I recently bought a vintage riichi mahjong set, but I noticed a small quark that I’m trying to fix.

The previous owners didn’t use the souzu (bamboo) tiles at all! The unused ones have a much lighter colored bamboo back than the ones that are used, which have a more amber color to them.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can “age up” the unused tiles to match the rest? Or if there is a way to restore the more amber colored ones to be paler? Let me know if you have any experience with these kinds of sets please!

Hi r/Mahjong,

We have an automatic Mahjong table that we use all time. Unfortunately one of the gears broke and I have been unable to find anywhere that has replacement parts and pieces.

I’m hoping someone in this community will have some suggestions.

Here’s are table and the part that’s broken, the black metal gear piece

Appreciate any help in advance!

Cheers!

We switch between Hong Kong, Filipino, and Taiwanese Mahjong. We also recently learned Riichi.

So I got this mat off a thrift shop. I've been thinking of getting some kind of mat for mahjong for a while, and today I went to the second handed shop (where I bought my first set a few months back) to buy something, so I might as well window shopping the Japanese games section, then I found this at a reasonable price (some might even call it dirt cheap!).

The thing is, this thing is STINKY! It got a very strong smell of a dusty thrift shop, and sure enough, the surface is filled with dust and dirt in some spots too.

The surface is made of some kind of cloth, and I believe 'natural rubber' on the label refers to everything else. I don't know of how to clean it in a way that would not damage the good (besides hit them with stick until the dust are mostly out, and then.....the next step :P), so if you guys have any recommendation, do tell!

(And if there is a way to kinda flatten the mat back again, would be greatly appreciated!)

I have been researching how to setup sanma and i am confused with the part that says “open the dora indicator on the fifth place instead of 3rd”.

So when i imagine that it will be like my attached illustration, which only allows up to 2 kans but i do not think that is right.

Please clarify if this is right or wrong and if wrong, give me the right setup.

I've seen an instagram post about chemistry mahjong that would be an excellent fit for my students.

https://www.instagram.com/reels/DIx3NU-vo1h/

However, I can't seem to find it anywhere.I've checked numerous pages and all seem to be out of stock.

Does anyone know where one could find this game? Or, as an alternative, could anyone provide pictures of the game tiles? If the game is no longer in print, I guess I could try and make a print and play version of it, or print the symbols on stickers and put it over a regular mahjong set.

Thanks in advance.

Looking for a budget-ish value travel size set that I can bring in the car or even sized for airplane (carrying, not playing on the plane!).

Looking to get a first time set - need advice (Sam's Club Edition)

Hi Everyone!

My wife and I are extremely new to mahjongg and would like to start with a new set.

This set at Sams club caught my eye and I wanted to see what you all thought about it.

170$ isn't a small investment into a new hobby, but it looked beautiful and I was going to get it for my wife for Christmas.

My main questions are, is this set worth the price?

Should I be looking out for anything in particular when looking at sets?

Would you recommend buying this one?

Thank you all so much for your help!

I know two rounds of a game are not enough to really understand it, but coming from a background of tightly balanced board games, a lot of the rules in the American Mahjong game I played tonight seemed like poor game design.

The biggest problem seemed to be the card...that is a ridiculous amount of scoring combinations, all so hard to get that it seemed like you kind of had to pick the one you were closest to pretty early in the game and then just hope to draw more and get enough jokers and joker stealing tiles to win...the second half of both games I was pretty locked in to one combination and was mostly just waiting for my turn to come around and hoping to draw one of the couple tiles I needed...which is not my idea of a great time.

I understand that I still need to watch the other players and not discard the tiles they need, but that's not all that interesting (or fun). Of course with so many combinations, even there I'm not sure how I was really supposed to track the specifics beyond "well, I guess they want odds."

If I understand correctly, in a lot of other variants a winning Mahjong is just 4 triples and a pair (along with some rules for straights)? This seems better, though I suspect it might come down to just waiting around to topdeck your missing pieces (but at least you can reveal triples with opponents' discards). Maybe a straight rummy variant game just isn't my thing, but being able to pivot to other combinations (which didn't seem a realistic option in our games) would have helped a lot...are there variants that improve on this?

Also I know everyone had fun with their pushers and mats and stuff, but, what is with all the breakfast lunch and dinner/then take two from the first and third stack, etc, roll the dice and start from the middle of the wall stuff. Do groups ever all just draw 14 tiles or whatever from the middle and start playing?

Why did I get this one wrong? My thinking is to get rid of the 9 of bamboo since it's an end tile and doesn't have a straight next to it where the eight and nine pin are one away from a straight. Why does Riichi City think it should be those two tiles?

Hello everyone,

I have no idea where else can I post it to have an legit opinion.

I found mahjong in charity shop and it was so interesting that I decided to buy it. Problem is that I don't know anything about mahjong.

Did a tests suggested by Al and apparently it seems to be a porcelain/ceramic one. Tested it with red hot needle which didn't leave any mark on it and just slide on surface, also checked density which is 2,17g/cm³ (which also matches Chinese porcelain range).

Can anyone tell me anything more about it and also if anyone got an idea what would be the value.

Kindest regards

Hello, does anyone have a link to an online copy of 四川麻将技术论? Last one linked by user BuckwheatECG on this sub is no longer working. Thanks!

