Practice

Scenarios

Positions worth studying, dealt straight to a practice table. Each comes with a brief, a goal and a par; the table tells you how you did the moment your move lands.

Select a Card

The name that sits at the table. Results stay in this browser.

Finesse

The move that is not the obvious one — reading the whole table before you throw.

  • The free joker

    Your 3-6-9 Dots hand is two tiles from home and the pair of 7 Craks is junk — but South's exposed pung of 7 Craks carries a joker. One 7 Crak buys it.

    • 3 Dot
    • 3 Dot
    • 3 Dot
    • 6 Dot
    • 6 Dot
    • 6 Dot
    • 9 Dot
    • 9 Dot
    • 9 Dot
    • Plum
    • Orchid
    • White
    • 7 Crak
    • 7 Crak
    Goal
    Redeem South's joker with a 7 Crak before you throw.
    Par
    Redeem the joker before you throw
    Hand
    333 666 999 FFF + DD
    Not tried yet

  • Quint over kongs

    Like 3s across three suits, four Red Dragons and a joker. The kong lines look natural, but the card's quint hand is closer — and the lone 9 Crak fits nothing you can still make.

    • 3 Bam
    • 3 Bam
    • 3 Bam
    • 3 Crak
    • 3 Crak
    • 3 Crak
    • 3 Dot
    • 3 Dot
    • Red
    • Red
    • Red
    • Red
    • Joker
    • 9 Crak
    Goal
    Throw the tile that fits no hand you can still make.
    Par
    The right throw, first try
    Hand
    NNN NNN NNN + DDDDD
    Not tried yet

Pairs

Pairs cannot use jokers, so which pair you keep decides the hand.

  • Break the lonely pair

    Consecutive Craks, 1 through 4, with a lone 5 and a pair of Norths. The run wants a pung of 4s and a pair of 5s — so the single stays, and one of your pairs is only ballast.

    • 1 Crak
    • 1 Crak
    • 1 Crak
    • 2 Crak
    • 2 Crak
    • 2 Crak
    • 3 Crak
    • 3 Crak
    • 3 Crak
    • 4 Crak
    • 4 Crak
    • North
    • North
    • 5 Crak
    Goal
    Throw from the pair that no hand of yours can use.
    Par
    The right throw, first try
    Hand
    NNN (N+1)(N+1)(N+1) (N+2)(N+2)(N+2) (N+3)(N+3)(N+3) + (N+4)(N+4)
    Not tried yet

  • Six pairs made

    Six pairs made, two singles left: an 8 Bam and a 9 Bam. Seven Pairs is one tile away — the only mistake here is breaking a pair.

    • 1 Dot
    • 1 Dot
    • 4 Dot
    • 4 Dot
    • 2 Crak
    • 2 Crak
    • 7 Crak
    • 7 Crak
    • East
    • East
    • Green
    • Green
    • 9 Bam
    • 8 Bam
    Goal
    Throw one of the singles, never from a pair.
    Par
    The right throw, first try
    Hand
    Seven Pairs (concealed)
    Not tried yet

Defense

When your own hand is gone, the only game left is not feeding someone else's.

  • Dead hand, safe throw

    A pung of 4 Bams beside a pung of Norths fits no hand on the card: this rack is dead. West shows kongs of 3 Bams and 6 Bams, and only one hand takes both — it still needs 9 Bams and a pair of dragons.

    • 1 Dot
    • 3 Dot
    • 6 Crak
    • 8 Crak
    • 9 Bam
    • Plum
    • West
    • Red
    Goal
    Throw a tile West's hand cannot use.
    Par
    The right throw, first try
    Not tried yet

Jokers

Where a joker goes matters more than how many you hold.

  • Two jokers, one home

    A kong of 3 Dots, two 6 Dots, three 9 Dots and a pair of Soaps, with two jokers to fill the kongs. One stray tile has no place in a 3-6-9 line.

    • 3 Dot
    • 3 Dot
    • 3 Dot
    • 3 Dot
    • 6 Dot
    • 6 Dot
    • 9 Dot
    • 9 Dot
    • 9 Dot
    • White
    • White
    • Joker
    • Joker
    • 5 Bam
    Goal
    Throw the tile that no 3-6-9 hand can use.
    Par
    The right throw, first try
    Hand
    3333 6666 9999 + DD
    Not tried yet

Closing

One or two tiles from home: pick the right wait and take the tile when it comes.

  • One away, four winds

    Three wind pungs, a pair of Norths and a pair of Reds: one North away from mahjong. The wall will deliver it — as long as you keep the wait open.

    • East
    • East
    • East
    • South
    • South
    • South
    • West
    • West
    • West
    • North
    • North
    • Red
    • Red
    Goal
    Win within two draws.
    Par
    Win within 2 draws
    Hand
    EEE SSS WWW NNN + RR
    Not tried yet

  • The long wait

    Kongs of 7s in Bams and Craks, three 7 Dots and a pair of Easts. The last 7 Dot is deep in the wall — reach it without throwing anything the hand needs.

    • 7 Bam
    • 7 Bam
    • 7 Bam
    • 7 Bam
    • 7 Crak
    • 7 Crak
    • 7 Crak
    • 7 Crak
    • 7 Dot
    • 7 Dot
    • 7 Dot
    • East
    • East
    Goal
    Win within three draws.
    Par
    Win within 3 draws
    Hand
    NNNN NNNN NNNN + EE
    Not tried yet

New to the rules? Read how this parlor plays.