🧨️ Mah Jongg Monday — Memorial Day.️
AROUND THE TABLE by Dottie
My father was in the Pacific in 1944. He didn't talk about it. He played cards with men he never spoke of again, and he held his cards close until the day he died.
I'll be thinking about him today.
Marlene has someone too. So does Patty. So does Hal. A lot of us do. Today is for them.
See you next Monday.
— Dottie
Here’s a quick preview of today’s issue. Scroll down to read each section in full.
🦻🏻 Hear Every Tile Called: A hearing tip worth knowing about.
🧠 Behind the Tiles — Learn how the best players make their decisions. Join the Club.
💡 Table Wisdom — When it’s time to stop playing offense and switch to defense.
🖐🏻 A Hand to Play — Which hand gives you the best odds?
🎬 Winning Picks — Cozy movie-night upgrades for staying in.
🎥 Max’s Minute — Consecutive Run confusion and calling a hand dead.
🌟 In the News — Missy Mahjong’s updated tile reviews.
❓ Ask Auntie — How to handle a player who scolds beginners.
📸 Spotlight — Mahj anniversaries, fast wins, and 11 years together.
🎂 Birthdays — This week’s Association members.
🏁 Milestones — Progress inside TheWinningHand app.
🖐🏻 Free Practice Sessions — See if we called your name.
… and more!
🏆 The Player Who Quietly Wins More Games Than Anyone 🏆
Every group has someone who wins big one week and crashes the next. There's also that other player. The one who quietly wins more often than not, every week, without fanfare. That player tends to take home the most.
That's exactly the kind of play we talk through inside Behind the Tiles, our weekly series for Mahj Insiders Club members.
Each week, you get to watch a winning player play a game while explaining what they're noticing in real time. You'll hear why they keep certain tiles, why they let others go, when they pivot, and when they decide to stay the course. There's no other place to watch winning players think out loud like this.
Next month, Shelley Hoffman is our featured guest. Shelley won the Mah Jongg World Championship last year, making her the first current world champion to appear on Behind the Tiles. What sets her tournament play apart is exactly that steadiness: not a hot streak, just consistent good scores from first round to last.
👇 Watch Shelley's trailer here.
And Mister Mahjong, Andrew Keeler, hosts each episode, bringing his sharp Mah Jongg eye, tournament experience, and table-side commentary.
If you join before June 3rd, you'll be ready when Shelley's first episode drops.
Club members also get Unlimited Practice Sessions with Max & Phyllis, live on Zoom, twice a week. Plus occasional live Q&A sessions with Mister Mahjong, Club-only.
💡 Table Wisdom
How to Tell When to Switch to Defense
There are definitely times when playing defense will help you avoid a loss, but knowing when you should make the shift can be a bit tricky. Let’s take a look at the easy times you should switch and the more difficult decisions.
No definite hand after the Charleston: Keep collecting toward a hand, but as exposures grow, if the hand is not maturing, move to defense.
Your hand is no longer viable: If your hand is no longer winnable with no pivot opportunity in sight, switch to defense.
When it’s too late to win: Switch to defense when your remaining picks are fewer than the number of tiles you need.
You’re sharing a hand: If you find you are playing opposite someone, be careful, as switching could require you to discard tiles they are playing. Instead, move to defense to stop their win.
Risking a loss: If you are holding tiles that you’re certain will give someone Mah Jongg, look at your hand vs. the number of picks left in the game. If you cannot win, break up your hand.
These are a great start, but what do you do when you’re set and you pick a tile someone needs? That’s the hardest decision. Before throwing the tile and your game, evaluate both your hand and theirs:
If you think the tile completes a pair, count how many of that tile are already exposed or discarded. If two are unaccounted for, assume they have the other one and play defense.
If they need a Pung or Kong, check the table. See how many are out, and consider whether they have a Joker. If you're in the end game (the last wall served), play defense — unless you're certain they cannot win.
