If you have been on any time of socials lately, you’ve probably come across the dazzling world of Mahjong. A few months ago I started seeing people posting about learning to play this game with the cute little tiles. To be honest with you, I had no idea what the premise was, but I knew it looked cute and that people looked like they had fun when playing. The more and more I saw, the more intrigued I became. I quickly went on a deep dive of all things Mahjong in DFW.
So, if you are like me, and want to enter the magical world of Mahjong – let me lead you down the rabbit hole.
Learn to Play Mahjong in DFW!
First things first, you need to learn to play. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that Mahjong is not something that is easy to learn on your own. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure some people have been successful at it, but it is so much easier to learn from someone else in my opinion. Oh, and let me tell you, most Mahjong apps are not the American Mahjong you are probably seeing everywhere – speaking from experience here. I thought I could download an app and “figure it out”. Ehhhh, I was wrong. Once I realized that I started looking for people who taught Mahjong in DFW and reached out to see if they could come to my house and teach my friends and I how to play.
Call to Mahj
Lonestar Mahj
Mahjong Marmee
Mahj Y’all
So Bam Fun
I ended up booking with Lonestar Mahj, and they were fantastic! Allison and Morgan were kind, easy to work with, and very knowledgable on the world of Mahjong in DFW. They brought everything you needed with them which made it very accessible for even people who barely knew what Mahjong was.
What do I need to play Mahjong?
Okay, now that you are probably obsessed with the game and can’t wait to play again – what now? Invest in a set of your own tiles! In case you weren’t aware, let me warn you, Mahjong is not a cheap hobby to have. When I first saw the prices of what tiles and accessories cost – I definitely had a little bit of sticker shock. I truly had no idea that the price point could be so high. Now that I know how much detail goes into quality tiles, it makes a little bit more sense. Have no fear though, there are some lower priced sets and coupons to take advantage of.
Essentials:
Mahjong tiles
Mahjong racks w/ pushers
*you can get racks that do not have pushers, but pushers make game play easier*
National Mahjong League Card
Nice to have Accessories:
Mahjong mat
Tile shufflers
fun extras:
Mahjong pushers
Mahjong line finder
Mahjong rack bag
Floating Mahjong mat
Mahjong travel tiles
Mahjong travel racks
Where do I buy Mahjong things in DFW?
One of the nice things about living in DFW is that some of the major Mahjong tile brands are based in Dallas! This is a major win because that means you can do store pick up and avoid shipping fees. There are also a lot of boutiques that carry these brands all over DFW so you can go and see the tiles in person.
Something to note when purchasing, there are different sizes of tiles (standard tiles and travel size). There are even varying sizes of standard size tiles – not enough to make much of a difference in play though.
Major Mahjong brands with DFW showroom locations:
Bam Bird Boutique
My Fair Mahjong
Oh My Mahjong
Peace Love Mahjong
The Mahjong Line
Boutiques that carry various mahjong brands:
Hearts Desire
Holidzae Gifts – Plano
Lawrence’s – Fort Worth
Preston Road Pharmacy- University Park
Ralph & Rose – Dallas
River Bleau – Northlake
The Yellow Tulip @ The Painted Tree
Vivi’s Richardson – Richardson
Well Gifted – Fort Worth
We Rock the Spectrum – Hurst
Where to buy mahjong online:
Bam Bird Boutique
HIP HIP Mahjong
Miss Mahjong
My Fair Mahjong
Oh My Mahjong
Peace Love Mahjong
The Mahjong House
The Mahjong Line
West Wind Mahjong
Coupons Codes:
“Shopvip” for 20% off at Well Gifted
“Mahjongmarmee10” for 10% off The Mahjong Line
“Lonestarmahj” for 10% off at Bam Bird Boutique
10% off at My Fair Mahjong when you sign up for their newsletter
Where can I play Mahjong in DFW?
You have your tiles, now it’s time to find other people wanting to play! Aside from gathering up your own friends to play, you have a few different options including but not limited to joining a league, playing at pop-ups, or finding open play opportunities in your community.
I have also found that joining local Facebook groups is a great way of finding opportunities to play locally.
Cheers to the Bird!