marathon mahjong session

i think quite a number of us, especially those who are chinese, have gone through this phase in life. we get a kick out of playing mahjong and sometimes want the session to go on and on. when you are younger, with the stamina on your side and the couldn't care less attitude with regard to your own health, you can really stay the course. we once started playing on a friday evening and ended the session on sunday evening. of course, in between we had toilet and food breaks.

i usually win at mahjong, provided the session is not a long-drawn one. no, it is not because i can play well; it is because of the strategy that i use. i play to 'game', to win. i am not bothered by whether i win big or win small, so long as i win the game. so, i win more than i lose but my winnings are nothing to crow about.

but i cannot concentrate for long. if the game goes on for than three rounds, i will start to become erratic in my play, miss a tile or two and i will end up playing just to finish, with no chance of winning that hand.

i have some close friends who do welcome me to join in their game. these friends are advanced players. they take their game very seriously. they cannot tolerate my frivolous way of playing mahjong.

they are so good at it that they can infer what tiles are needed by the other players. they can infer the contents within the opponents' hands. they can infer which tiles will be held and not discarded by the other players. they can also infer which tiles are likely to be discarded later.
most of the time, their inferences are right.

in my family of four, my wife is the only non-mahjong player.