Many money card games evolved from ma diao and many variations of money card decks have come and gone. Coins correspond to circles coin strings correspond to the bamboos coin string myriads correspond to the characters. Three of the four Ma Diao suits resembles the three suits of mahjong. There are 32 of these dominoes and are meant to be representations of star constellations.Īnother game, Ma Diao, popular during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE), was a trick-taking game for four players, played with four-suited money cards. They look very similar to dominoes, with a total of 227 pips. Xuan He Pai, a game that originated in the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE), used wood and ivory cards similar to today's mahjong tiles. Throughout China's history, there were several games similar to modern mahjong. According to the legend, this explains why there are so many references to sailing found on the tiles. Another legend suggests that ZhengHe (a Chinese explorer who commanded 7 sails across Asia and Africa in the early 15th century) invented mahjong while attempting to find a way to entertain his crew members during their sailings. There are many theories and legends about mahjong's origins - some people have said it goes back to the time of Confucius but there is no evidence for this.

In Sichuan Province, they do not use the wind tiles and dragon tiles, therefore they have only 108 tiles. In northern China, there are no flower and season tiles, they just have the 136 tiles. Like many popular games, mahjong has many regional variations. In all, there are 144 tiles, of which 36 tiles are in the bamboo suit, 36 in the circle suit, 36 in the character suit, 16 wind tiles, 12 dragon tiles, and 8 bonus tiles (4 flowers and 4 seasons). Four players play the game using numbered tiles, which were made of bamboo or bone in the past, but nowadays they are made of plastic. It is known as 麻雀 máquè or 'sparrow game' in some areas in China, which is played with sets of tiles.

Free online Mahjong Games and recommended Apps.

Video: Learn How to Play Mahjong Step by Step.

Special Hands (Thirteen Orphans, Pure One Suit.).The Objective, Setup, The Play, Game End.

Mahjong set of Tiles: Circles, Bamboos, Characters, Winds, Dragons.

What is simple mahjong