Editing Mahjong (section)

===Actual Basic Strategy to Actually Not Suck (as a beginner anyway)===
* Keep your hand closed.
* For dragons and winds, if you have a pair, keep the pair otherwise start your hand by unloading any winds and dragons.  Do not kick yourself if you draw a wind or dragon just after discarding one, it happens, but the probability of drawing the wind or dragon you want is too low for you to build a strategy around.
* Once you're out of winds and dragons, assess where you are on characters, bams, and coins.
* Pairs are good; remember you need at least one pair to complete a hand, although your likelihood of getting 3 of a kind off drawing alone is low.
* Sequences are better (in a closed hand anyway)
* You're more likely to get the outsides of a straight than the middle, that's simple math
* Example: Say you have the 2 of coins, 4 of coins, another 4 of coins, and the 5 of coins.  If you have to dump one of them, dump the 2.  Why?  Because the 2 is only useful if you get the 3, but if you get the 3 then you already have a meld on the 4 and 5, which you can also get from the 6.  If you get the 3 or the 6, then you can dump the other 4.
* If you start with five pairs, you can chance going for a seven pairs win.  Going for it with four pairs probably won't work but with 5 pairs you're only looking for the sixth and then you're in tenpai and can ron to get the last one on a discard.