LEFT SIDE of 2023 card

 Greetings and salutations from your eager Bubbe, who’s as raring to look at the new card as you are!

 

This particular article is the first of three in-depth pieces about the new 2023 card. I will use my conventions from previous years: for instance, Y2 would mean the second hand in the 2023 section, E3.2 would be the two-suited version of the third hand in the 2468 section. If it’s in RED, it’s a concealed hand.

 

I’m also taking things to a new level. Last year, my friend Maureen Luddy suggested that teaching backup hands could be the Rosetta Stone of the mahj card. I’m hopeful that my ideas will help YOU think more creatively, going forward!

 

Without further ado, I give you BUBBE’S GUIDE TO THE LEFT PANEL, 2023:

 

 

 

YEAR (2023) section:

 

 

**Reminder that there are also two related 2023 hands in the Winds/Dragons section (W4a and W4b) as well as the last hand in Singles and Pairs (SP6).**

 

Y1: This is similar to hands we have seen before. It is a pung/kong hand, meaning that you can call for any tile to complete (and expose) a meld, and you can use as many jokers as you want.  There are pungs of 2’s in ANY two different suits, and one kong of 3’s that matches either of those suits. You also need four Soaps/white dragons, but you actually don’t need to use ANY dots if you choose not to.

 

Most interesting backup hand?

LN2 with 2’s, which is unfortunately a concealed hand. It includes pungs of a number in all three suits, as well as a single matching dragon for each.

Other backup hands?

Y4, which is also concealed. It has a pair of 2’s and, in a second suit, a pung of 2’s and pair of 3’s, as well as a pung of Soaps. The biggest challenge is that you will also need all four Winds. 

Another option is the pung-kong hand, E5. You would use one of the non-dot pungs of 2’s and the kong of Soaps. You will need a pung of 8’s to go with those 2’s, and then a kong of dragons in the third suit. If you have exposed both pungs of 2's, you could still play CR6 with kongs of 3's in those two suits.

 

 

Y2: a very straightforward three-suited hand. You need the year combination in suit A—remember that those tiles are all considered singles, so you cannot call for an exposure of this meld unless it is for your FINAL (mah jongg) tile. There are also a pair of Flowers, and kongs of 2’s in suit B and 3’s in suit C. Despite the coloration on the card, the combination can be in any order of bams, craks, and dots.

 

Most interesting backup hand? CR 5.3 (first pointed out by Terry Cole)—it’s the three-suited version of the junk hand, with a pair of Flowers and three consecutive kongs in different suits. You could have kongs of 2’s in suit B and 3’s in suit C, with either a kong of 1’s or 4’s in suit A.

Other backup hand? If you’re inundated with jokers and you just can’t get the 2023 meld to fall into place, look at Q3: it’s a kong of Flowers and then quints of two consecutive numbers in different suits, so obviously, 2’s in suit A and 3’s in suit B would fit the bill nicely.

 

 

Y3: We’ve seen a variation on this, recently, but usually with kongs of dragons. This time it’s a kong of Flowers, the year combination in ANY suit, and then pungs of any TWO suits of dragons. Again, that “2023” is considered all singles so you cannot call for an exposure of that particular meld unless it is your final mah jongg tile. Exposures can be made, and jokers used, for any and all of the other parts of this hand. Note that “ANY” means ANY: the 2023 may be in any suit, and the two pungs of dragons can be in any two suits (including the first one). You MAY choose to represent all three suits in this hand, but you don't have to. 

Safest backup hand: W3a or W3b. IF you expose two dragon pungs and aren’t able to pull together the 2023 in the third suit, you can always deny that your hand is dead, and try for the two kongs of “companion” winds (East/West or North/South).

Frankly, I’m not really sure I see another great backup option. If you have all the other components (jokers, dragons, and Flowers) and two of the four single tiles, go for it—it’s the kind of hand that will get your heart racing!

