There are three things I say to students about the Charleston constantly - and most of the time they don’t believe me!
There's no perfect pass. We all see the same rack differently. And there's always a pass you wish you didn't have to make.
They often think because I’m the teacher, I know exactly the right perfect pass to make every single time - but in reality, we all see it differently and have different risk tolerances. So let’s play out a hand with me and see if you agree, or disagree - remember: there’s no right answer!
Here's what we're dealt
2 bam, 4 bam. 1 crak, 7 crak, 8 crak. 1 dot, 1 dot, 4 dot, 8 dot, 8 dot. West, West, South. And a green dragon.
First thing, I sort by suit. I like my dragons over on the right-hand side along with my winds, because it's just easier for me to see the patterns that way. Some people place their dragons with the suit they belong to, but I like to see them separately as most hands do not use dragons and those that do might need matching OR opposite dragons.
No flowers - bummer.
The tiles in these pictures are the Gemma set from Oh My Mahjong and they’re one of my favorite sets for beginners. That one's an affiliate link, so if you buy a set through it I make a small commission and it costs you nothing extra and you can use LARASMAHJONGEDIT for 10% off.
Now, what's actually here. Three 1s, sitting in only two suits. Three 8s, also in two suits. Two 4s. And one lonely 2.
I am naturally drawn to evens - my brain will usually see that section more than any other!
There's not gonna be a great answer here - and it’s only the first pass - so I want to keep my options open as best as possible. I see options in evens and any like numbers - so we’ll lean into that.
For Any Like Number - I’m keeping my 1s and 8s and Dragon
For Evens - Going to keep the 2s, 4s and 8s and Wests (East and West are used in evens, North and South for Odds).
That leaves me with some odd balls out - but not 3 of them unfortunately.
First right
Something has to go, so I'm just gonna have to be brave and pass the 7 crak, the South and a 1 dot.
The 7 crak is easy, it touches nothing. The South is a lone wind with no partner. The third one hurts, because I'm breaking into my own 1s to find it. It's not my favorite pass, but it'll be fine.
Back comes a 4 dot, a North, and a 1 bam.
The North does nothing for us. But that 1 matters more than it looks, because now we have 1s in all three suits.
Six passes to go, and this is where it stops being tidy. If you're not a paid subscriber and you want to come along, that's what the button below is for. I also offer tons of free content on Instagram and you can find me at @larasmahjongedit.