Mahjong gains popularity; tourney to help Upper Highland Lakes Nature Center
Diane Danner (left), Ann Stevenson, Linda Vitas and Kay Herring participate in a mahjong tournament at a home in Sherwood Shores.
CONNIE SWINNEY • PICAYUNE STAFF
SHERWOOD SHORES — The phrases “eight bam,” “seven crak” or “two dots” might sound foreign to some, but to people playing the ancient Chinese game of mahjong, those words are part of their vocabulary.
And the game continues to grab new enthusiasts in the Highland Lakes.
“It’s growing. There are probably mahjong games going on every day of the week in the area,” said Susan Stacey, a player who is coordinating auction items for an upcoming fundraiser tournament. “There are 10 different groups. There’s one in Burnet. There are two in Horseshoe Bay. There are several groups in Marble Falls and one in Kingsland.”
Games in the Highland Lakes have become lucrative for nonprofit organizations such as the Highland Lakes Service League, with players dedicating “wall money,” or proceeds, to events and projects.
The second annual Upper Highland Lakes Nature Center Mahjong Tournament is Oct. 15 at the Hidden Falls Golf Club restaurant, 220 Meadowlakes Drive in Meadowlakes. The tournament raised about $3,000 last year for the center.
The proposed center will include a series of interpretive trails within the 1,300-acre Reveille Peak Ranch, located west of Burnet off FM 2341 at 105 CR 114.
“The nature center provides education for children and adults to learn about the native plants in the Hill Country,” Stacey said. “This will be seed money to start that.”
Historians have debated the origins of mahjong with some proclaiming it developed thousands of years ago in Confucius-era China.
Still, others believe the game originated in the 1920s, first gaining popularity in Asian countries and eventually migrating to the West.
The game is played with a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols, but it has the feel of a card game, somewhat like gin rummy.
Under the American version, a league annually sends out a “card” that outlines the hands competitors can use for the year.
The national league started with 32 members and has grown to more than 350,000.
Three different suits numbered one to nine, called simple tiles, are comprised of bamboo (bams), characters (myriads or craks) and circles (dots).
In most variations of the game, players receive 13 tiles and draw and discard tiles until they complete a hand using the 14th drawn tile to form four groups (melds) and a pair (head).
Then, the fun part starts.
Players take turns stealing, or “melding,” tiles from one another, adding to their own scores and pursuing specific combinations with the ultimate goal of obtaining a “mahj” (pronounced modge).
“There are some people that like it better than bridge because you don’t have partners, so you don’t have anybody getting mad at you for playing the wrong card,” player Carol Parker said.
The addictive nature of the game has planted a seed of support for undraising activities and has nurtured a few new groups of common interest.
In Marble Falls, a mahjong club meets 12:30-2 p.m. Mondays in the Faith House at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, 201 RR 1431.
In Horseshoe Bay, the Yacht Club, 1009 Horseshoe Bay Blvd., sponsors a Mahjong Play Day on the last Thursday of the month that starts with an early lesson at 10:30 a.m. Others can join in on an open mahjong play day on Tuesdays at Slick Rock Club House, 1306 Hi Stirrup Drive.
Members of the organized groups often host private mahjong parties.
“We often get lost in our game because we’re having too much fun,” Parker said. “It’s the sisterhood that we get.”
To find out more about participating in upcoming tournaments or to donate auction items to the Oct. 15 fundraiser, call (512) 755-5122 or (830) 798-8464.
connie@thepicayune.com