Key Takeaway: If you can’t win, don’t lose. Moving to defense and playing to force a wall game means no one wins. There’s no payout and no loss of points.
🖐🏻 A Hand to Play
Last Week’s 🖐🏻 Hand to Play Results:
8,486 Insiders Played, 88% chose right.
👉 See the correct answer & explanation here.
The deal is done, the Charleston over, and it’s time to pick a hand! You’ve already scouted out the Section to play, and now it’s time to pick the best hand and a backup option, if one is possible.
Now that the final pass is done, it’s time to get serious. Look at what you’ve got, review the combos you’re building toward, and think a few steps ahead.
So here's your challenge: Which hand gives you the strongest potential with your current tiles?
Give it a think, trust your instincts, and cast your vote! The answers below show the version of the hand you’d be playing. 🀄💬
🀄 Tile Spotlight: Today’s Hand to Play uses Mah Jongg Maven’s tiles.
Which hand gives you the best odds of winning?
🎬 At-Home Movie Night
Some nights are better spent staying in. A good movie, something cozy, and a few small upgrades can make it feel like a real night out — without leaving the house.
🍿 Popcorn Maker
Fresh popcorn in minutes, with that classic movie-night taste. Easy, quick, and better than the bag. Pop some tonight →
🛋️ Cozy Throw Blankets
Soft, lightweight, and perfect for settling in. One is never enough once the movie starts. Get comfortable →
👓 Blue Light Glasses
Help reduce eye strain during longer watch sessions. A simple way to make screen time easier. Watch with ease →
🎥 Compact Projector
Turns any wall or backyard into a movie screen. Great for indoor nights or summer evenings outside. Bring it home →
🎲 Blockbuster Party Game
A fun follow-up once the movie ends. Trivia with a little friendly competition built in. Keep it going →
(As an Amazon Associate, The Mah Jongg Insider earns from qualifying purchases.)
This week’s top questions:
1️⃣ Can you play Consecutive Run, Line 2 with the Kongs in places other than the beginning and end of the hand?
2️⃣ As a Bettor, am I allowed to call a player dead?
Max’s 1-minute answer is ready.
🎥 [Click to watch]
Have a question for Max?
🎤 [Click to leave a voicemail]
🌟 Missy Mahjong Has Opinions About Tiles
There are a lot of Mah Jongg tile brands out there right now, and Missy Mahjong has been keeping notes. She recently updated her honest tile review, covering everything from size and weight to readability, styling, and which sets she actually likes to play with. If you’ve ever wondered which tiles are worth a second look, this review is worth a click.
⬅️ Last Week’s Question
Auntie, two players consistently struggle with rules after years of playing and slow down every turn. It is causing others to leave the group. What can be done?
- Jane M.
🥠 Auntie’s Advice 🥠
🗨 My friend, this comes down to a simple question: what is your group's priority for playing Mah Jongg?
If your group is large enough, not everyone has to agree. But each table should. A table works best when the players share the same goal, whether that is an experienced, continuous game or a slower, more social one.
The strain you’re seeing comes from mixing those expectations at the same table. A simple way forward is to let tables form around pace and preference, a natural sorting of players who want the same kind of game.
📢 Readers’ Responses 📢
🗨 If a couple of slow learners always bog down play, why not acknowledge this and make an accommodation? Agree to have a seasoned player or two join the slower players on a rotating basis for a more relaxed pace of play. The rest of the players can play as they choose. This is a kindness that might suit some groups where the gathering of friends is more important than the quality of the play.
- Virginia T.
🗨 Ask them to read A Beginner’s Guide to American Mah Jongg and take notes on rules they struggle with. Bring notes to games. Writing rules down helps you remember them.
- Ellen L.
🗨 Auntie, explain that this is an ongoing problem that is causing a loss of players at your table. Of course, do this with tact and diplomacy.
- Jan G.
Whose response do you like best?
