together, all when I was in bed. The women would rotate houses and play one evening ( maybe per week, maybe every other) on bridge tables set up in the living room in our apartment.

The camaradarie made an impression on me.

A few years ago, actually just pior to covid I tried learning it and didn't catch on. Then last year I tried again and had a great teacher . I played several times with a group who plays twice a month.

I enjoyed it to a degree, but I was reminded that I've never been much of a game player and duh0 ma jongg is a game. These women play for about 3 or 4 hours and I'm ok with up to 2 hours. I do play every so often and as long as they are not super competitive ( some are, and play in tournaments etc) I can have a nice time. I like playing and talking and not remembering whose turn it is.

My set arrived today and I finished a game with family. We are big into all sorts of games, so this is right up our alley. Lots of rules tho!

@mtnrdredux_gw DId I miss which one you decided to get? Did you go with vintage or new? You may have to redesign your new sunroom to include a permanent mah jongg table!

LOL, Reff. I got the blue koi one. I marked it as the featured answer.

I have always wanted to play Mahjong since I inherited my grandmothers set. It is bamboo and ivory and around 100 years old . i keep the tiles in a dish so that i can admire them. BTW I do play every Wednesday with a lovey group of women.

@cran your flower tiles are beautiful. the set I inherited appears to be the same vintage as yours, but your flowers have more detail than mine.

I have played with my retired teacher friends for about 3 years now. W took lessons at the county's activity place. We play every Tuesday. Our other teacher friends whine and say they want to play, but when they see the card and how many hands there are, they don't want to go to the trouble to learn. One of my friends quit playing bridge, and says once you learn Mah Jong it is so much more fun. I have seen mah Jong sets for sale on facebook marketplace occasionally.

Mahjong is a challenge to learn, but great fun i play at “I love Mahj ” on line for practice .

salonva I loved your description of hearing your mom play. My mom and dad played cards with another couple. Before I went to bed I filled up on the M&M's and candy corn and peanuts, and smoked almonds. Then going to bed listening to my mom giggle, and hear those candy dishes. Nice memories

@mtnrdredux_gw Thank you for the clarification. that is adorable!

I immediately go to the end of the a tread after the first visit. It annoys me that you would otherwise have to scroll through days of conversation to get to the latest posts so I miss the featured answer after the first time I'm in the thread.

Do you have these yet, Mtn???

OOh those are pretty! I know, I am so predictable. They would not go with my current setup though.

However, my BFF asked me if I'd like to inherit her Mom's set, which was her mother's. I said yes! The tortoise would prob go with them IIRC.

I started a group w a friend and we play weekly for 3 hours. Really enjoying it.

I also play online, which I like because it is so much faster (we are intentionally slow when we play in person as we are all still new to the game and we bring in new players from time to time as well). I use https://ilovemahj.com/play.

I still play in this mode, because I don't carry my card around with me. I always decide on a hand before I see the computer's suggestion, but still, it is kind of a bad habit to use a game with so much support. It reminds me of training for a run on a treadmill and then having to run IRL. BTDT.

I play on the same site and in practice mode as well. You’ll have to post pictures of the inherited set!

I was telling DH the other day I really should move out of practice mode. One thing I learn from it though is that the computer pivots a lot more than I would. I do look at different hands within one section to see if I should switch over time, but "they" look at the whole card and I am too lazy to do that usually.

BTW do you know that, if you have the game open, not just the launchpad, it works without any connectivity? Apparently it stays in your cache. As long as you don't close it, you can play game after game after game (eg on a long flight).

PS I think a virtual GW MJ game sounds like fun!

I didnt know that! The bots and the computer are frustratingly fast! I like to see how it pivots, but since I really can‘t do that and am new to the game, I try to decide on a hand before I look at their suggestions and stick with that unless I get something amazing and obvious in the Charleston.

I bought a cute set last week. Looking forward to putting it to use soon!

The bots and the computer are frustratingly fast!

Yes, sometimes I am like, wait, what just happened?

I try to decide on a hand before I look at their suggestions and stick with that unless I get something amazing and obvious in the Charleston.

I try to keep two hands viable during the Charleston, if I can.

One of the women in our neighborhood had a Mahjong trunk show recently. Really? Apparently you can get all sorts of ”bespoke” MJ paraphenalia. I was out of town so I didn’t go. Probably wouldn’t have gone if I were in town, since I don’t know how to play.

I play with an online group on the https://realmahjongg.com site and know how to faciliate a game there (we talk through the site's voice chat feature). But I also think a GW MJ online game would be totally fun and willing to join on another site or facilitate on the Real Mah Jongg site.

I have several friends who play and who have said they would teach me. Maybe learning to play ought to be my Fall goal.

I did buy these a while ago …

During COVID I got a set hoping to begin a long term weekly game. DH even made us tile holders. Unfortunately it was too complicated for one in my gaming group. The point for me would be to gather, building relationships. The pic of the gals playing in the pool is a reminder it's not about THE GAME.

Funny that I keep hearing people mention their regular games and so many really do love it. I do think I'll give it another try. Of course I made sure to get the new card ( the one with an error for which they sent out a corrected card) but I don't think I've played at all since maybe November..

I'm with you arcy; I enjoyed it most when we lost track of whose turn it was.

