Hi, friends. Welcome to the Life with Loverly podcast. I’m Brittany, a wife, mom, and lifestyle entrepreneur here to help you discover your best daily style and encourage you to try new things when getting dressed each day. I took a tiny following on social media and turned it into a community of over one million amazing women, and I am so glad you’re here. I’ll be sharing my heart with you beyond the 15 seconds on Instagram, so we’ll be diving into things like personal growth, friendships, motherhood, marriage, and of course, the business of blogging. Really, this space is here to serve as your go-to resource to building a life you adore while sprinkling some kindness to others along the way. Grab an iced coffee and let’s do life together. I’m Brittany, and this is the Life With Loverly podcast. Hi, friends. Welcome back to the Life With Loverly Podcast. Our guest is an absolute delight and a Dallas powerhouse, Molly Hardy, better known as Mahjong Molly. She is one of the fastest rising Mahjong educators on Instagram with over 68,000 followers, and she’s transforming the ancient tile game into colorful, contagious moments of joy and strategy. She even came down to Athens a day early to give my team and me a personal lesson on Mahjong. I can’t tell you how much I’ve already learned from her, and I can’t wait to share it all with you. Today, we’re chatting about what Mahjong really is behind the tiles and rules, how the Mahjong line’s vibrant tiles completely changed Molly’s teaching, and how to turn a mom group into a thriving teaching business. And of course, she’s teaching us Mahjong strategy, like what to do with flowers and dragons, how jokers change the game, and her favorite line from the 2025 card. So grab your iced coffee, cozy up, and get ready to be charmed, inspired, and maybe even learn a tile or two. Here’s my conversation with Molly. Hi, friends. I’ve been using Redmond Relight for a few years now, and it’s still a part of my daily routine. It’s an electrolyte mix made with real salt from an ancient underground sea in Utah, packed with 65 trace minerals. No weird additives, just clean, effective hydration. The mango flavor is my go-to. It’s super refreshing and not too sweet. Whether I’m working out or just getting through a busy day, it helps me stay balanced and energized. They’ve also got other really great products. I love their real salt for cooking. It adds so much flavor and you can actually feel good about using it. Right now, you can use code Loverly20 for 20% off. I’ll leave all links to shop in the show notes. Hi, friends. Thank you so much for coming back to the Life with Loverly podcast. Today, I have a very exciting guest, Mahjong Molly. Hi, Molly. How are you?

I’m good. Thanks for having me.

Okay. So one thing that our listeners might not know is that you actually came to my house last night and taught our team how to play Mahjong, which was truly so much fun. We had a blast. Last night after everybody left, Chris was also there and he was playing with us. And we were just like, “That was so much fun.” So thank you for coming and teaching us. Oh my gosh.

Thanks for having me. The girls, your team, and your husband and you were all so wonderful. And you guys picked it up really quickly and just being able to play games and practice practice, that was so fun.

I agree. And I guess it was about a year ago this time of the year is when I learned how to play Mahjong. And I took a class with some girlfriends, but I just felt so out of sorts. And I didn’t learn American Mahjong first. So there was a little bit of differences. So I even feel like last night there were tips you were saying that I was like, “Oh, I didn’t realize that.” Or that certain ways we were cutting the lines and dealing. And there was just so many tips that even people who had been playing for a while could pick up on.

Yes. And that’s what I tell people, I’m like, “Even if you’ve had a lesson or two, always say yes if someone’s inviting you to a lesson because A, it’s good practice. And B, you’ll pick up on something that you didn’t know before. And you can also try a different section.” There’s just so many layers that every time you learn something new, and even as a teacher, I’ll walk away from a group being like, “Oh wow, that one player had a really good strategy that I hadn’t though of yet.” And so always being a learner is definitely part of the game.

Mahjong. I love it. It was such a great team. Outing. Lots of giggles. Yeah. And now even this morning here, the girls were like, “Okay, so how can we keep this going?” Yes.

When are you free?

I know.

Yes. I know you’re going to walk into the office and they’re just going to be playing mahjong and you’re going to be like –

And honestly, I’m going to be like, “Put me in, coach.” I can’t wait.

I know.

Okay. So for those who are listening who aren’t familiar with mahjong, can you explain it just at a high level?

