All About Skill
Riichi rewards good decisions over the long run. Defense, hand reading, and risk management matter as much as the tiles you draw.
Birmingham, Alabama · The Magic City
Riichi Mahjong in the Magic City
Magic City Mahjong is Birmingham's community for Japanese riichi mahjong — the fast, strategic four-player game of skill, reading, and a little luck. Come pull tiles with us.
Everything happens on Discord · Beginners always welcome · No experience needed
What is Riichi Mahjong?
Riichi is the Japanese variant of mahjong — a tile-based game for four players that blends the tension of poker, the pattern-building of gin rummy, and the calculation of chess. Every hand is a fresh puzzle: build a winning shape, read your opponents, and decide when to push and when to fold.
Quick to Learn
If you can build a run of three or a set of matching tiles, you already understand the core. We'll teach the rest at the table.
Better Together
It's a social game at heart. Four seats, good conversation, and a welcoming table for players of every level.
Where & When We Play
We gather regularly around the Birmingham metro. Meetup times and locations rotate — everything is coordinated on our Discord, where you'll find the current schedule and can RSVP for the next session.
🗓️ Weekly Meetups
Casual games most weeks — a mix of learners and regulars. Drop in for a few hands or stay for the evening.
📍 Around Birmingham
We meet at friendly local spots across the metro. Exact venue is posted with each event in the community chat.
🀄 Everything Provided
Tiles, mats, and scoring help are all on hand. Just bring yourself — and maybe a friend.
New to Riichi?
You do not need to know a single rule to join us. Most of our members learned at the table. Here's how to get comfortable — and a few great resources if you like to prepare.
1
Just Show Up
Tell us you're new when you arrive. We'll seat you with patient players and walk you through your first hands.
2
Learn the Shapes
A hand is four sets and a pair. Once that clicks, everything else is detail we'll fill in as you play.
3
Keep Playing
Riichi opens up fast. Within a few sessions you'll be reading discards and calling your own riichi.
Helpful Resources
- Score Trainer — practice counting han, fu, and payments on real hands. Built for this community; works great on your phone.
- Efficiency Trainer — given a full hand, learn which tile to discard for the best shape.
- Yaku Trainer — a quick quiz: is the hand tenpai, does it have a yaku, and which one?
- LearnRiichi rules & guides — our companion site with the full rules, scoring, and a growing blog.
- Riichi Wiki — the community reference for rules and terminology.
Where to Play Online
Can't make it to a meetup? Riichi has a thriving online scene. These are the three clients our community uses — if you're just starting out, Mahjong Soul is the easiest place to jump in, and it's where most of us play.
Mahjong Soul*
Most popularPolished and fully in English, with tutorials that walk you through your first games. The friendliest on-ramp — and where most of our members play.
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Steam
Has cosmetic gacha (characters & outfits). Free to play; spending is optional.
Play Mahjong SoulRiichi City*
A slick, modern client with English support and generous tutorials — a strong alternative to Mahjong Soul, especially on your phone.
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
Also has cosmetic gacha, and it's app-only — no browser version.
About Riichi CityTenhou
No gachaThe long-running competitive standard, with a serious ranked ladder and a huge player base. No gacha, no frills — but the dated, Japanese-first interface makes it the trickiest of the three to jump into.
- Web
- Windows
Best once you know the basics and want no-nonsense ranked games.
Play TenhouNot into gacha? It's cosmetic-only in Mahjong Soul and Riichi City — but if you'd rather skip it entirely, Tenhou is the pure option.
* Mahjong Soul and Riichi City are anime-themed, and a few character outfits lean risqué — suggestive but not explicit, no nudity. Worth knowing if that's not your thing or you're playing around others.
Join the Table
Everything happens on our Discord — schedules, meetup locations, finding a fourth, rules questions, and just hanging out. It's the one and only place to connect with the club. Hop in and say hello.
discord.gg/Nxy8wtVRdn