Mahjong is a Chinese game played with tiles that have different suits and ranks. Its origins are disputed, but it became popular in China after 1900. The game involves making matches with tiles and can be played with cards or tiles. A dealer is chosen, and players collect and arrange their tiles to form a wall. The game is played by picking up and discarding tiles to make sets and matches, similar to rummy.
Mahjong is a Chinese game with an interesting story. It is traditionally played with multiple tiles. Like most decks of cards, these tiles have different suits and ranks. After choosing a dealer, the tiles are shuffled and each player chooses his tiles. Players then try to make matches with their tiles.
There are some theories about the origins of mahjong. Some individuals believe that Confucius invented the game around 500 BC. Many other people dispute this claim, stating that there is no evidence of this game prior to the 19th century. Another theory suggests that mahjong was created by soldiers who were simply trying to pass the time during the Taiping Rebellion in the 1800s. Mahjong, however, was most likely based on a similar card game called ma tiae.
After 1900, this game became more and more popular in China. The People’s Republic of China banned mahjong and all other gambling, however, in the 1940s. It wasn’t until 1985 that the ban was lifted. After this period, mahjong became a popular game again, not only in China but also in many parts of the western world.
Mahjong tiles or cards can be used during this game, but the former is more common. These tiles are often divided into suits. A mahjong set can include 136 or 144 tiles, depending on where it originated.
The three main suits of mahjong tiles are circles, bamboos and characters. The tiles in each of these suits are numbered from one to nine. Tiles in the circular suit have one to nine circles on each tile, while tiles in the bamboo suit have one to nine sticks on each tile. Character suit tiles, on the other hand, are traditionally labeled with nine different Chinese numbers. There are four such tiles, for a total of 108 suited tiles.
Honor tiles have no suit or rank. There are two types of honor tiles. The four wind tiles represent each of the four directions: north, east, south and west. The three types of dragon tiles are red, green and white. Additionally, there are also four of each of these tiles, for a total of 28 other tiles.
Before shuffling, a dealer is chosen, usually by rolling a die. The tiles are then placed face down on the table and each player moves them around to shuffle them. Each player then collects 36 tiles and arranges them in groups of two, arranging them to form a wall. All the walls are then joined to form a square.
Players then choose their tiles. Hands usually consist of 13 tiles. The game is played by picking up and discarding tiles to make sets and matches, and is often compared to the card game rummy. There are other variations too, such as mahjong solitaire.
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