**THIS REFLECTS THE LEAGUE'S OFFICIAL RULING**

 

 

Y4 (CONCEALED): While this hand resembles Y1, with 2’s in suit A, Soaps, and then 2’s AND 3’s in suit B, never forget that it’s a bell curve: pair, pung, kong, pung, pair. The trickiest thing to remember is that the pair is 2’s, then a pung of Soaps, then the kong of NEWS, then a pung of 2’s and a pair of 3’s both in a second suit. It is imperative that your pung of 2’s and your pair of 3’s are in one suit, and the pair of 2’s are in a different suit. Practice laying this particular hand out, with your tiles, so you get used to how it should look.

 

Backup hand? Y4 is concealed so you have less to worry about in terms of visibly switching hands. If you are unable to get singles of all four Winds, you should scrap this plan and try for Y1, which is all pungs and kongs. Really a simple decision if you pick up lots of jokers and/or the Winds aren’t forthcoming.

 

 

EVEN (2468) section:

 

**Reminder that there is an Even Singles and Pairs hand, SP4.**

 

E1: A super skimpy sandwich hand, all in one suit. Kongs of Flowers, 2’s and 8’s, with a very meager filling of single 4 and single 6. You can only call for the 4 or the 6 if it is your final (mah jongg) tile. As Bubbe would say, “The garnish of Flowers is nice, but how can you call that a sandwich? It’s all bread. Feh!”

 

Backup hand? If someone exposes (or discards) all four 4’s or 6’s, you will HAVE to switch.

Your safest switch is when you’ve only exposed the kong of 8’s, since that is also used in E3.1 and you can use jokers to make any of the other parts of that hand. Once you expose one of the number kongs AND a kong of Flowers, your only backup hand option is LN1.

Any other options?

You might consider the other even, single-suited hand, E6, but it is concealed; it only makes sense if, as you are collecting tiles, you find more than one of the 4’s and 6’s. You’re more likely to switch FROM E6 than to it.

 

 

E2: The skinnylicious sandwich (224688), but Bubbe’s satisfied: “at least it’s got some decent side dishes to go with it.” You have a pair of 2’s and 8’s with a single 4 and 6, all in the same suit, but these tiles are supplemented by like kongs of ANY even number in the complementary suits. Remember that none of the skinnylicious sandwich components can be called for exposure until your final tile.

 

Best backup hand? This is not an unlikely problem, as the skinnylicious component could become unattainable pretty quickly through exposures and discards.

Consider CR6. Like all good backup hands, it requires no pairs. If you have matching kongs in two suits, all you need is matching pungs of the preceding number. Although it may be too late in the game to actually switch and win, you can certainly say that your hand is not dead.

Other backup hands?

LN1 in an even number is a simple switch; you have the two kongs and, if your like number is 2 or 8, you’ve got the pair in the third suit. All you need then is a kong of Flowers—and with 8 jokers and 8 Flowers, what could be easier to get?

A2 and A4 are possibilities, with like numbered kongs in two suits if you chose 2 or 4. You will need a kong of the “sum” in the third suit.

 

 

E3.1 and E3.2: we have definitely seen these hands before: one- and two-suited versions of a pung and kong hand. Easy-peasy, can’t go dead. Anything can be called for exposure, anything can use jokers.

 

Best backup hand? Each other! If you find that you don’t have enough tiles in the same suit, you might switch from 3.1 to 3.2; if you suddenly get a bonanza in the same suit, switch back to 3.1. There’s also that third suit….

Other backup hands?

A4 is a possibility for E3.2, but honestly it works better the other way—if you have a kong of 4’s in one suit, and a kong of 8’s in another, but are having trouble getting a pair of Flowers, then you could switch over to E3.2.

 

 

E4: A variation on last year’s stutter-step: pair of 2’s and kong of 4’s in suit A, pair of 4’s and kong of 6’s in suit B, and pair of 8’s in suit C. You can’t call for any pair until the final mah jongg tile. I don’t know that this is going to be a super popular hand, but at least because of the three pairs it pays 30 cents.