Yes and no. To me, if you are bothering to play a game, there is not much point unless you are engaged and trying to win. MJ requires a great deal of concentration. It's work.

That said, we play a kinder, gentler game than most. No one is rushed. And we stop between rounds for chit chat and snax.

Bunco is for drinking, and mahjong is for thinking!

LOL, I love that. No offense but I was cajoled into Bunco a few times and I hated it. The only thing worse was when it was interspersed with "left right center." 🙄

I always say that the definition of a game is an endeavor that combines skill and luck for competition and fun. The particular ratio of skill vs, luck is a matter of preference, but I find games that rely more heavily on skill more satisfying, and hence vastly prefer MJ!

When we moved to a new city, I was invited to a women’s bunco group. I went in an attempt to meet new people. I may have gone twice, maybe 3 times. I hated every minute of it. It was tooo mindless for me.

I’ve never played bunco and am mildly interested in Mahjong. BBstx, if you try it I will too 😎

I was so confused by the jokers in the pictured sets, so I dug around online to figure out why. My mom played with Officers’ Wives Clubs (Air Force) when I was young. When she was much older I tried to encourage her to join a club near her, but she turned up her nose at them because they didn’t play ”Wright Patterson (AFB) Rules” which is what she learned and all she had ever played. No jokers! My memory is intact.

Wright Patterson Rules

This might be something to take up as a retirement activity. I have no idea what ever happened to mom’s Mahjong set. Either she got rid of it long ago, or it’s in a box in my brother’s garage.

Yes, the Chinese also do not play with jokers (their game is quite different).

Trust me KSWL you would hate Bunco. It is essentially sitting around and rolling dice. It is nice to get together, but I'd rather have socializing and some challenge too!

@rubyclaire offered to organize play on line.. I have a busy few weeks but maybe Ruby and I can confer and we can create an online GW MJ group?

What’s the app you all use to learn?

I was taught on https://ilovemahj.com/.

Ruby uses another one but I think she said she was amenable to ILoveMahj, too.

I will start to study. Thank you for the website!

I learned to play with a mentor in an in-person group. It appears the ilovemahj.com site is very robust and has many tutorials and videos which would be very helpful for new players or players wanting to improve their game. Our online group uses realmahjongg.com which is a pretty simple play platform.

A GW MJ group would be fun! While I am new to the ilovemahj.com site, it seems pretty straightforward for group play. @mtnrdredux_gw - let's discuss when you get a some time and we'll see if we can get a group together. Meanwhile, this is a great place to indicate your interest. The 2025 cards are available for purchase and are good through March/April 2026.

Great!

FYI, like many games, the goal is to create patterns. Unlike most other games, however, there is a new set of patterns published every year, on a card.

You can start learning, practicing and playing right away, without a card, on ilovemahj.https://ilovemahj.com/about#pricing

More about cards:

https://ilovemahj.com/mah-jongg-question/719/where-can-i-buy-mah-jongg-cards 

I’m game (yes, I intended that pun!), but can we wait until after school starts? All of my brain bandwidth right now is taken up with getting ready for the Iceland trip. I hate the uncertainty of not knowing exactly what to pack because the weather is so mecurial.

I have owned 2 mah jongg sets in my life. One I bought in San Francisco. My aunt was an inveterate mah jongg player. She took one look at my set and dismissed it because it did not contain jokers. The other set was given to me by my step-son. It had belonged to his maternal grandmother. It languished in the game closet for 10 years and I gave it back to him. I think he may have passed it along to his maternal aunt. I don’t recall if it had jokers or not.

Reading this thread, I now know more about mah jongg, but I still feel totally lost. I've been curious about it because I've seen it in movies and read books where it is played (but obviously not discussed in any detail). Until a matter of minutes ago, I'd have said I didn't know anyone who actually played mah jongg. I'd be interested in learning, but we are about to have our dog go in for a biopsy, are working on planning a redo of all three bathrooms and flooring for most of the house, and in August and September I will be doing choir uniform fittings and hemming. I think the brain cells I will have left might be more suited to bunco.

I was invited to play in a neighborhood bunco group when we moved here. I only played a couple of times as a substitute player and got to meet new people each time. I enjoyed it because I got to know some of the neighbors and see inside other houses, but there is not skill or strategy unless you have loaded dice.

Well, if we do start up a group, you can always join when it suits you. : )

Thanks. I might wander to one of those sites to get a feel for the game. A little diversion might be good for the soul.

I think this is a good overview, if a bit dry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrOY40SxDVw

When one plays on line, a lot of this happens automatically so it is a bit easier, but again this is a good intro.

Thanks. I decided to watch it now so I wouldn't forget. I understand why "whose turn is it?" would be a frequent question. LOL It seems simple and complicated at the same time.

I had never heard of Mahjong until moving to Philly where some of my co-workers played. It seems to have become more popular again and recently several of my friends learned to play and they get together weekly. They've asked me to join them but I wasn't sure I could commit to their schedule - invariably someone has a conflict and they're scrambling to find a substitute.

There's a game store a few miles away where the owner offers classes - bridge, canasta, pinochle, board games etc. and my neighbor and I signed up. But her knee replacement has delayed that.

However we could easily watch the video and try one of the mahjong sites mentioned previously.