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Mahjong
Mahjong is a classic game that originated back in ancient China. It is one of
the most popular games in the world today. The physical game based on actual
painted tiles remains wildly popular. In the last decade, computer-based and now
internet based iterations of mahjongg have breathed new life into the entire
game. As to when Mahjongg first began, you will see varying reports from
anywhere from 500 AD to 800 AD. Regardless of precisely when it first became a
game, it was a long time ago, and has expanded upon a long-storied tradition.
The tools of any mahjongg game are its tile sets. These tiles are intricately detailed with different images and collected into "sets". Some of the common sets include the circle suit, bamboo suit, and character suit. You also have special tiles called wind tiles, dragon tiles and flower tiles. Even the computer versions of mahjongg use graphical representations of tiles. There is no standard number of tiles in a mahjongg set. It entirely depends on the rules and the game set. Some games have 136 tiles, some 144 tiles and in other cases even more tiles are available. These characters on these tile sets closely resemble ancient Chinese money, and help bolster the argument that the history and foundation for mahjongg has always been related to gambling. In the last ten years the China State Sports Commission implemented new rules to try and curb the gambling appeal of the game. Still, though, the game is a very popular gambling game throughout the world. There are as many variations of mahjongg as there are tiles in a mahjongg game. Different countries have their own rule sets, and sub-rule sets. These can include a different number of tiles, different means in which tiles are distributed to start a game, different scoring rules and much more.
In a traditional version of the game, four players each draw out 34 tiles, placing them in two stacks of 17 tiles. Each of these walls are placed together in the center to form up a box in the center of the playing area. The dealer then rolls three dice to determine which group of tiles each player is entitled to, once each player has 13 tiles the game begins. The object of the game is to get triple tiles, known as Pong, quadruple tiles, known as Kong, or sequences of three in the same suit, known as Chow. When you have four of the above and a pair in your hand, you have mahjongg and have won the hand. Once a hand has been won, points are awarded based on what tiles are revealed and what tiles are still remaining in the hand.
If you like strategy games and puzzle games yet have never played mahjongg; you do not know what you are missing. It is both complex and simple at the same time. You would do yourself a big favor by jumping into one of the many available versions of the game available on the internet and give it a try.
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