 

Best backup hand? Once any component of any of the pairs is no longer available to you, consider CR 2.2, with a pung of 3’s and kong of 4’s in suit A and pung of 5’s and kong of 6’s in suit B. No pairs, so your hand cannot go dead.

Other backup hand? CR5.3, the three-suited “junk” kong hand with consecutive kongs in all three suits: specifically, 4’s, 5’s, and 6’s, with a pair of Flowers.

 

 

E5: Bubbe likes this one: all kongs and pungs, so any part can be called for exposure and/or use jokers. Pungs of 2’s and 8’s in suit A; kongs of dragons in the other two suits.

 

Interesting backup hand? One of two variations of Y1: pung of 2’s in either bam or crak, and kong of Soaps; you will need pungs of 2’s and kongs of 3’s in a second suit, but if you have already exposed the 2’s and Soaps you could still pursue this.

Other backup hands? W6 is the only other hand that uses two kongs of dragons; you would need pairs of Norths and Souths, and a single East and West.

 

 

E6 (CONCEALED): It’s a one-suited Even hand with FOUR pairs: Flowers, 4’s, 6’s, and matching dragons. The 2’s and 8’s are pungs. My friend Tracy Callard points out that this is undervalued; it is four pairs but pays 30 cents! I can see trying this hand if it starts to fall into place, but again, it’s concealed and all those pairs can make it very frustrating.

 

Easiest backup hand? E3.1, the single-suited pung/kong hand. You can use jokers, you can call for exposures. You don’t need pairs of Flowers or dragons. Bubbe says, “No stress, no mess, and it only pays a nickle less.”

Other backup ideas? E1, where you would still use the Flowers and one each of the 4’s and 6’s. If you have the Flowers and several jokers it might make sense to switch to this, rather than E3.1; see which fits better based on your circumstances.

 

 

 

LIKE NUMBERS section:

 

There are only two this year, but keep an eye throughout the card for other hands that use the same number in multiple suits, e.g. A1-4, E2, Q1, CR6, and of course multiple places in Odds and 369.

 

LN1: Super straightforward. Two kongs of same number in suits A and B, with a pair of the number in suit C, supplemented with a kong of Flowers.

 

Easiest backup hand? The Addition hands, IF you’re working with 1-4. This is the obvious choice if the pair of the number is unavailable in the third suit. You’ll still be able to use the two kongs, and two of your Flowers.

Other backup ideas? See the above list. Depending on your number, there are many options.

 

 

LN2 (Concealed): Pung and matching single dragon in all three suits, plus a pair of Flowers. Super easy to remember: I’m calling this “the triplets” in honor of my niece and nephews who have very distinct personalities. My sister says any response from them is like a stoplight’s red, green, and yellow (or in our case, “white”). Biggest challenge is remembering that it is concealed, since the pungs would be easy to call for exposures. You can only call for the final mah jongg tile.

 

Easiest backup hand? You can switch to LN1 if someone exposes or discards all four dragons in any suit. Since you’ve been playing a concealed hand, no one will know you had to switch!!

Other backup ideas? See above, again many options and because it’s concealed, it’s no big deal to change.

 

 

ADDITION HANDS:

 

These four hands are all the same concept, using matching kongs on the lower end of the number line (1-4) and a kong of the even-numbered “sum” in the third suit. Supplement with a pair of Flowers.

 

Easiest backup hand? LN1, if three of your number in the third suit have not been exposed or discarded yet.

Other backup ideas? If you’re playing A4 and have made two of those exposures, E3.2 could work—it’s a pung/kong hand so your hand would not go dead. 369 #5 might work if you are playing A3, but it’s frankly a lot of work.

 

 

Overall: I hope you are starting to think creatively about these hands. Don’t be intimidated, none of these is so tricky that you can’t remember how to play it after a few weeks (but keep your card handy, anyway!)

 

 

I’ll be discussing the middle panel next, keep checking for more New Card posts!

 

As always, if you have questions or comments, you can reach me at bubbefischer@gmail.com

 

Bubbe