MIDDLE PANEL of 2023 card

 

Greetings and salutations from your busy bee, Bubbe, trying to lay out the new card for you before I go back to my Passover Prep! This installment covers the MIDDLE panel of the card.

Per my previous post, I will be using my conventional notation, e.g. Q1 for the first Quint hand, CR5.1 and CR 5.3 for the one- and three-suited versions of the fifth Consecutive Run hand (one of my favorites!!). All concealed hands will be indicated by red font.

Just gonna dig right in!

 

QUINTS section:

Q1: less complicated than previous years, where there were two Quints and a kong using a specific combination of three of (Winds, dragons, numbers, Flowers). This year it’s strictly one kong of ANY Wind and quints of a like number in two suits. You will need at least two jokers to make this hand, but any meld can be called for and exposed.

Backup hands? IF someone starts to play multiple Winds, e.g. W1a or W1b, or Winds get discarded quickly, you could conceivably switch around to LN1 by keeping one “natural” pair and using your numerous jokers to build the kong in the third suit. In fact, if they put out a kong of the Wind you were collecting, using a joker or two, exchange for those jokers to help your hand!

 

Q2: a super-size version of CR1a. Must be these exact numbers, and don’t say it’s confusing. Two 2’s, three 3’s, four 4’s, five 5’s. All the same suit. In theory, you could make it with only one joker, which is why it pays less than the other two Quint hands.

Backup hands? Pre-exposure, you can obviously switch to CR1a, but you will need natural pairs of 1’s and 5’s. It works better in the other direction (see below).

Other backup options include CR2.1, especially if you have exposed the pung and kong. CR2.2 and CR 6 are other possibilities, but you really would have to scramble to get the tiles in the second suit.

 

Q3: a super-size version of CR5.3.  Quints of any two consecutive numbers, in different suits, plus a kong of Flowers. Again, you will need at least two jokers to make this hand, but any meld can be called for and exposed.

Backup hands? I don’t necessarily recommend any; this is a situation where it works better the other way, with THIS being the backup hand when your original planned hand, requiring a pair or two, falls through due to exposures and discards. HOWEVER, before exposing any of the Quints, if you find yourself with a third number in a third suit (either above or below the original two), you could switch to CR5.3. Generally speaking, unless there is a really strong reason to switch, I would keep this hand going—even with one exposure, e.g. a quint of 7 craks, you still have four viable groups for the second quint: 6 dot, 8 dot, 6 bam, and 8 bam. You could even switch over to Q1 if you’re feeling very lucky. Remember what Bubbe says: “Life’s too short to play boring mah jongg hands!”

 

CONSECUTIVE RUNS section:

**Reminder that Y1, Y2, Y4, A1, Q2, Q3, W2a, W2b, W7, SP2 and SP5 also utilize Consecutive Runs**

CR1a and CR1b: this is the same hand, on either the lower or upper end of the number line. This year’s pattern is a bell curve, with a pair of the lowest number, ascending to a pung and then the kong of the middle number, back down to a pung before the final pair. It MUST be specifically 1-5 or 5-9, you can’t use any other number combination. All one suit.

Easiest backup hand? CR2.1. Remember, although CR1 MUST be specific numbers, CR2.1 works with any four consecutive numbers in the same suit. If you are having trouble getting the lowest pair, but you have exposed the mid-section of pung, kong, pung, guess what? You only have to build up your final group from a pair to a kong, and voila! Another easy backup hand if you’re blessed with jokers? Q2—as long as you have a natural pair of 2’s.

Other backup options: So, so many, especially pre-exposure. Every hand in CR section, as well as the ones listed above. SP5 is a particular treat, sometimes it just drops in your lap!

 

CR2.1 and CR2.2: This is a simple consecutive pung-kong hand, in either one suit or two (CR2.2 is NOT knitted: it goes pung-kong in suit A and then pung-kong in suit B). This can be ANY four consecutive numbers, so it can start between 1-6.

Best backup? Stay right here on the CR2 line and be flexible in your sequence: for example, if you have a perfect sequence of a pung of 6 bams and a kong of 7 bams, you could build with 4/5 or 8/9, in ANY suit—there could be as many as 6 possible variations. If you have the same two numbers in another suit, you could switch to CR6. Keep your options open!

Other backup options? Again, keep your mind open, especially pre-exposure. If you have a few Flowers, you might be able to switch from CR2.1 to CR5.1.

 

CR3: Ah, always lovely to see you again, old hand. Pair of Flowers, ANY two consecutive numbers, and a kong of their matching dragon. It’s an easy one to collect, just remember that this year the pair is the Flowers.

