THIS.Senechal wrote:While I also agree with the general consensus of 7m, some of the intentions in the thread are from planet Zorblax.
Excuse me if this sounds rude, but do any of you actually play mahjong IRL as opposed to just clicking tiles on the internet ?
The tanyao crowd is hoping for a possibility that by fuzzy math can only occur one out of three times. (1 - 1/2 * 2/3)
The sanankou crowd is hoping for a possibility requiring draws that don't advance to tenpai, and those that do, require you to ignore it for at leeast one extra turn.
Is it wrong to see possibilities when they can be done, of course not. If the 6p gets drawn, then the tanyao plan can be put into effect, all while not penalizing the rest of the hand's race to tenpai. Is it something to aim for or wait on, no, and it's not really worthy of mentioning. The only time mentioning "well maybe tanyao would be a good idea" is when you can discard the tiles to get there. You can't here. Otherwise, cut 9p and explain why it's a good thing. The problem is the broadcasted monologue of the obvious: it's good to maximize hand value *when possible*, the possibilities are out of the player's control here, thus should not form the basis of a decision.
As for the sanshoku crowd, you're saying after this T-1 hand, if you grab a tile to make a set out of stumps, you would be waiting on a 3-6s wait, but then would be gleefully ready to cut that wait down to a 4s solo wait (5s furiten), I'm not saying you failed the point maximization quiz, but there's so much else to consider, like actually winning the hand. Neglecting speed for fantasy options never works. The chances of it even occuring are slim. If you get a two-stump wait 4488s, or worse, 5588s, then you just took the long road just to get sanankou by tsumo, one chance out of "3 to 4" just for that to occur.
If you are dealing, the choice is obvious. Apparently the reasons why aren't because of false intentions. This is still the truth when you consider that this is an East-only game (!): win fast, and clam for 2nd is a better strategy than letting someone tsumo this turn and make you 4th alone, rather than tied with someone else for 3rd/last.
I implore the whole lot of you to find a game IRL to play. EMA if you have to in Europe (although if you know an open tanyao club, do go there), or within any solid group in North America (that's Montreal, New York, Rochester NY, Michigan, and probably Seattle). Plan your next vacation for it. There are too many people who play online with a desensitized approach to losing that need the shock therapy of playing in a world with no redos, no replays, and no pin-ups for at least a dozen IRL games. You need live players who can actually counsel and teach on what works and what doesn't, because players often summarily ignore advice delivered to them "through the internet" as if they believe their opinion can automatically countermand someone else's. All opinions have value, and zero is also a value. Don't make that mistake hastily.
Seriously, google any of "mahjong montreal", "uspml", "hammergirl mahjong rit", "ddrmtu mahjong" and step it up, today.
Although the problem is not playing online or offline, but within the mindset of people themselves. For most people, this is no more than a casual hobby, and every loss is not a "responsibility" nor does it represent a commitment with oneself to improve.