What to throw first
- Lone winds and dragons, early on. They can't make a chow, so a single one rarely helps.
- Lone 1s and 9s. They can only join a chow one way, so they're less useful than middle tiles.
- Keep tiles that connect. A 4 and a 5 together can use a 3 or a 6, which is up to eight tiles that help you.
Keep a good wait
When you're one tile away, count how many tiles would finish your hand, and check how many are already showing on the table. A wait on both sides of a pair, like 4 and 5 waiting for 3 or 6, is far better than waiting for one exact middle tile. If all the tiles you need have been thrown, change your hand.
When to claim a discard
- Claim when it gets you noticeably closer to winning, especially a pung of dragons, which also scores.
- Think before claiming a chow early. It shows your hand, and you lose the 1 faan for a concealed hand.
- Passing costs nothing if your hand is already flexible. You'll often draw something just as good.
Going for points
One suit is the classic big hand. If nine or ten of your tiles are in one suit at the start, it's worth trying, since a mixed one suit is 3 faan and a pure one suit is 7. All pungs is another good target when you have several pairs. If your hand has no clear plan, just win quickly: a small win still stops someone else from winning big.
Read the table
- A player claiming lots of one suit is probably building a flush. Be careful throwing that suit.
- Tiles that have already been thrown are the safest, because the discarder has moved on from them.
- Late in a hand, when someone has several sets showing, stop chasing a long shot. Throw what's safe, since discarding the winning tile costs you double.