Important complex shapes (part-1)
We continue this week with xKime’s translation of Puyo’s blogs. This time we also have professional input from JPML’s Garthe Nelson, adding to the depth of the conversation. Hopefully some of these issues will bring some good conversation to the forums as well.
From: http://blog.jpmahjong.net/read.php/506.htm
In the last article we mentioned incomplete sets (taatsu), that were easily distinguishable simple shapes. This time we will explain complex shapes.
1. 4556 shape
A very common mistake seen in beginners is that they treat this shape as “a 456 run + a lone 5”,and they discard this 5 prematurely.
In reality, this should be treated as two 45+56 open ended waits, it can accept a 3, 4, 6 and 7, and there is also a chance for a double-run (iipeikou). This is a very valuable shape in reach mahjong. Whenever I get this shape in my hand, it is hard for even me to discard it.
2. 4567 shape
For the same reason, you must look at the shape like 45+67 open waits. This shape has a lot of evolution: you can draw 5 or 6 and form 1 meld+open wait, draw 3 or 8 and make a three sided wait, or draw 4 or 7 to have 1 pair+1 meld. Its value isn’t any lower than that of the 4556 shape.
3. 4456 shape
This is 1 pair+ a 56 open ended wait, so it can use quite a few tiles, however since it doesn’t have that many opportunities to be completed, it isn’t exactly the best open ended wait, its value falls a little short to the shapes mentioned before, however, it is still considered a good shape.
4. 3567 shape
This is a shape that even intermediate players forget sometimes. In the same way, we can think of this shape as two 35+67 shapes. It can connect with 1,2,3,4,5,8: six types, among them, drawing 1,5,8 leaves us with a gut-shot wait, so its value is lower than that of 4456.
5. 4445 shape
If you have played mahjong you are probably familiar with this shape, this is the most common three sided wait ready shape. But when the hand is at a point where it’s not yet ready, the value of this shape is trivial.
This shape can’t give you two melds, at most you can get 1 pair+ 1 meld. What you must remember is, what you need to go out is 4 melds, and you only require 1 pair (head), therefore your need for melds is far higher than your need for pairs. In reality, when your hand has too many pairs, the 5 in this shape is in many cases a useless tile.
From Garthe: Both 4556 and 4567 are shapes whose value it may take some time to fully appreciate. It is counter intuitive for most players to look at these as more valuable than end wait or closed wait incomplete set (taatsu) because after all, that 89 shape only needs one more tile to become a finished run whereas these 4 tile groups are going to need 2 more tiles. The key is indeed to think of them as two open ended waits rather than a completed group plus a loner. Thus in many situations, even most perhaps, I will discard especially end waits first and keep these later, even when it actually takes my hand further from ready.
For example, let’s say I have 124556 in my hand. I often discard the 2 and 1, keeping the 5. Why? Well, if I keep the 12 I’m only ecstatic if I later draw the 3 (4 possible tiles) and I’m disappointed if I draw the 46 or 7(10 possible tiles). Of course, I’m much happier with the open ended waits I get from drawing any of 467. And I’m not even really disappointed if I do draw the 3 later as there’s a good chance I’ve increased the value of my hand by adding Peace and Simples as hand points. I may have slowed the hand down a bit but not without benefit.
Finally, the open ended waits make the hand much more reachable than it would be if the final taatsu wait is on something like a 12 side-wait. And never forget, we play REACH mahjong. We want to Reach!!!
