Surprised you didn't ask me...
The goal is simple, you want to create a winning hand, in the gin
rummy style tradition (easiest way to explain it)
Which means you can use either 3(or 4) (IF you go 4, you have to go
all 4) of the same card, (example: Three North Winds), or go for a
run (sequence) (example: 2, 3, and 4 of dots)
Once you are 1 tile away, you can declare that if you wish, allowing
for more points if you win, but you are then locked in to not being
able to discard any more tiles from your hand, you either use the
opponents discard or your draw, and that's it.
Oh, about the opponent's discards, if his discard will make your
third (or fourth) card, you can take control of it to build your
hand. You can no longer declare at one tile, and those tiles are now
face up.
If you have any specific questions on Mahjong, just ask.
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cparsley1@hotmail.com