When I was learning, there were plenty of resources out there. I could play through a full game. I could run through a Charleston. What I couldn't do was tell whether I was getting any better.
Was I picking the right line? Discarding the right tile? Was I actually "seeing" the hand as it formed? And once I found one, did I have the confidence to keep going after it, instead of changing course to chase something else?
The only way to find out was to nail down a friend who plays well, or pay for coaching. Neither happens every week. So most weeks, I just played, and I stayed six tiles away from Mahjong. Every game.
Playing more wasn't making me better. I needed to know what to practice, and whether it was working.
Full disclosure: we make Bird Bam Mahjong, so we're biased. Here's how to choose either way.
Search "American mahjong app" and you'll get a long scroll of options. Some are tile-matching games that just borrow the name. Some play full games. Some teach. A few try to do everything.
The best one isn't the one with the most stars. It's the one built for what you actually want to get better at.
Start here, because almost every American mahjong app is built mostly for one of three things.
Plenty of players want more than one of these, and that's fine. Just know which one matters most to you right now, because that's what you'll use.
Not sure which camp you're in? If you've played fewer than a handful of games, you're probably learning. If you've been playing a while and still feel stuck, you want practice.
1. Is it American mahjong, with the current card?
American mahjong is played from the NMJL card, and the hands change every year. An app built on a generic or older set of hands will teach you hands you'll never see at your table. Look for the current year's card by name in the description. (New to the card? What Is the NMJL Card? explains how it works.)
2. Does it include the Charleston?
The Charleston is the part of the game new players tell us they're least sure about, and it's distinctly American. If an app skips it or treats it as an afterthought, it's not built for your game.
3. Does it tell you why?
This is the big one. Plenty of apps let you play. Fewer tell you whether a choice was a good one and explain the reasoning, so the lesson sticks. Feedback without the why is just a score.
4. Does it practice the decisions you actually struggle with?
Playing full games is fun. But in a full game, you might face a tricky Charleston pass once, and a hard discard a few times. If you want to get better at one decision, look for a way to practice that decision again and again.
5. Does it work on the device you'll actually use?
Lots of players practice on an iPad, where the tiles are bigger and easier to read. Check that the app is built for your screen, not just stretched to fit it.
6. How does the free part work?
Some apps are free with ads. Some give you a few free games a day. Some give you a set number of free days, then ask you to subscribe. Some charge once. None of these is wrong. Just read the details before you get attached, so the price never comes as a surprise.
No, and a good one won't try.
The table is where the game lives: the laughing, the snacks, the friend who always takes too long to discard. And a good teacher sees things about your game no app can. The right app is what you reach for between games, so you show up to the table a little better each time.
We wrote more about this in Can You Really Learn American Mahjong From an App?. And if you'd rather find more games in person, How to Start a Mahjong Club is the place to begin.
Since we promised to be upfront: Bird Bam Mahjong is built for the second camp, getting better between games. It's not a lesson-by-lesson course, and it doesn't have live games with friends yet.
What it does: it's built on the current NMJL card, it has a game for each of the decisions players tell us they struggle with, and Bammie, your coach, tells you why.
If that's the kind of help you're looking for, we'd love to have you. If it isn't, use the questions above and you'll find the right fit. Want an outside opinion? Tile & Thread's guide to the best American mahjong apps for beginners compares a few, ours included.
Now tell us: what do you want most from a mahjong app? Learning, practicing, or a game when your group can't meet? Share it with us on Instagram at @cheersbirdbam.
Practice the decisions that matter. Bird Bam Mahjong is now on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. Every new player starts with 5 days of full access, free. Download Bird Bam Mahjong and see if it's the right fit for you.