Shiratori-pro's Advice on 1-Away Hands

I’ve started reading Shiratori’s book on push-fold decisions. It’s almost as if he’s written it to chastise me. Right from chapter one he starts describing mahjong crimes that I am definitely guilty of.

The initial core concept Shiratori introduces is to not push those 1-away (i-shanten) hands harder than you should into a riichi. I’ll admit; I like pushing hard against someone’s riichi especially if I can feel I’m close.

Let’s take a look at his example…

East One, the dealer declares riichi with the following discard pool.

The dora is 伍 and your hand is looking like this.

I can hold my position by either throwing the (7) dots or the 7 bamboo. However, either of those options makes me a loser. :(

Shiratori’s reasoning is clear, though. There is a dora in this hand but both wait options are sub-optimal and both of my discard options to maintain my position of being one away from ready results in me throwing a dangerous tile. I’ve got an easy option to fold with the 9 bamboos and that should be my choice.

I think most of us KNOW this. Implementing it in the heat of a game is another matter, especially when you WANT to win. I think that’s where the key to push/fold decisions lies — Self-control. (Something I’m rarely accused of)

So I went back through some recent replays to see if I could catch myself doing exactly this.

This tile is obscenely dangerous and totally unnecessary. I’m pushing a hand with only one yaku. I can feel my mindset at the time that I want to start a table strong but instead what I’ve done is demonstrated that I will push nothing against a dealer riichi.

Hopefully, identifying it in my prior play will mean I can avoid it in future theory. Or that’s the hope…

Anyway, if you do speak Japanese and enjoy this kind of thing:　トッププロが教える 最強の麻雀押し引き理論　(ISBN: 978-4801303126)