Mahjong isn’t just about luck; it’s about learning to read the table, adapt your strategy, and make confident decisions even when the path to winning changes. Every game is a chance to think critically, grow your skills, and enjoy the challenge.

In American Mahjong, the optimal choice is to call “Mahjong!” and complete your winning hand. But sometimes, despite your best efforts, that victory just isn’t in the tiles. When every tile has been picked and discarded with no Mahjong declared, it’s called a wall game.

While no one wins in a wall game, it can still be a smart and satisfying strategic choice.

If you’re a competitive player, shifting from an offensive mindset to a defensive one can be tough. You want to win, but you also don’t want to give someone else the win. When another player has made one or two exposures, you start to get clues about which hand they’re building. If your tiles might complete that hand, discarding them can be risky.

That’s when you face a key decision:

• Do you keep pushing for your own win, or
• Do you change course and play defensively, protecting the table and aiming for a wall game?

Breaking up your hand to avoid helping another player can feel frustrating, especially in a friendly, social game where there’s no penalty for giving away the winning tile. But learning when to switch to defense is a valuable skill. It shows awareness, adaptability, and respect for the strategy of the game.

A few tips for playing defensively with confidence:

• Keep your strategy private. Don’t announce that you know someone’s hand or that you’re holding their tiles — that’s considered poor etiquette.
  
• Watch the exposures carefully. Two exposures often reveal enough to guide your discards safely.
  
• Stay calm and flexible. A wall game isn’t a loss, it’s a smart, disciplined outcome that shows you’re thinking like a seasoned player.
  

Remember: sometimes the best Mahjong move isn’t to win, it’s changing strategy and pushing for a wall game. And every game, wall or not, makes you a sharper, more confident player.

Source: Mah Jongg Made Easy Pg 15-16

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Verify Mahjong Before Throwing In Your Tiles: Why Confirmation Matters in American Mahjong

End Game Strategy in American Mahjong: How to Win or Defend When the Wall Runs Short

Trade-Offs in American Mahjong: How to Balance Risk, Reward, and Timing

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