Originating in China over 150 years ago, Mahjong is a hugely popular solitaire game. These days, many online casinos offer the Japanese version. Developers such as Playtech have made advancements to the game to create something that’s even more fun and thrilling to play online by the name of Solo Mahjong.
How Solo Mahjong Works
The Playtech version of Solo Mahjong uses 136 playing tiles, which are divided into five suits: three numeric suits and two letter suits. The numeric suits consist of bars, wons, and dots, and they are numbered from one to nine. The letter suits are the winds and dragons.
The tiles numbered one and nine, known as the Edges, along with the letter suits, make up the Honors suit, which is valued higher than sets formed from the middle tiles.
A winning hand consists of 14 tiles arranged in sets, with each tile belonging to a set. The sets include Pong, Kong, Chee, and Pair.
A Pong is made up of three tiles that share the same suit and value.
A Kong consists of four tiles, each with the same suit and value.
A Chee is made up of three tiles of the same suit in sequential order.
A Pair contains two tiles of the same suit and value.
Although a Pair does not contribute to the payout, having at least one Pair is essential for creating a winning hand.
How to play
The Playtech version of the game may seem a bit complicated at first, but it’s relatively simple to play. Each player is dealt 13 tiles, which are already organized into suits. You will also receive a 14th tile called the Dora. This tile is not part of your hand, but if you have any symbols that match the Dora, you will receive a bonus.
At the top of the screen, there are 24 face-down tiles. Your objective is to choose one of these tiles to create a winning hand. You have a maximum of three attempts to draw a winning tile. If you manage to draw a winning tile, the computer will calculate your score and pay out your winnings. However, if you do not find a winning tile within three tries, you will lose your wager.