Mahjong is a pretty ancient game which has its origins traced to China. The game is played between four players. Several modern adaptations or variations of the game are played in Japan and Korea, where a three player version is played. Mahjong solitaire should not be confused with this as this is a totally different game, which is in practice and is mainly played by matching within tiles. The original game is about precision calculation. It involves the players to employ some strategy and skills which could go a long way to improve your chances of a win. There are a few parts in Asia, where this game is played as a gambling game. However, this is also basically a recreational activity.

The original game which started in China is played with a set of 152 tiles. There are Chinese symbols and characters imprinted on each tile. The symbols vary according to the location where it is played. Different regions in China use different numbers of tiles and symbols. Whatever version, one might be playing the player who is participating in the game of Mahjong receives 13 tiles each. The whole game is played in turn. During each turn, the player draws tiles as well as discards them. This continues until they could discard all tiles as well as the fourteenth tile.

A legal hand is completed after a player draws their fourteenth tile. At the end of the game, the fourteenth tile is drawn to form a group and a pair. Four groups are formed and a pair is formed. The groups are also called melds and the pair is termed the head. There are a few standard rules by which one can draw the pieces as well as steal from other players. Rules of the game vary accordingly and as par the guidelines set by the game laid out in specific locations. It is seen that the rules involved in Mahjong vary according to the region in China, where it is played.

There is a difference in the scoring system of Mahjong from place to place. It is also seen that there is a minimum hand to win the whole set of the game. Online gaming has revolutionized the game, changing a lot of basic rules of the game, which originated in China. The tiles are of different types as well. In the simplest form of the game, there are 9 tiles made of dots. There is another set of 9 tiles with characters. The third set of 9 tiles has bamboos. Apart from the simple tiles, there are honor tiles available of two different kinds. One is the wind and the other is the dragon. There are four winds present and they are called the north, south, east and west. There are three dragons present, which is called the red, white and the green.

Other than the honor and the simple tiles, there are also bonus tiles present. One set of the bonus tiles depicts the flower and the other depicts the seasons. Four flowers are present — orchid, plum, chrysanthemum and bamboo. There are four seasons as well, like winter, summer, spring and autumn. There is a dealer who presides the developments of the game of mahjong, who is selected after throwing the dice. The movement of the game is always maintained in the counterclockwise direction. The tiles are dealt to the player face down.

Bram Schoonhoven is an expert with many years of experience in the field of Online Gaming, especially Mahjong Games. He is the owner of few very successful gaming websites including . To know more about Mahjong Games, please visit the website.