If You Don't Ask, You Don't Get

Greetings and salutations from your enthusiastic Bubbe, loving this early May weather. Now that we've all had the card for over a month, we have fully transitioned and are ready to handle any hand on the card. Right?

Well, maybe not yet. I know there are some of you who hold back, who want to stick to the old familiar hands (or as close to old hands as possible). There are some who avoid concealed hands, and NEVER go to the Singles and Pairs section.

Taking the familiar route is one way to play this game, but your tiles aren't always telling you to stay on that track. We have eleven more months with this card; you don't want to play the same five hands all the time, even though they feel "safe." Honestly, there's always another game to be played in a few minutes--don't worry that you aren't winning every hand, that's just not how this game is. Once in a while (or maybe ALL the time, if you're feeling adventurous) you need to step out of your comfort zone.

I want to share an adventure I had yesterday, another "tale from the table" that might encourage you to push the boundaries and try a new hand. 

I had the usual mix of tiles after the deal:

                                   F 146 223578 9 N D 

Craks definitely looked like the most likely thing to pursue; I had one Red dragon already, as well as a Flower. Who knew what else might show up.

By the end of the Charleston, my hand was a little more "red":

                                    F 27 22344578 6 D

Unfortunately, it wasn't a perfect fit for any hand, yet: I was missing key components for all the hands I was considering. I didn't have 1's to try for CR1.1; I didn't have five consecutive numbers, period, to try for CR2.1; I only had two non-consecutive pairs and a single dragon toward CR5.1; I didn't have a 6 to go for E7, the "2468" hand that I call "Fay Wray"--most importantly, I didn't have any jokers to really get any of these hands started (including the obvious CR7.1)!

The only plan was to see what came in, ideally lots more craks and some additional Flowers, dragons, and jokers! 

Well, by the end of the second wall, I did get more crak number tiles, but I was still no-go on the Flowers, dragons, and jokers. I was looking at 

                                    F 2 2234456789 D

I never stopped hoping for a joker, but I recognized that I had nine tiles toward SP7 (seven consecutive pairs in one suit). When I drew a 7 crak, I knew it was time to discard the 9 crak and see how close I could get: I had 10 of 14 tiles, including three of the pairs. 

Additional Flowers and jokers never surfaced, and I couldn't even exchange for a joker; I got rid of the dragon, first (what was a single dragon going to do for me?) but bit by bit, I had amassed the second 3 crak and 6 crak. The hand was actually coming in!

                                    F 223344566778 

One of Bubbe's sayings, especially when asked about the physical unhealthiness of such a sedentary game, is, "Being on call for a Singles and Pairs hand is the most aerobic activity you can get at the mah jongg table!"

It sure is! I pulled an 8 crak, and suddenly I was one tile away--my heart was racing! Two turns later, I actually picked the 5 crak myself, for a $1.00 hand!

This is where today's title comes in. If you don't ask, you don't get. If you don't try for a tough hand, you aren't going to make it. Especially if you play more than three or four hands a session, you can expect to lose several times and still come out with a victory or two. Take a stab at a harder hand, you might just end up winning!! 

I love to hear about your games, too. Please email me at bubbefischer@gmail.com with questions and comments.

Talk to you soon!

 

Bubbe