Tag Archives: wall game

A DIFFERENT VENUE FOR THE OMs

Today was Mah Jongg Wednesday for the OMs but three of the OMs are out of town. So, that left S1, K, and moi. We decided to do things a bit differently today. The three of us went to a really fun summer luncheon at our club and then decided to stay there and play Mah Jongg in one of the club rooms. We invited G to join us and she fit right in!  We all had really good luck today and we each had multiple winning hands although we had just as many wall games as we had winning hands.

K always asks the question: Do wall games mean we aren’t very good or do they mean that we are all really good?

I think a wall game means we are all at the same level of game play and are playing very defensively. Let me know your thoughts on this.

The day started out with G miscalling a Mah Jongg. This has happened to all of us at some time in our game history. She was dead but there were still Jokers that could be exchanged.

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ANOTHER STRATEGY LESSON!

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Q.  If someone calls you dead and you are NOT dead, is there a penalty for the person who calls you dead?  I’ve looked through the National Mah Jongg League rules and I don’t see that answer.  Is that a table rule?

A.  In a tournament, when someone declares you “dead” and you are NOT – then the player who called you “dead” is now dead (the Director can also help to determine if you are truly dead or not).  That player will then cease playing and will receive a ZERO (0) for the game, even if it is a wall game.
In a tournament we take it one step further….if someone even uses the “D” word like, “I think you might be dead…”) and you aren’t…then they should be declared dead.
STRATEGY:  If you think your opponent might be dead, it’s a good idea to ask the other players to stop the game while you check the table…and not commit yourself to the “D” word too soon.
You also might want to check with the NMJL for their ruling in a social game. Tournaments tend to follow a bit more strict adherence to rules, because there is usually hundreds (or thousands) of dollars in prizes, and Master Points involved.

Thanks to Gladys Grad, the “Grand Master of America-Style
Mah Jongg Tournaments.” Visit her Mah Jongg Madness site.