Tips & Strategies: How to Win at Mahjong
Winning at Mahjong takes skills and refined knowledge of strategies, not to mention a bit of luck. Like any other game, the only way to get better at Mahjong is by playing it more.
Learning proven strategies and tips and using them in your play is an excellent way to get better at Mahjong fast.
Tips & Strategies: How to Win at Mahjong
Here are some tips to help you win more Mahjong games:
#1 Always Think a Step Ahead
While Mahjong has a simple premise, it is a strategy game, and playing without calculating the consequences of your moves can result in locking the puzzle and making it unsolvable.
It is vital always to consider the consequences of matching tiles during gameplay. You’re likely to come across several pairs to match and get rid of. That being said, playing by impulse is not the right way to go.
You must always survey the pairs available to match and identify the pieces that will help unlock more pairs.
Prioritizing unlocking more pieces is an essential tactic that many expert players understand intuitively.
#2 Learn to Identify When to Delay Moves
Planning moves ahead is an essential part of playing Mahjong. Not making moves that do not progress the game is just as vital as pairing tiles that unlock more moves.
Think of your moves as investments – and you must always make moves that give you a high return on your investment.
Find an alternative move and wait for the game to evolve until a better opportunity appears when you identify a move that does not provide any immediate gain.
#3 Look Out for Tiles with the Same Symbol
In large Mahjong puzzles, you will likely unlock several tiles with the same symbol in one move. Cautiously matching these tiles is key to beating the game.
If there are an even number of tiles with the same symbol, players can pair them all up in one move. However, if there are an odd number of tiles with the same symbol, it’s best to consider all the possible moves before deciding.
The moves that enable you to progress rapidly are the best moves to make.
#4 Always Keep an Eye Out for Stacks of Similar Tiles
Identifying similar tiles stacked on top of each other and solving them should be a top priority since leaving these pieces unsolved can lock the puzzle and leave you with no moves to make.
If a pair of stacked similar tiles are the only ones remaining to match in that suit/symbol, you will lose the game. Shuffling the pieces will not help since the pair of pieces will remain stacked, locking the bottom tile in place and without a match.
#5 Attack the High Stacks and Long Rows
In Mahjong, you can only match tiles that do not have tiles on top of them and have at least one free lateral side.
This makes clearing the stacks and rows the most challenging part of beating Mahjong. When dealing with stacks, you will not be able to see the tiles beneath the upper pieces, which can often be frustrating.
The long rows tend to be the most frustrating to clear since all the pieces are visible but remain inaccessible.
Directing your focus on clearing these areas will help ensure that your game doesn’t end up unsolvable.
#6 Use Mahjong Computer Game Features to Your Advantage
The undo feature in Mahjong online games enables players to unlock locked puzzles and learn from their mistakes.
The shuffle option provides players an easy way to open up matching possibilities and progress the game.
While you won’t get these advantages when playing on a board, using these features is an excellent way to learn to play the game.
#7 Memorize the Tiles
Tiles often have similar-looking symbols and characters, resulting in new players having difficulty differentiating between tiles at a glance.
Being unfamiliar with the tiles makes you inefficient at searching and comparing tiles before you pair them up. Furthermore, not knowing what the tiles look like makes it harder to remember where tiles are and pair them up as more pieces become available.
If you want to get better at playing Mahjong, it is worth spending the time memorizing what the tiles look like and learning to differentiate between similar-looking tiles.
#8 Play to Unlock One Tile Per Move
If there’s one tip you must take away from this blog post, it’s this:
Unlock one tile in every move.
Besides preventing unsolvable games, having the mindset of unlocking at least one tile (ideally several tiles) every move you make also ensures that you always have opportunities to clear the board.
Conclusion
Playing Mahjong online is among the best ways to learn to play it. Try integrating the strategies above in your game by playing Mahjong.
No Comments