An ancient and traditional Chinese game, Jah Jong has gone global in many forms. There are Chinese, Japanese, and even American versions of the rules. The game, no matter which way you play, involves a little luck, some skill, and a dash of intelligence. In fact, the name actually means the game of a hundred intelligences. The game, traditionally, has been used as a gambling game in China.

Usually, Mah Jong is played by four people, however; it may be played by as few as two or as many as five people. In a full game of Mah Jong, there are 16 hands played. They are played in four rounds. Each round is named after a direction: east first, then south, then west, and finally north. Each of the players actually as a direction or wind corresponding with the order they play. The first player, or east, is determined by a roll of the dice.

The next part of Mah Jong game rules and procedures explained is to build the wall. This is done by arranging the tiles in stacks. There are 18 stacks formed once the tiles have been mixed well. The stack is broken and tiles are handed out among all of the players so that each player ends up with 13 tiles. The rest of the tiles will stay in the middle and are known as the wall.

Maj Jong game rules and procedures next include each player discarding tiles and drawing from the wall. The idea is to get 4 sets and a pair of tiles. A set is a sequence of three in a row of the same suit, known as a CHOW (like a mini straight flush in poker). You can also get three of a kind, or PUNG. Finally, four of a kind is also a set and is known as a KONG. Once a player has gotten four sets and one pair, the game ends. If nobody wins and the wall is gone, there is ad raw. There are many scoring variations depending on where you are playing and with whom you are playing.

There are a number of mah jong rules that have been formulated for international competition. There are world championships held around the world. Not only is it now a gambling game, but also an international sport. The international rules were used for the first time in 2002, which is when the first World Championship tournament was played. This new set of rules combines traditional scoring with many of the modern elements that have formed through the years.

Mah Jong is a game that is sweeping the world. Though simple, its tradition reaches far into Chinese history as a gambling game. Today, though, the game is played to gamble, for fun, and for sport. With the development of world tournaments, the game of mah jong has become global and a part of popular world culture. So pick up some tiles and be part of the movement. Sit down at that table and you will be addicted to the skill, intelligence, and luck of it in a matter of just a few hands.