Mahjong is a game that has a centuries-long history. It is particularly popular in most East and Southeast Asian countries, and is also one of the most iconic forms of entertainment in the Philippines. The traditional mahjong game has four players and includes 144 tiles that are divided into suits, plus 8 optional flower tiles. The objective of the game is to build a hand with four melds and a pair. A meld is a set of 3 or 4 tiles, while the pair is two identical tiles. The players are typically divided into 4 winds, which form the basis of their hands and strategy. The game starts with East Wind dealing the tiles, then the wind rotates until every player has a turn at being the dealer.