Backup ideas? This is not as simple as some of the other CR hands vis-à-vis switching. Except for 3 dots in Y1, there is no other hand that includes a kong of a number and its matching dragon. Fortunately the only vulnerability in CR3 is the pair of Flowers. If you have the Flower pair and expose two consecutive kongs in the same suit, but the dragons are unavailable, you can switch to CR5.1, with the third kong either above or below those two numbers.

 

CR4: Pretty nifty little hand, always interesting to see singles. This is a three-suited hand. The first piece is a baby staircase: first one, then pair, then pung all in one suit; then kongs of the next two numbers, in the complementary suits. It can float anywhere on the number line (the first number can be as high as 5). It will take a bit more to achieve, so it pays 30 cents instead of 25.

Backup ideas? If you can’t get that single tile for the beginning, but have exposed the consecutive kongs in two suits, then your best bet is to switch to CR5.3. You will need a pair of Flowers, but the number part should be simple: switch the preceding pung to a kong…IF it hasn’t been exposed. If you have exposed a pung in suit A, it may be tricky to salvage unless it’s a very specific situation like CR6 or O1.3. If you haven’t exposed anything at all but have a nice little run going, with Winds, consider W2a or W2b.

 

CR5.1 and CR5.3: Another of Bubbe’s favorites, the proverbial “junk hand” in one suit or three. Very versatile if varied parts in one section of the number line keep turning up in the Charleston. Just remember that you can start anywhere from 1-7 as long as the three kongs are consecutive, and finish up with a pair of Flowers.

Backup ideas? CR5.1, being single-suited, can go to almost any of the CR hands. CR5.3 is a little quirkier. You might consider Y2, E4, A1, A2, Q3, CR2.3, O2a, O2b, O3a, or O3b. As an exercise, I recommended looking at those hands and trying to figure out how each overlaps with CR5.3.

 

CR6: Another pung-kong hand (no pairs), so everything can be exposed, or use jokers. It’s basically the sibling to CR2.2, if you think of it as parallel instead of sequential. These are identical consecutive numbers as pung and kong, in two different suits. It’s a very simple hand, and it can begin anywhere from 1-8 on the number line.

Backup ideas? Probably the closest match is a very select hand: Y1 has pungs of 2’s in two different suits, with a kong of 3’s in one of them. In the very specific case where a player had more Soaps than 3’s in the second suit, it would make sense to switch from CR6 to Y1. For the other 98+ percent of hands, your best bet would be CR2.2, per above.

 

CR7: Interesting three-suited, two-pair hand, a little bit like CR4. The first two consecutive numbers (can start with any number from 1-7) are pairs in suit A; the following pungs are in each of the complementary suits (B and C), and it’s completed with a kong of Flowers. The trickiest piece is definitely the pair of consecutive pairs; everything else can be exposed and/or use jokers.

Backup ideas? Y1 and CR6 have exposures of matching pungs in two different suits; matching pungs AND a kong of Flowers occur in O6a and O6b. Of these, Y1 and CR6 are better options, since they involve only kongs (no pairs).

 

CR8: This is the CR cousin of E6: four pairs, interspersed with two pungs. Again, why only 30 cents? The thing to remember, just as with E6, is that it’s all in one suit. You need a pair of Flowers and a pair of matching dragons; the two pungs are the highest and the lowest numbers on the run, starting anywhere from 1-6.

Backup ideas? It’s a concealed hand, so no one needs to know if you can’t make it work. You might need to switch to one of the single-suited CR options. If you can get the Flowers and dragons, try CR3; if you only have the Flowers, try CR5.1; if you have neither Flowers nor dragons, try CR2.

 

ODD (13579) section:

**Reminder that there is an Odd Singles and Pairs hand, SP1, and ALL Odd hands use the specific numbers as written on the card**

 

O1.1: The equivalent of CR1, this is a bell curve hand with pairs of 1’s and 9’s on the end, pungs of 3’s and 7’s, and a kong of 5’s in the middle. O1.1 is all one suit.

Backup ideas? O4a and O4b are probably your best bets, since they are also single-suited Odd hands. They will require matching Flowers and dragons.

 

O1.3: Although this has the exact same bell curve design as O1.1, it has some unique nuances, so I will deal with it separately. O1.3 is three suits: the 1 and 3 in suit A, the kong of 5’s in suit B, and the 7 and 9 in suit C.

Backup ideas? The three suits open up all sorts of possibilities. O2a and O2b, O5a and O5b, O6a and O6b, and O8—all multi-suited hands--could be considered. The trickiest thing about any of these hands is getting any necessary pairs.

