You know that game on your phone where you match tiles called, "Mahjong?" Yeah, that's not this game. This game is much better. Don't get us wrong, we love that game too but the only thing that app and this game have in common is the tiles and the name. The two games are very different!

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Mahjong is a tile-based game consisting of three suits (Bams, Craks, and Dots), Dragons (one for each suit), a set of Winds, Jokers, Seasons, and Flowers. Depending on what version you are playing, you may have extra tiles, fewer tiles, no Jokers, no Seasons, different ways of scoring...and Mahjong could be spelled differently. I don't even know all of the variations! (Note: Be careful who you mention "Blanks" to; it is highly divisive. IYKYK!)

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The heart of Mahjong is and always will be in Asia and spreads from there. At Two Bamboo, we focus on American Mahjong (also Mah Jongg), which really got its start in the 1930s when a group of Jewish women decided to make a standardized card so everyone was playing by the same rules (this is the NMJL card noted below).

 

Typically, in the United States, you will play with tiles (plastic, acrylic, cardboard, wood, and more), mats (often made of neoprene, though other materials exist), and racks (acrylic or wood are the most common). Some other parts are helpful (looking at you, Shufflers), but you really can't play without a National Mah Jongg League (NMHL) card. This card is what U.S. Mahjong players use to determine which hands they can make with the tiles dealt to them.

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If you want to know more, I Love Mahj is a great site (promo code: MegBritton will give you a 3-week trial instead of two), but you really get the best idea if you come into the store for a lesson!