.png)
The Charleston is a beautiful exchange of tiles that is done between players in a round about, yet utterly confusing fashion that happens before actual game play and allows one to build up their existing hand and hopefully end up in a better position than when dealt their initial tiles. There is the potential to swap up to 21 tiles during the Charleston, though it is said that many tiles make their way around the table several times. It’s all done in a 3-step process.
So, you’re about to start the second Charleston (Left-Across-Right) when someone blurts out “I’m stopping the Charleston”. You let out a heavy sigh ‘cause you’re still working on building up to a stronger hand. Unfortunately, there’s not much to do since the National Mah Jongg League allows for anyone to stop the second Charleston without having to explain why. It is optional. And I get it, if you play with someone who constantly stops the Charleston, it may be frustrating.
But let’s get into the why and when we should stop the Charleston. If you are very close to a mahjong and have less than 3 tiles to pass for the second Charleston, then that is a reasonable, and great reason to stop the second Charleston. Consider that when you start the second Charleston, you must pass 3 tiles, so if you decided to go ahead with it, you would be forced to break up your strong hand for a slight chance to get additional useful tiles. You may also be forced to give up a tile you need. You may or may not get your needed tile back. It’s not worth the risk, and you are already a strong contender to win that game.
However, if you choose to stop the Charleston because you are undecided between two or more hands, than I’d say that it’s not the best idea. In theory, you are missing out the chance to build a stronger hand and continuing to play with two weaker hands. And here’s a statistic for you.. you are less likely to win if you stop the second Charleston for this reason. That second Charleston still provides the possibility of 9 new tiles entering your hand, and that’s a lot of tiles to turn down. And yes, I know that many of those tiles circulate around the table more than once but, call me wishful... there’s always that chance that you’ll get a tile you need. I’ve seen it happen many times. And sometimes that one tile that you keep seeing is actually several of the exact same tile. There’s a thought.
And as an added strategy, if you are the one sitting across the person that has opted to stop the Charleston, then you may not want to exchange tiles with them during the last courtesy pass. They’ve already indicated that they may be close to a win, so why take a chance to give them an additional tile they may need. Not a rule, just strategic!
If you are a stats kind of person, then check out the link just below that goes into great detail about all the benefits and repercussions that ensue after your decision to pass or not. Otherwise…take my word for it.
Comments