Comments on Reach Mahjong Columns: Jenn's Corner #16

Good point, a player's strength does often become ...

2007-10-16T00:10:00.000-07:00

Good point, a player's strength does often become his weakness. Like you, I also used to not be scared of other players' reaches, just continuing to put my hand together and throwing caution to the wind. I still have too much confidence in my ability to make and finish hands which often makes it difficult for me to fold in situations where I really ought to. However, I did have to rethink my

My typical bluff is to Reach with nothing else in ...

2007-10-12T05:57:00.000-07:00

My typical bluff is to Reach with nothing else in my hand, a cheapie. This will cause many players to start playing defense if they are still 1 or 2 tiles away from ready, even if they have a potentially strong hand.

This doesn't work so well on me. It often happens that other players reach when I need 2 or 3 more tiles to finish my hand, and I still win. But then again, I'm only

What a pisser. I tried to respond here a few days ...

2007-10-11T23:25:00.000-07:00

What a pisser. I tried to respond here a few days ago but somehow my post didn't make it up, and now all my points have been made. Well, let's see if I can beat a dead horse differently.

Bluffing is indeed a large part of poker though certainly not the only part. Like Archon points out, the strengths of your and your oppontents' hands can change as more cards come out on the table. So

I assume that by "fold" you mean "give up on tryin...

2007-10-11T22:49:00.000-07:00

I assume that by "fold" you mean "give up on trying to win, and play so as to minimize the probability and/or size of others' win(s)".

Seriously, Jenn, why don't you make a training game?

themoon,Actually, when I am teaching, I do use a h...

2007-10-11T22:03:00.000-07:00

themoon,

Actually, when I am teaching, I do use a handicap. I allow the new players to win on any complete hand, even if they have a Missed Win (furiten) and even if they have no Hand Points (yaku) until they get better at the rules. Slowly I make them use all the rules and they become quite strong players because they build this confidence. Look at Gem! She's great! My students tend to

Jenn, I would love to see you as the opponent in a...

2007-10-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

Jenn, I would love to see you as the opponent in a 2-player mahjong game. (Perhaps you could make it a training game of some sort?) I say this because you are so photogenic.

That having been said:
I don't understand why you would want to, in mahjong, try to make your opponent think your hand is better than it is, unless you are trying to pull him into "defense mode" so that he is no

themoon,There are times in poker where you are try...

2007-10-05T23:54:00.000-07:00

themoon,
There are times in poker where you are trying to make your opponent think that your hand is weaker than it actually is, and I find many players in Mahjong that try to make their opponents think their hand is bigger than it actually is (half-flush bluffs, etc.).

archon_wing,
That sounds fun! I've started to think lately that I'd love to start a regular game, Tom

I like playing Japanese Mahjong with one tile shor...

2007-10-05T00:05:00.000-07:00

I like playing Japanese Mahjong with one tile short of the regular hand, so 12 tile-hands winning off the 13th tile. You treat it as a regular 13-tile hand with an "invisible" joker in it, which you can change at any time. This make you think a lot more about which possible draws can improve your hand.

In theory, at least, in poker you can calculate ex...

2007-10-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

In theory, at least, in poker you can calculate exact probabilities based on what you can see. However, your opponents' betting patterns might contradict what you calculate, or are they bluffing...
I am guessing that trying to outwit your opponent janken-style has at least some role to play here.

themooon:No, bluffing is just one aspect of poker....

2007-10-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

themooon:
No, bluffing is just one aspect of poker. Playing your hand for what it's worth (or playing straight out)is more challenging then it sounds because the status of your hand can change with upcoming cards. Bluffing is a situational thing and is based on the opponent.

I sometimes play omaha with my friends for laughs since nobody really knows what they are doing. Maybe

I don't like poker very much at all. I think that ...

2007-10-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

I don't like poker very much at all. I think that it is for two reasons:

1) I am not a very patient person. In poker, it seems you spend most of your time waiting. You can't improve your hand in poker like you can in mahjong; you just have to wait for a good hand to come to you. I hate this.

2) Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't poker strategy basically revolve around bluffing