Attempt a Singles & Pairs Hand
YES, YOU CAN go for a Hand in the category of Singles & Pairs (S&P)!! If a player finds related Single tiles and/or Pairs of tiles and collects more of these related tiles during the Charleston, you may choose to challenge yourself and venture to a Hand in the Closed Singles and Pairs category. These Hands are ALL CONCEALED Hands, but each can easily convert to other Hands in other sections on the playing NMJL Card.
Converting Singles & Pairs Hands:
The following are some ideas of how to reconfigure your tiles into other hands on the card if you see your needed Singles and Pairs tiles get discarded during play and you watch your hand literally go south! Is that why the NMJL placed the S&P category on the south easternmost section of the card??
Remember that you may not CALL for tiles during game play while playing a Concealed (Closed) Hand. While playing a Concealed Hand, a player may only CALL for a discarded tile for their final tile to complete their Hand for Mah Jongg!
Changing a Hand from S&P to another Hand on the card during play will also depend upon whether the game is at Beginning, Middle, or End game. Other strategies may be implemented as End game draws near. A player may need to dismantle their Hand (dogging the Hand) if their opponents are close to Mah Jongg. A player may need to switch to playing defensively and discard only safe tiles if their opponent’s have multiple exposures.
Let's get more comfortable with that south easternmost section on the playing card!
The following are some suggestions for you for converting a S&P hand to another section on the playing card:
Creative Conversions of Singles and Pairs to other hands on the playing card:
S&P Hand Can convert to:
W&D #2 (ditch Flowers)
Opp. Dragons)
Odd #7 first Closed Hand
Odd #4 second Hand/ pick up Dragons
Odd # 7 second closed Hand
Consec Run #4
Consec Run #5 first (single suit)
Quints #3 possible first Hand
Odd #5 use odds only
Even #6 (cut Flowers)
Even #4
Even #8 Closed
3 6 9 #3 (ditch Flowers), use 9s
3 6 9 #4 add Flowers, Jokers
3 6 9 #5 (drop Flowers), add Dragons
3 6 9 #6 both Hands
3 6 9 #7 Closed (drop Flowers)
2021 #2
2021 #3 add Flowers
W&D #6 both Hands if pick up Winds
Quints#4 (ditch Flowers) need Jokers
You may be creative and find more Hands to which you can convert your tiles when you set your sights on the bottom right category of the playing card. Why not try it? The payoff is wonderful!
You CAN do this!! You've GOT this!!
Feel free to listen to episode 60 entitled, "Let's Dive Deeper Into The 2021 Card" on the Mah Jongg Mondays podcast for my interview with Fern regarding some Maj playing tips and conversions of Hands from Singles and Pairs.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mah-jongg-mondays-podcast/id1500813737?i=1000519823528