Japanese Mahjong: From Beginner to Master
Welcome to the English edition of Beginners Luck, an online strategy guide for riichi mahjong.
This guide is written for players who want to learn the game properly and become stronger step by step. It explains mahjong strategy in a detailed but readable way. You do not need to read everything in one sitting. Going through it little by little is perfectly fine.
You are free to use the guide in whatever way suits you:
- Read it carefully from Chapter 1 onward
- Focus only on the parts you struggle with
- Skim the topics that catch your interest first
The more you read, the more steadily your mahjong skill will improve.
The ideas collected here apply across many different mahjong environments. Whether you play on Hangame, Janryumon, Tenhou, Tonpu-so, Momoiro Taisen Pailon, Maru-Jan, or in arcade games like Mahjong Fight Club and SEGA MJ, the same core concepts of shape, efficiency, yaku, defense, and situational judgment still matter.
Chapters
Chapter 1: Mahjong Basics
What kind of game is mahjong when both luck and skill are involved, and what should you actually aim for if you want to win? This chapter starts with waits and tile properties, then builds the most basic ways of thinking.
Chapter 2: Tile Efficiency and Tile Theory
Tile efficiency is a puzzle-like way of thinking that tries to maximize the number of tiles that help your hand. It is one of the most fundamental skills in mahjong and worth mastering early.
Chapter 3: Yaku
Mahjong has many yaku, but difficulty and value do not always match. Do not let flashy hands distract you. This chapter focuses on what really matters when choosing between speed, value, and practicality.
Chapter 4: Dora and Red Fives
In modern parlor mahjong and online mahjong, red fives and dora are unavoidable. They are easy sources of value, and they also change the balance of the game in a major way.
Chapter 5: Calling
Calling is one of the clearest areas where strong and weak players separate. As modern mahjong keeps getting faster, you need to understand what pon and chi really mean in practice.
Chapter 6: Riichi
Riichi is not just a declaration. It comes with both benefits and costs, so the real question is whether this riichi is truly necessary.
Chapter 7: Defense
Some players underestimate defense, but defensive skill directly affects long-term results. Reducing unnecessary deal-ins can improve your results dramatically.
Chapter 8: Situational Judgment
Even with the same hand, the correct strategy often changes depending on discards, table information, and score situation. The key is identifying what matters most for winning the game right now.
Chapter 9: Push and Fold
You cannot get good results by attacking every hand, but you also cannot gain points if you never attack. Judging when to push and when to fold is a skill that appears everywhere in mahjong.
Update Log
- Added Push-Fold in Actual Situations (2) (Nov 29)
- Added Push-Fold in Actual Situations (1) (Nov 29)
- Added Standards for Push and Fold (Oct 22)
- Added South 4 Strategy (3) (Jun 1)
- Introduced Yahoo! Mobage Mahjong (May 25)
- Added South 4 Strategy (2) (May 18)
Additional Resources
The appendix is also available in English now: Appendix.
Original Japanese page: http://beginners.biz/