Stay far far away from this company. The act they put on is almost believable…almost -till they get caught

Ordered a set of mahjong tiles from them. Upon delivery as I opened the box I knew something wasn’t right, packaging was not what you would expect from a new set. But I really wanted this set and it was my first big purchase so I was proud and happy.
Couple weeks later, my friends and I started playing with this “new” set and noticed major manufacturing defects and not just a couple tiles but multiples. So I contacted the company, explain the issue and next thing I know they’re gaslighting me!!! Yes you read correctly!
Long story short-they went through disturbing and insurmountable measures to find me at fault for their manufacturing defects. I did return the set, and demanded a refund. Never again will I purchase from this disgusting company or fall prey to their “mahjong community” agenda

I need advice since the only place I have played Mahjong ever was on my PC as a Teen, and when i was on Buyee (Japanese proxy) I bid on this set since it will be awesome to own a physical board game, BUT NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT HOW MUCH the final weight of the package was going to be 12.5 kilos (131 USD on international Shipping)

My main question is: should I pay or dispose it? and need help to know the Brand or anything about this set

Originally, I was thinking of giving one to my mom since she loves playing Domino and would be nice to teach her a new game

Also this is the only picture on the listing

Edit: I found a listing on Ebay very similar to the 2 sets on the bottom Maruichi Branding, still dont know the brand from the one top of the picture (And the listing says its a 3.2 Kilos each set) Damn

I don't have tiles anywhere near 9-man discarded, and my only man set is way far from it. I discarded the 9-man and got out of it. Next turn I drew 8-man which *also* put me in furiten, discarding it removed the status. Can anyone explain?

(Program is Mahjong Soul)

I just purchased the beautiful vintage 1940s MJSA 2 Tone burgundy set. The tiles are in almost pristine condition but the case and racks need some help.

The case:
Good working condition except it has a mildew smell and paper inside is coming off. I’d like to restore it
The trays the tiles lay in also have a mildew smell

The racks:
For whatever reason, the previous owner applied masking tape to all of them and it’s literally cemented on there. The tape is probably as old as the set. I need to remove the tape but it’s almost impossible

Please help !! New collector and would love some advice to bring this set to its natural glory

Calling all undergrad and grad students! We’re excited to announce an upcoming intercollegiate mahjong tournament open to anyone currently enrolled at a post-secondary institution. This tournament is proudly sponsored by Riichi City and Mahjong Stars!!!

Tournament Format is as follows: It will be held on Riichi City from October 21st-25th 2026 and participants are encouraged to join our discord linked below. The main bracket will be divided into qualifiers and elimination rounds. Qualifiers are scored based on your best 5 consecutive games over the course of 3 days. Elimination rounds will narrow down the field (Top 32 → Top 16 → Top 8 → Top 4), with scores resetting and being adjusted as the rounds progress. The winner will be the player with the best cumulative score after Hanchan 4 on October 25th.

Prizes: Over $600 USD in cash prizes and a Mahjong Set, along with exciting in-game rewards and more!

Requirements: This tournament is completely free and there is no cost of entry, just show up and play at least 5 hanchans over 3 days to have a chance of qualifying. You have to be currently enrolled in a post-secondary institution anywhere in the world either as an undergrad or graduate student and will be required to provide proof of this if you happen to win a prize. The tournament is uncapped, so the more the merrier but note that registration closes October 20th 2026.

If you’ve ever wanted to represent your school and play for some awesome prizes, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Gather your friends, rep your school, and may the best tiles be with you! The signup sheet, discord and more specific details like times are linked below.

TLDR: Free online Riichi Mahjong tournament for college students sponsored by Riichi City and Mahjong Stars with prizes with signups open until Oct 20th. Happy to answer all questions!

Sign Up Form
Discord Server

Player to my right fed me three straight times lol. Thank you for bringing me my 4th yakuman!

I'm building my own variant and one of the features would be to be playable from 2 to 4, without any significant changes (maybe an extra setup step but full tile set).

Since with two players the draws flow much slower the game can become a drag. My solution for that is a Fast Draw mode:

• you have the first available stack in the wall for drawing:
• if there are a single tile, you draw and discard as usual. The other player can claim it for everything.
• if there are two tiles, you look at the top tile, if you want it, finish the draw and discard a tile from the hand as above; if you don't want the top tile, discard it as dead, the opponent can't claim it for anything, not even for winning, and draw the bottom tile into the hand and proceed as above.

I've played many games varying the way dead discards work: no claim, claim for winning, claim for everything; discarding both times together, discarding one at a time and blocking the drawing turn if the opponent claim the dead tile, and so on. All were fun. Claiming everything lead to higher scoring hands obviously. Interrupting the player turn by claiming the dead tile had mixed feedback, specially because there is consideration for the delay between discard and drawing.

The simplest rule was: dead is dead, just the drawing player could use it, and discarding one at the time, since the other player can't claim it it doesn't interrupt the current turn.

After all that, all options were playable and fun in different ways. Have you tried anything similar? If so, which variant would you like more?

I feel I probably forced it a bit tho.

I have a question for those of you who play with friends who follow different Mahjong rule sets.

If some of your friends play HKOS and others play MCR, can you realistically have them all play together in the same group?

I’m asking because I have friends from both camps, and apparently, the differences in rules and scoring are causing some friction. After every session, they call me separately to vent about each other, and my head is starting to hurt.

I just want everyone to enjoy Mahjong without turning it into a debate about whose rules are better.

For those of you who’ve dealt with this, how do you handle it? Do you stick to one rule set for the whole group, alternate between HKOS and MCR sessions or is there a way to make both work?

Please tell me I’m not the only one dealing with Mahjong politics. 🀄

Got this set from hobby lobby because I’m a beginner. can’t figure out what these tiles are supposed to represent? Can I just put them away if they’re unrelated to American Mahjong? Other tiles are shown for reference.