Last night in Back to Basics with Jillian, I shared that I’ve been feeling a little stuck in my own game. I keep reaching for the same few sections of the card, even though I know there’s more there to work with.
Maybe you’ve felt that, too. You’re playing regularly, but you keep finding yourself making the same choices.
We talked about so much last night, but these are three things I’d love for you to take to your next game.
💡 Three things to try at your next table
01. Give an unfamiliar part of the card some attention.
Jillian walked us through how studying the different ways a hand can be built helps you recognize patterns. Pick one line you usually skip and lay it out with your tiles. Check the numbers, suit relationships and parenthetical against your card, then try another allowed variation.
02. Let the tiles coming in change what you see.
During the Charleston, work the new tiles into your rack before deciding they belong in your next pass. Jillian and Alicia have both helped me with this. Rearranging can reveal a connection you missed when those tiles were sitting off to the side.
03. Practice one thing at a time.
You don’t have to apply every tip from a class in your very next game. Choose one thing to notice or do differently, and give yourself a chance to get comfortable with it.
🔥 Let’s put it into practice
If you were with us last night, our next class together is where we’ll work through those decisions with real racks. And if you missed Back to Basics, you can still join us.
FEATURED CLASS · OCTOBER 5
Advanced Strategy with Exercises · Lara + Jillian
Monday, October 5 · 7 p.m. ET · 90 minutes
You’ll make the call, then we’ll talk through the reasoning: what an exposure tells you, whether to keep building a hand, and when a pivot makes sense.
Two more classes to help with the parts of your game that feel tricky:
OCTOBER 1
Thursday, October 1 · 7 p.m. ET · 60 minutes
Work through seven ways a hand can stall, with a one-page “stuck menu” to keep beside your rack.
OCTOBER 4
Sunday, October 4 · 4 p.m. ET · 60 minutes
Practice making passing decisions, reading what comes back and recognizing when to stop. Useful at your weekly table, too.
Each class is $75 on Zoom. Can’t make it live? You’re welcome to register for the replay. The recording and class resources are sent within 48 hours of the session.
🀄 A little practice between games
We also talked about finding ways to practice that you actually enjoy. My free I Love Mahj practice guide is a place to start if you’d like help practicing online.
Try I Love Mahj free for three weeks
New to I Love Mahj? Use my affiliate link to try it free for three weeks, or enter code LARASMAHJONGEDIT when you sign up.
Your daily Mini Mahj invitation
And another little invitation to join my free Mini Mahj Daily group! It’s a short daily challenge you can play in your browser, and we can compare how we did. Keep your NMJL card handy as you play.
💙 Keep learning with us
If you’d love a regular place to practice, ask questions and get to know other players, I’d love to welcome you into Confidence Club. Bring the hand that stumped you or the little win you’re excited about. We’re there to keep learning together.
One small challenge for this week
This week, notice one decision that makes you pause. Afterward, think about what you saw and why you made that choice. There’s something to learn even when the game doesn’t end in mahjong.
Lara
P.S. Which part of your game feels most stuck right now? Hit reply and tell me. I’d love to know what you’re working on.