Your First Game

Congratulations! You’ve learned the fundamentals of riichi mahjong. Now it’s time to put that knowledge into practice. This chapter guides you through choosing a platform, playing your first game, and continuing your mahjong journey.

Choosing Your Platform

There are three main digital platforms for English-speaking riichi mahjong players:

1. Mahjong Soul (Recommended for Beginners)

Best for: Complete beginners, casual play, visual learners

Pros:

• Beautiful anime-style graphics and character system
• Excellent tutorials and single-player missions
• Beginner-friendly AI opponents (Bronze Room)
• Active English-speaking community
• Available on: Web, iOS, Android, Steam

Cons:

• Gacha elements (cosmetic, doesn’t affect gameplay)
• Some players find the anime aesthetic distracting

Get started: Visit mahjongsoul.com and create a free account. Start with the tutorial missions.

2. Riichi City

Best for: Clean interface, realistic tiles, serious learners

Pros:

• Realistic 3D tile rendering (closest to physical mahjong)
• Clean, modern UI without anime elements
• Built-in AI training mode with adjustable difficulty
• Active ranked play
• Available on: Web, Steam, iOS (coming soon)

Cons:

• Smaller player base than Mahjong Soul (but growing)
• Fewer English community resources

Get started: Visit Riichi City’s website or download from Steam.

3. Tenhou

Best for: Advanced players, competitive play, traditionalists

Pros:

• The original online riichi platform (est. 2006)
• Largest player base (mostly Japanese)
• Fast, efficient interface
• Highest skill ceiling

Cons:

• Steep learning curve (interface is not beginner-friendly)
• Minimal English support
• Flash-based (browser compatibility issues)

Get started: Visit tenhou.net (Flash required, or use the app version)

Our recommendation: Start with Mahjong Soul for the first 20-50 games, then try Riichi City or Tenhou if you want a more serious competitive environment.

Your First Game: Step-by-Step

Let’s walk through playing your first game on Mahjong Soul (the process is similar on other platforms).

Setup

1. Create an account and complete the tutorial (5-10 minutes)
2. Choose “Friendly Match” or “Bronze Room” (Bronze Room is ranked but at the beginner tier)
3. Select “Tonpuu” (East Round only) for shorter games (4 hands minimum, ~15 minutes)
4. Enable “Auto no-call” for chi in settings (optional, but recommended to keep you from opening your hand accidentally)

Starting Hand Analysis

You receive 13 tiles. Look for:

What do I have?

• Any pairs? (These could become your pair or a triplet)
• Any near-sequences? (e.g., 34m, 67p)
• Any terminals or honors? (Usually discard these unless they’re pairs or yakuhai)

Example starting hand:

Analysis:

• Near-sequences: 356m (could become 345m or 456m), 4789p (could become 456p or 789p), 346s (could become 345s or 456s)
• Isolated: 2m, 11z (pair), 5z
• First discard: 5z (isolated honor, not valuable)

Early Game (Turns 1-6)

Goals:

• Discard isolated terminals and honors (unless they’re dragons or your seat wind)
• Keep tiles that connect to near-sequences
• Start shaping toward tanyao (all simples) or yakuhai (dragon/wind triplets)

What to discard first (in order of priority):

1. Isolated honors (3z, 4z if they’re not your wind)
2. Isolated terminals (1m, 9s if they’re far from other tiles)
3. Duplicate terminals (if you have two 1m but no 2m)
4. Tiles that don’t fit your hand’s direction

Example:

Turn 2: Draw 5s

Now you have a complete sequence (456s)! Your hand is improving. Next discard: 2m or 11z (both are isolated).

Mid Game (Turns 7-12)

Goals:

• Identify your yaku: Am I going for tanyao? Yakuhai? Riichi?
• Reach tenpai if possible
• Watch opponent discards (are they discarding tiles you need?)

Red flags (signs you might be dealing into someone else):

• Someone declared riichi (they’re in tenpai!)
• Someone called pon on dragons (they have yakuhai)
• Someone is discarding only honors and terminals (they’re going for tanyao)

Example progression:

Turn 8: Draw 5m

Discard 11z (isolated), keeping the 556m (could become 456m or 555m).

Turn 10: Draw 6m

Hmm. Keep 3456m (sequence + pair potential) or 556m + 6m? Discard 2m (isolated).

Wait, that doesn’t add up. Let me recalculate:

Actually:

= 12 tiles. We need 13. Let me redo this.

Turn 10: Draw 8m

Now we have 13 tiles. We could discard 2m or 8m. Let’s discard 2m.

Turn 11: Draw 7m

Excellent! We have 567m (sequence) and 8m. Discard 8m.

(13 tiles)

Late Game (Turns 13+)

Goals:

• Reach tenpai and declare riichi
• If someone else declared riichi, play defensively (discard safe tiles)

Example (continued): Turn 12: Draw 6p

We now have multiple near-complete melds. Discard 3m or 5m to shape toward tenpai.

