Best Mahjong Online Casinos in Singapore

Mahjong, an age-old game believed to have originated in China as early as the 18th century, spread far and wide and has developed many regional variations. As with other Chinese classic card games, applying strategies is important in order to increase chances for a better finish in Mahjong.

Mahjong in Singapore is fast gaining popularity with locals and foreigners alike. Mahjong as a game in Singapore has become a type of pastime and a variety of events and competitions are organised by Mahjong clubs and mahjong associations.

Mahjong in Singapore is similar to the Chinese Mahjong though there are some variations in terms of the rules, scoring and betting. The premise for Mahjong involves four to five players trying to make winning hand combinations. Various non-similar or identical combination of tiles are combined to form winning hand patterns. Such headed tiles used in the Singapore version of Mahjong include images of animals, Chinese characters and flower motifs.

The most popular variation of Mahjong in Singapore consists of tai sai rules (sometimes called ‘dice game’ or ‘fantasy world’). This variation follows play with three dice, and each round of play stands at three games, with the winner being the one who scores the most points.

Mahjong in Singapore is based around the same concept as the traditional Mahjonh. Essentially, it’s a four-player strategy-based game that consists of 144 tiles divided into suit, honour and bonus categories.

The gaming pieces consist of stacks of three, based on the traditional pai gow tiles. These tiles are derived from the Chinese dominoes, and they look like a ‘chessboard’ when placed in the correct order. Racks are used to hold the tiles, and often the gaming table features a line of tiles which the players can pick up in turn.

There are various Tokyo Mahjong variants as well which add a little bit more complexity into the equation. For starters, a player must obtain the winning hand pattern ten points more often than their opponents in order to win. In the Singapore version of Mahjong, the game is over when a player accumulates enough of the score required by the game's rules.

The strategies used in the Singapore Mahjong can vary from game to game, but usually rely on tactics like tile tracking, timing, blocking and endgame play. Awareness of the winning patterns is essential to the game. Additionally, studious observation of others’ moves and patterns is key to understand the game and win.

For instance, incase of the “tai sai” variation it is important to observe the initial second and third dice when deciding whether to declare defeat or “heavenly hand’, which results in a player’s victory over the other with a live hand. Other strategies to apply in Mahjong in Singapore include bluffing, capitalising on your turn and mixing of tiles with clever tile displacement.

Mahjong in Singapore is accentuated with popular variations of the Chinese game such as the “tai sai” rules. Despite the many regional variations, the aim for all versions remain the same - to collect the winning hand combination while attempting to outplay your opponents. While strategies are important, observation and awareness of opponents’ moves and patterns are key to success in Mahjong.