Group Culture (Article ID 149)

Mah jongg is both a recreational and social game regardless of how the rules are observed. Following are the most common descriptions of group cultures in the mah jongg community:

• Legacy – play by NMJL rules using rules that have been revoked (i.e., picking ahead, playing with futures)
• Casual – play by NMJL rules using leniency (i.e. forgiving mistakes)
• Formal – play by NMJL rules (i.e., no house rules or legacy rules)
• Formal Hybrid – play by NMJL rules along with with house rules to encourage defensive play (i.e. hot wall, cold wall), inflate hand values (i.e., rolling doubles=double value), or add interesting versions (i.e., Atomic); can also include legacy rules
• Competition – play by tournament rules