Discard 3m:

Turn 13: Draw 5p

We have:

• 567m (sequence)
• 456p (sequence)
• 789p (sequence)
• 3456s (two overlapping sequences)

Wait, that’s too many tiles. Let me recalculate more carefully. Actually, this is getting complicated in text. Let me simplify:

Turn 13 - Tenpai Example:

You have:

• 234m (sequence)
• 567m (sequence)
• 789p (sequence)
• 456s or 345s (depending on whether you draw 4s or 6s)
• 5s (will form pair or part of sequence)

Declare riichi! You have a closed hand, you’re in tenpai with a ryanmen wait (4s or 6s), and it’s still early enough to draw your tile.

Winning Your First Hand

Scenario A: You draw 6s (tsumo)

• Call “Tsumo!”
• Your hand completes:

• Yaku: Riichi (1) + Menzen Tsumo (1) + Tanyao (1) + Pinfu (1) = 4 han
• Score: 7,700 points (ron) or 2,000/4,000 (tsumo)
• Ura-dora is revealed: +0 to +3 han (variable)

Scenario B: Opponent discards 4s (ron)

• Call “Ron!”
• Your hand completes:

• Yaku: Riichi (1) + Tanyao (1) + Pinfu (1) = 3 han (no menzen tsumo on ron)
• Score: 3,900 points from the discarder

Congratulations—you’ve won your first hand!

Beginner Strategy Checklist

Every Turn:

1. ✅ Draw a tile
2. ✅ Check for tsumo (did I complete 4 melds + pair?)
3. ✅ Check for tenpai (am I one tile away?)
4. ✅ Discard the least useful tile (isolated honors → isolated terminals → tiles that don’t fit)
5. ✅ Watch opponent discards (safe tiles, riichi declarations)

When in Tenpai:

1. ✅ Declare riichi (unless you have a specific reason not to)
2. ✅ Check your furiten status (did I discard my waiting tile earlier?)
3. ✅ Auto-discard and wait

When Someone Else Declares Riichi:

1. ✅ Play defensively: Discard tiles they’ve already discarded (safe tiles)
2. ✅ Don’t chase your hand unless you’re also in tenpai

Common Beginner Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

Mistake 1: Calling Too Many Tiles (Chi/Pon)

Fix: Stay closed. Only call tiles for yakuhai (dragons/winds) or when desperate.

Mistake 2: Building a No-Yaku Hand

Fix: Always aim for riichi, tanyao, or yakuhai. Check for yaku before reaching tenpai.

Mistake 3: Bad Riichi Wait (Edge Wait, Single Tile)

Fix: If your wait is weak (only 1-2 tiles left in the wall), consider damaten (don’t riichi) to keep flexibility.

Mistake 4: Discarding Safe Tiles When Winning

Fix: If you’re ahead in points and safe, play defensively. A 4th-place finish is better than dealing into a mangan.

Mistake 5: Ignoring Opponent Discards

Fix: Glance at the discard pools. If everyone discarded 1z (East), it’s probably safe. If no one discarded 7z (Red Dragon), it’s dangerous.

Your First 10 Games: What to Expect

Games 1-3: You’ll be confused, misclick buttons, and maybe deal into opponents. That’s normal. Focus on completing hands, not winning.

Games 4-7: You’ll start recognizing tenpai, declaring riichi, and occasionally winning. Your scores will be low (1,000-3,900), but you’re learning.

Games 8-10: You’ll win a few hands, maybe even a game. You’ll start reading opponent discards and playing defensively. Riichi will feel natural.

Continuing Your Mahjong Journey

Next Steps:

1. Play 20-50 games on Mahjong Soul’s Bronze Room or Riichi City’s beginner AI
2. Learn 3-5 more yaku: Study yakuhai (all triplets), honitsu (half flush), chinitsu (full flush), and chiitoitsu (seven pairs)
3. Watch top players stream: YouTube and Twitch have excellent riichi mahjong content
4. Join the community: Reddit’s r/Mahjong, Discord servers, and platform guilds are welcoming to beginners
5. Study hand efficiency: Learn tile efficiency (which tiles to discard to maximize your chances of tenpai)
6. Practice defensive play: Study “betaori” (folding safely when opponents are in tenpai)

Resources:

• Yaku reference: Our complete yaku guide with all 43 yaku
• Riichi Book I (free PDF): Classic English strategy guide
• Mahjong subreddit: r/Mahjong for questions and discussion
• YouTube: Channels like Riichi Mahjong Central, Daina Chiba

Final Words

You’ve completed the beginner’s guide! You now know:

• The 136 tiles and notation
• The winning structure (4 melds + pair)
• How to play (draw, discard, call)
• The essential yaku (riichi, tanyao, yakuhai, pinfu)
• Scoring basics (han, fu, common values)
• When to declare riichi

The most important thing: Mahjong is learned by playing, not by reading. You’ll make mistakes, you’ll deal into opponents, you’ll forget to check for yaku. That’s part of the journey.

Every game makes you better. Every hand teaches you something new. The satisfaction of your first riichi ippatsu tsumo mangan (8,000 points!) will make all the learning worthwhile.

Welcome to the world of riichi mahjong. Good luck, and may the tiles be with you!

What’s Next?

• Play your first game on Mahjong Soul, Riichi City, or Tenhou
• Browse the Yaku Reference to learn more scoring patterns
• Check out platform guides (coming soon) for detailed platform tutorials
• Join the community and share your first win!

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