The MahjPhD RECoRD Method
RECoRD every turn.
Read the rack. Evaluate your options. Commit — or reassess. Then discard.
Why a framework?
Good decisions begin with a good RECoRD.
Most of American Mah Jongg happens between your ears. On every turn you’re working with incomplete information, several possible hands, and a table that keeps changing.
New players often make those decisions by feel — or skip them entirely and discard whatever looks least useful. Experienced players have a process, even if they’ve never put it into words.
RECoRD puts that process into words. It’s a simple, repeatable way to think through each turn, so your discard is the result of a decision rather than a reflex. It’s designed to be used on every turn — not just when you pick your hand at the start.
The four steps
What each letter asks of you.
Read
Read the rack and the table. Before you think about what you want, take stock of what’s actually in front of you — including everything the other three players have shown you.
Ask yourself
- What tiles do I have?
- What has been discarded?
- What have other players exposed?
- What information has changed since my last turn?
Free one-page handout
Get the complete RECoRD Method
See all four steps, the questions to ask yourself on every turn, and tips for putting RECoRD to work, in a printable one-page PDF.
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An honest framework
A way of thinking, not a prediction engine.
A decision framework
- A habit you practice on every turn
- A way to slow down and notice what matters
- A shared language for talking through a hand
- Useful to beginners and experienced players alike
A shortcut to guaranteed wins
- A rigid formula that tells you the “right” tile
- A promise that every hand will come together
- A replacement for experience at the table
- Something you have to do slowly forever — it gets faster with practice
One method, four levels
The same four steps. A new focus at every level.
RECoRD never changes: Read, Evaluate, Commit or Reassess, Discard. What changes from class to class is where you point it and how fast you run it. Each MahjPhD class teaches the full method for its level, with its own one-page handout.
Use all four steps on every turn, one at a time, until the routine becomes habit.
CoRPick a hand, and hold it loosely.
Returning in 2027 → 201 Your own hand MahjPhD 201 · Building Winning HandsTurn the method inward: build, test and refine the best hand your tiles allow.
ECount tiles away for two or three hands.
Dec. 1, 2026 → 301 Reading the table MahjPhD 301 · Strategic Decision MakingLook outward: discards, calls and exposures tell you what everyone else is building.
DAvoid feeding a player who is close.
Coming in 2027 → 401 Quick decisions MahjPhD 401 · Mastering Competitive PlayAll four steps in seconds, at tournament pace, without slowing the table.
EPlan your calls and discards before your turn.
Jan. 6, 2027 →Practice it
Make it a habit.
The next time you play, run through the four steps before every discard: Read, Evaluate, Commit or Reassess, Discard. It will feel slow for a game or two. Then it becomes automatic.
If you can explain why you threw a tile, you used RECoRD.
Learn it in person
RECoRD at the table.
The RECoRD Method is woven into every MahjPhD class and lesson: introduced in 101, then built up level by level through 401, with the full method for each level taught in class.
Questions about RECoRD, or a hand you can’t stop thinking about?
Send it over. Questions are always welcome.
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