Playing mahjong, which is sometimes described as ametaphor of real life, needs a mix of strategies andluck. Typically in China,it also involves placing largeor small bets.A century ago,it was mainly a pastimefor wealthy people,but today it is considered agame of the people. When it was first introduced to the U.S.A. in the 1920s,a craze ofmahjong ensued The best way to learn playing mahjong is to sit with friends and ask them toplay a demonstration game: ask them to turn their pieces upwards and watch what everybodyis doing.