 

O2a and O2b: A simple pung and kong hand, in two suits, on either the lower or upper end of the Odd number line. Every component can be called for exposure and/or use jokers.

Backup ideas? The upper and lower O5 combinations are a natural switch for these hands, if you haven’t made exposures yet. You are simply downsizing the first pung and kong, and the final kong, so that you can shoehorn a kong of dragons (of the final suit) into the middle. Other possible backups include the O3’s (because the two kongs can swing) or the O6’s, where you add a pung of the highest number, in the third suit. Finally, you might consider CR5.3, based on the two kongs, with a kong of the middle number in the third suit.

 

O3a and O3b: The Odd equivalent of the three-suited junk hand, CR5.3, it’s a pair of Flowers with three-suited kongs on the lower or upper Odd number line.

Best backup idea? The respective O2 combination, which will use two of the three kongs. You could also go for CR5.3.

 

O4a and O4b: A single-suited hand, with pairs of Flowers, dragons, and the middle number. The top and bottom numbers are represented in kongs. Note that each hand uses a kong of 5’s.

Best backup idea? If you can’t get the pair of dragons, you might actually consider the appropriate CR1 (upper or lower number line). Both of the even numbers in that hand are pungs, which might be easier to obtain.

 

O5a and O5b: a three-suited bell curve, with the lower pair and pung ascending in suit A; the kong of dragons in suit B; and the descending pung and pair in suit C. There are two versions, on the lower and upper Odd number line.

Best backup idea? This is an easy one. If you can’t get the dragons of that other suit, switch to the respective O2. It’s all pungs and kongs. The problem is the only exposure that remains the same is the second pung; all the others are modified, from low pair and pung to pung and kong, and from high pair to kong. It’s actually a lot easier to switch in this direction as long as nothing else has been exposed.

 

O6a and O6b: the key to remembering this one is that it needs a kong of Flowers. Other than that, the lowest two numbers are pairs in suit A, and then there are pungs of the highest number in both suit B and C. There are two versions, on the lower and upper Odd number line.

Best backup idea? If you’re having trouble getting a pair but you have enough jokers, you could switch to O2 with the second suit of your choice. There are no pairs required for that hand. Another option, if you are very close and have the middle pair (3 or 7), you could switch to CR7, with its matching pungs and kong of Flowers; you would need to get the interim pair--4 or 8, depending on your end of the number line.

 

O7: kongs of 1’s and 9’s in suit A, surrounding pairs of 3, 5, and 7 in suit B. It is very straightforward, think of it as a sandwich—better yet, a meatball sub—with a large roll sub roll and three good-sized meatballs in the middle.

Best backup idea? You can pretty easily turn it into O2b, the two-suited pung-kong hand on the upper end of the number line. Anything that is missing with the 5’s or 7’s of suit B can be fixed with jokers; the only significant missing component is the pung of 7’s in suit A. It is harder to fix this into O2a, since you will need to gather an entire kong of 3’s in suit A, but depending on your distribution of tiles, it may be a better fit.

 

O8: A fistful of pungs!! There are two sequences, lower half and upper half of the Odd number line, each in its own suit. You need pungs surrounding each “middle” (3 and 7). It’s not terribly complicated—remember that both groups need pungs of 5’s—but it is concealed, so be careful!!

Best backup hands? First of all, as a concealed hand, no one will know what you’re up to, but if you’re just not getting those middle singles—and especially if you see all four exposed or discarded--it is time to reconsider. If you have matching dragons and Flowers, consider O4a or O4b, a single-suited hand. If you have lots of jokers and Flowers, consider O6a, with a kong of Flowers, pairs of 1’s and 3’s in suit A, the pung of 5’s from suit B, and find pung of 5’s from suit C. Another option with jokers and Flowers is to go for LN1 in 5’s; use one of the natural pairs of 5’s and use the jokers to complete the other kongs of 5’s.

 

If you have been following along with this, you’re a real trouper! I will confess that, of all the sections of the card, this year the Odds section really left me cold! I apologize that I didn’t give it as much enthusiasm as the others. I always tell people not to rule out any section of the card and to play the tiles you are dealt…..so I hope I’m not dealt a lot of odd tiles this year!!

 

The next article will be about the right side of the card—the Winds, 369, and Singles and Pairs—and then we move on to more analysis. Bubbe will always have a lot to say, you can count on that!!

 

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at bubbefischer@gmail.com

 

Talk to you soon!

 

Bubbe