Dude, where's the strategy?
Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 5:45 pm
Dear fellow players, there is one thing which makes my head ache when I think about it. That's why I write. I hope people are willing to share their impressions or maybe solutions which make them enjoy their game, especially when they play on Tenhou.
I like to play Riichi and usually I like to play it at Tenhou (open lobby) since I rarely have the opportunity to play live with other players. I chose Riichi as my favourite game (or did it choose me?) and I'm trying to be serious about it. I grasp every little information I can get a hold of and I'm an avid listener of reachmahong.com's podcasts. What I like about Riichi is the fact that there's quite a good portion of strategy involved. At least this is what you can read everywhere and what Garthe and Jenn tell us at their podcasts when they talk about their adventure of being a pro on the JPML. There would be no "what would you discard" quizzes and articles on "discard reading" if it weren't like that. So far so good.
Thanks to the gods of mahjong I climbed up the ladder on Tenhou's dan ranking up to 2nd dan. And that's where the trouble started... It might have been there before, but I didn't recognize it. Now, that I've gotten a little more experienced (don't get me wrong, I'm not thinking that I'm a good player) I feel that there is a serious lack of strategy in most games I come across. In most games I've played the last weeks it boils down to the strategy of "going for it" - and I'm not talking about beginners. It's folks with all kinds of ranks and dans. Seldom I see players folding their hand when they recognize that they are too far from Tenpai (5 to 6 tiles, some centre waits). Also rare are people folding their hand when a reach stick is on the table or when there is a serious threat of a open half/full flush. There seems to be no risk to high to not take it. When I watch the replays of my games I check people's hands. The moment the "reach button" appears they loose their intelligence and act like trained apes who were told to hit the flashing button. There's no self questioning of "what do I have in my hand" or "what am I going against".
The first time I really realized this phenomenon was as I paid the tenpai penalty to the three people in my game. Not in just one game. In one game after another and another and so on. It might be that I'm acting too defensive but I rather pay 1.000 points (or 1500 points or 3000 points) than playing in a 12.000 points dealer hand. Watching the replays I see people keeping up their tenpai hands worth 1.000 or 2.000 points. Is it really worth it? Maybe they are so experienced that they can read any single discard on the board and exactly know that they don't have to fear anyone? I don't know.
Another example are flushes/half flushes. It takes quite some hits before people realize that playing into them definitley hurts. But like I say, at the beginning you don't scare anyone away with that tactics.
I play for more experience, fun, advancing on the Tenhou ranks - that's my motivation. But to face this kind of play makes me sick. Maybe it's my fault of not being good enough to cope with these kinds of situations or maybe it's Tenhou's structure which favors "risk lovers".
What do you guys think? I really appreciate any comments on this.
I like to play Riichi and usually I like to play it at Tenhou (open lobby) since I rarely have the opportunity to play live with other players. I chose Riichi as my favourite game (or did it choose me?) and I'm trying to be serious about it. I grasp every little information I can get a hold of and I'm an avid listener of reachmahong.com's podcasts. What I like about Riichi is the fact that there's quite a good portion of strategy involved. At least this is what you can read everywhere and what Garthe and Jenn tell us at their podcasts when they talk about their adventure of being a pro on the JPML. There would be no "what would you discard" quizzes and articles on "discard reading" if it weren't like that. So far so good.
Thanks to the gods of mahjong I climbed up the ladder on Tenhou's dan ranking up to 2nd dan. And that's where the trouble started... It might have been there before, but I didn't recognize it. Now, that I've gotten a little more experienced (don't get me wrong, I'm not thinking that I'm a good player) I feel that there is a serious lack of strategy in most games I come across. In most games I've played the last weeks it boils down to the strategy of "going for it" - and I'm not talking about beginners. It's folks with all kinds of ranks and dans. Seldom I see players folding their hand when they recognize that they are too far from Tenpai (5 to 6 tiles, some centre waits). Also rare are people folding their hand when a reach stick is on the table or when there is a serious threat of a open half/full flush. There seems to be no risk to high to not take it. When I watch the replays of my games I check people's hands. The moment the "reach button" appears they loose their intelligence and act like trained apes who were told to hit the flashing button. There's no self questioning of "what do I have in my hand" or "what am I going against".
The first time I really realized this phenomenon was as I paid the tenpai penalty to the three people in my game. Not in just one game. In one game after another and another and so on. It might be that I'm acting too defensive but I rather pay 1.000 points (or 1500 points or 3000 points) than playing in a 12.000 points dealer hand. Watching the replays I see people keeping up their tenpai hands worth 1.000 or 2.000 points. Is it really worth it? Maybe they are so experienced that they can read any single discard on the board and exactly know that they don't have to fear anyone? I don't know.
Another example are flushes/half flushes. It takes quite some hits before people realize that playing into them definitley hurts. But like I say, at the beginning you don't scare anyone away with that tactics.
I play for more experience, fun, advancing on the Tenhou ranks - that's my motivation. But to face this kind of play makes me sick. Maybe it's my fault of not being good enough to cope with these kinds of situations or maybe it's Tenhou's structure which favors "risk lovers".
What do you guys think? I really appreciate any comments on this.
But losing is part of the game and to play riichi means also to deal with defeats. But it's really not about one or the other game, it's more about the whole thing. And of course I would like to say that there are also people playing in the open lobby which really know how to play - just in case somebody gets the impression through my post that on Tenhou's open lobby skill is absent. 
Cats always think they know best!
