What is Siamese Mah Jongg®?
Siamese Mah Jongg® is an American Mah Jongg variation for 2 players, created by Gladys Grad. To learn more about Siamese rules, click here.
How to launch a Siamese game
- Log into ilovemahj.com
- Under the PLAY menu, select Game Launchpad
- Click the "Siamese Mah Jongg" Tab
- You can play with bots, with a friend (using a personal table) or be paired with a random player.
Playing with a bot
To play with a bot:
- Select "Play with a bot" from the Siamese tab on the Game Launchpad
- Select your level of bot (level 1 is the most basic and level 3 the most advanced)
- Click "Launch Game"
Note that at the beginning of a bot game, the computer will ask if you're open to receiving invites from other players. If you answer yes, you may receive an invitation. You can decide to accept or decline the invitation. If you accept, your bots game will end and you will be paired with the other player.
Playing with a friend
Every player has 2 personal tables (one for 4-player games and one for Siamese games). To play Siamese with a friend, first discuss when you'd like to play and whose personal table you will use (for this example, let's say player A's table will be used). Then, at the agreed-upon time:
- Both players select "Play with a friend" from the Siamese tab on the Game Launchpad
- Player A clicks "Launch my Personal Table"
- Player B:
- Clicks "Join Someone's Table"
- Select player A's name from the friends dropdown, OR finds player A by name
- Clicks Join Table
The 2 players are now at the same table and the game is ready to start.
Whether you are playing with a bot or a friend, the mechanics of the game are the same. If you are new to the I LOVE MAHJ platform, please watch our Getting-Started Video to get familiarized with the interface in a 4-player game (as it is similar to the Siamese interface).
Playing Live Games
If you want to be randomly paired with another player, choose the "Play LIVE" option.
The system will search for other live players as well as people playing with bots who have indicated they are interested in playing with others. If the other player accepts the invite, you both be paired on the same table and can start the game.
If no other live player is currently available, you will be able to start a bots game and may receive an invitation from another player at some point.
Selecting Options
On the front page of the game, you can choose the following options:
- CARD: we support NMJL cards (2019-2024), the Siamese 2024 card and the I LOVE MAHJ card. Note that for the Siamese card, Atomic is not supported
- BOT LEVEL: 1 is the most basic, 3 is the most advanced
- THEME: select a color theme based on your preferences
- TILES: we support classic tiles, as well as beautiful tile sets from The Mahjong Line
Starting the Game
When you're ready to play, click the "Start Game" button. The game will open with your 2 racks shown at the bottom and your opponent shown at the top.
Two buttons above your rack allow you to sort by suit or rank. Tiles are sorted across both racks.
You can manually organize your racks by dragging tiles around. Keep in mind that each rack can hold up to 17 tiles.
The number of tiles left in the wall and the currently selected card are shown towards the right above your racks
A rectangle is shown around the player whose turn it is
Playing the game
To discard a tile, double-click it or drag it to the middle of the screen. Discards are shown in chronological order.
When the other player discards a tile, it will be shown in the middle of the screen. Click "Ignore" to skip this tile and "Call" to make and exposure.
When you call a tile, you will be presented with a choice of rack and exposure (pung, kong, quint based on the tiles in both racks) and Mah Jongg. First choose the rack you want to call the tile for, then click one of the buttons on the right to choose your exposure (or Mah Jongg). You can also click "Cancel" if you change your mind about calling the discard.
The exposure will be shown in the selected rack. Tiles will automatically be moved to the other rack, if there's not enough space.
To change your exposure, click the "Change" button near the exposure (prior to discarding).
Holding back tile(s)
When calling a discard for an exposure, players have the option to "hold back" natural tile(s). This comes in handy when you have tile(s) you want to keep for a single or pair in your 2nd hand. For instance, using the NMJL 2024 card, let's say you're playing WD/2 on the top rack and 2024/4 on the bottom rack. You currently have 2 soaps and a joker on your racks. A soap is discarded, so you call it for a pung on the top rack. However, instead of making a pure exposure, you hold back a soap (to use as your 0 for the "2024" on the bottom rack) and use the joker in the pung exposure.
You can do this by checking the box "Hold back natural tile(s)" on the Call dialog box, and indicating how many tiles you want to hold back.
Swapping a Joker
To swap your tile for a Joker (in the other player's exposure or your own), double-click the Joker you wish to claim (when it's your turn).
Calling Mah Jongg
To call Mah Jongg, click the "Mah Jongg" button above your rack or, to call a discard for Mah Jongg, click Call then Mah Jongg. You will need to select which rack you're calling Mah Jongg for.
Important::make sure all your Mah Jongg tiles (and only those tiles) are on the rack.
If the Mah Jongg is correct, the tiles will be reorganized and shown with a green highlight. The line and number of points will be shown to the right of the rack.
If you call Mah Jongg in error, the tiles for that rack will turn red.
End of Game
At the end of the game, total points for each player (including potential bonuses and penalties) are calculated. The winner is the player with the most points (there could potentially be a draw if total points are equal for both players). For more info on scoring rules in Siamese, please have a look at this page.
Next Game
To start the next game, click the "Next Game" button.
Statistics
Similar to the 4-player games, stats (win rate, think time, joker stats, completed hands) are gathered for your Siamese games, but are tabulated separately from 4-players games. To access your Siamese stats, choose "My Game Stats" from the menu with your name (top right of the ilovemahj.com website), then select "Siamese" from the "Game Type" dropdown.