Mahjong is a very popular game that originates from China and it is widely played around the world, but if you manage to experience the lifestyle of chinese people, you will realise that Mahjong is very common there, almost everyone plays it and it can even be competitive depending on the type of mahjong you play.

General Info

Now we’re gonna talk about a particular type of Mahjong that is commonly played outside of China and it is also a very common type in the online environment. There are 144 wildly mixed tiles and you have “eliminate” them all. The tricky part is that you can’t access them all. The only accessible tiles are the ones that are on the margins and the ones that are not covered by other tiles (there are different levels of height).

Tricky Game

The game is quite tricky as I’ve mentioned it earlier. Not only that you can’t access all tiles, but you also are in danger of blocking your game progress depending on what combinations you have made so far. You might be left with a board state that cannot be solved whatever you do.

You’re not Alone

Most of the online Mahjong versions do actually have a “multiplayer” aspect to the game. You enter a room and you have to compete against another player. After you make a combination, you will be given some points. If you manage to make more points than your opponent, you will win and get double your bet back.

Luck or What?

So this isn’t only a game of luck. Of course there is a certain amount of luck in play, but it isn’t that game-breaking. You basically need some “agility” in order to see all the possible combinations as fast as possible and make the combinations in a way that won’t leave you with an unsolvable board state.

Even though it may sound like a good idea to rush the game and just make the first combinations you can find on the screen, it is not recommended. If you want to be more competitive, you should try to find more combinations and choose the ones that will benefit you the most in the long run, so that you won’t end up needing to shuffle the board.

Stats Info

On the right side of the board you can see your Points, the Tiles you have left, the Possible Moves that you can make and also how many Shuffles you have left.

Above these stats you also have some buttons in order to activate the Shuffle and make the tiles switch places for new combinations, an Undo button in order to undo your last move and an End button that will end the game in that moment.

Conclusion

You can play Mahjong free of charge if you want and you won’t regret it. It is a very entertaining game, especially with this multiplayer feature and you can do all that from the comfort of your home.