➡️ This Week’s Question
We’re a group of seasoned, mid-level, and new players. Someone has joined who is a seasoned player who plays with multiple groups and tournaments. When anyone makes a mistake, she scolds them instead of gently correcting them. At one point, she reduced a new player to tears. How would you handle this person, while acknowledging that she is correct but without making the other person feel bad?
- Cecile
🤗 Want to share your advice?
🤔 Have a Mah Jongg manners or table moment dilemma?
📩 Send it to Auntie: [email protected]
📸 Get in the Spotlight
Our group of 6 learned Mahj together and are playing together almost two years. We celebrated a first Mahj-iversary earlier this year and just recently celebrated Melissa’s 50th birthday with a fun afternoon of Mahj. Happy birthday, Melissa!
Pictured here are Jessica, Robyn, Melissa, Melissa, Shoshana, and Ilana, all of Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. We love our time playing Mahj together.
- Robyn Rabinowitz
I was East. When I started the Charleston, I wasn't sure which hand I would go for but decided to keep my one and only Wind, and 3, 4, 5 in Craks. This is the hand I wound up with at the end of the Charleston. And because I was East, I was able to call Mah Jongg before a discard had even been played. Plus, it was a Singles and Pairs hand. WOW! I couldn't believe my opponents played right into my hand, even though I had no idea which hand I was going to play. (From the 2025 NMJL Card)
- Joy Fenrick
We just celebrated playing 11 years at the Mussell Center, Santa Maria, CA, with a fun event attended by 36 people.
Since it was 11 years, if you got Mah Jongg and had a Pung, Kong, or Quint or 1s, you got to pick an envelope off the wall.
If someone won at your table and you were "one away," you got to pick an envelope.
The envelopes contained keychains, quarters, dollars, fives, and tens. Many door prizes were given out, and the Alzheimer's Association received $200 from a 50/50 raffle. A great time was had by all.
- Donna Eschen
📸 Share your Mah Jongg moments!
Send us a photo and a quick note — big wins, themed nights, or fun group shots — for a chance to be featured.
📩 Email: [email protected]
🎂 This Week’s Birthdays
The American Mah Jongg Association would like to wish these members a very Happy Birthday!
May 25
Reid D. (NC), Theresa R. (MA)
May 26
Julia L. (NC), Kim T. (PA), Mieke V. (MA), Paula R. (MS), Rosie W. (FL)
May 27
Bridget B. (LA), Debra B. (GA), Kathy G. (TN), Leigh H. (FL)
May 28
Barbara J. (FL), Ellen W. (AZ), Ellen W. (ID), Valerie K. (OH)
May 29
Corinne L. (FL), Dawn R. (MI), Rose O. (NC), Terry G. (CA)
May 30
Gaye S. (OK), Karen H. (MI), Luann D. (CA), Paula G. (FL), Valerie O. (ON)
May 31
Lisa B. (CA), Lynn F. (WI), Madeline W. (CA), Rannie B. (FL), Susan B. (AR)
If your name is Joanne , enjoy a FREE Practice Session 🖐🏻 on us!*
*Just reply to this email by this Friday at midnight—your email name must match!
🏁 Milestones
These milestones come from players using The Winning Hand, the practice app included with membership in the American Mah Jongg Association. [Join Here]
10,000+ members use it in different ways: To warm up. To stay sharp. Or simply to spend more time with the game you already love.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 500 games played
Ann May
🔥🔥🔥 300 games played
Angela Maragos
Sonja Longley
Ronni Craig
Deborah Wilson
🔥🔥 200 games played
Sugie Poteet
Peggi Moore
Cece Crabb
Mindy Bradley
🔥 100 games played
Christa Much
Donna Baird
Jan Gaynor
Phyllis Rogerson
Barbara Bigelow
Cris Bonser
👏 The more you play, the better your game gets.
🎥 New to TheWinningHand app?
Short videos walk through each game mode:
➕ Hand Builder | ☑️ Finish the Hand | 🔃 Scrambled Hand | 💃🏻 Charleston
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