Absolutely. So American Mahjong comes from Chinese Mahjong, which is a game that is hundreds of years old. And as the game started coming to America in the early 1900s, Americans were playing and playing and playing and kind of realizing even from China, there’s different roles, whether you’re from Hong Kong, Shanghai, lots of rich culture there. And so a man named Joseph Babcock actually decided to create a game to sell in department stores that was called Mahjong. And so that started selling, and then there were American rules, and then the national card was written. And so that’s kind of where a line that was created of Chinese Mahjong and American Mahjong. And so it’s a tile game, and you play typically with four people, and you are trying to match your tiles to one line on the card, and the first one to do it wins. So that is a high level explanation.

Yes, I love it. And so with the cards, they come out every year. And the new card is released.

That’s right. So 2025, late March, early April. And so it kind of keeps things fresh because after you play for a while, if you’re playing weekly even, I would say around December is kind of when the itch comes of like, “Okay, I’ve really played this card a lot. How can we switch it up?” And then it’s kind of good timing and you get this new card. And again, the structure’s really the same. The bones are the same, but different lines within, different patterns, we call them. The card goes from navy to red, alternates navy red, navy red on the outside. So those are some good facts to know. And it’s just fun to get it. And I rip it open and I just scan it for new lines. I’m like, “Oh my gosh, what’s new? What did keep? Oh no, my favorite line’s gone.” Or, “Oh, I like this line now.” So it’s fun.

It’s interesting because a friend of mine is learning from a 2023 card because that’s all that they had. And so I was kind of like, “Well, let me see what is on this card that’s different than what we’ve been playing.”

Yes. And I always tell people, keep your cards. Yeah. And there’s women who play with cards from the 80s, the 90s. That’s so cool. I think people like to go on Etsy and get the year they were born, that card. What was going on when I was born in the Mahjong world? And to always keep your cards. And people tend to always love the card they learned on.

Yeah. That’s like the first one-

Yes, like this group last night will always be like, “Oh, I love that 2020 card.”

I know. Well, it’s funny because there’s some things that are not on the 2025 card that I’m like, “Man, why can’t there be a news line with odds?”

Everywhere. A news line everywhere.

Yeah. But I’m sure there’s some strategy behind it that I don’t even understand yet. And so I feel like it’ll be exciting to see what are the other options coming.

Absolutely. I know that’s part of the fun. And I think if you’re like that, then you’re a real Mahjong player.

Yeah.

So, welcome.

Okay. Okay. Okay. So before we get into your best tips and strategies, can you share a little bit about your background before you discovered Mahjong?

So I grew up in Dallas, Texas, and I went to school at Wake Forest. Go Demondegon for all y’all listening. And was an education major, taught in Charlotte, North Carolina for a few years. Little kindergarten, first grade. Moved back to Dallas, decided to get my master’s from SMU in reading, and continued to teach there. Got married, had children. And after my first was born, I stayed home and was tutoring kind of on the side. And she started a new school. Some moms invited me to learn a game called Mahjong. And so I went and learned from women who had been playing for a very long time. We actually went to my friend’s temple because American Mahjong has deep roots in the Jewish community. And my friend Erin invited us. And while the lesson was great, the whole time I was learning, I did feel very overwhelmed and confused, but I loved it. And so a group of us just played and played, and probably we played incorrectly quite a bit. And I realized there wasn’t anyone out there in the form that I was looking for sharing how to play.

Right.

There were some YouTubers. Michelle Frizzell has great YouTube stuff. I was looking for a little bit more quick, short Instagram videos. And so I realized that was not out there. And I started to kind of casually teach neighbors, families, friends. And then I joined with the Mahjong line, which is a wonderful Dallas-based company, which we can get into later too about this burst of Mahjong. Joined their ambassador program, which I’m still a part of, and started bringing the Mahjong line tiles with me in Dallas. And they would recommend my name, and then neighbors would just recommend my name. And so it just started to grow very organically, just teaching this really fun game and COVID and people were loving it and staying home. And so I decided to start an Instagram and just kind of was like, “Let’s see where this goes and it’s going to be an education format.” And so that grew quickly just from putting out there what people were curious about. Something as simple as where can I use a joker? I was like, “I’m going to make a really quick reel about this so you can just pull it up. It’s there.” And so it’s been really unexpected in my life, but it’s been really rewarding and fun. My husband, my kids, all my family just support me to no ends. And so it’s just been a really wonderful way to take what I already know how to do, which is teaching. I took something really complicated and I broke it down and then my name started kind of circulating as she’s explaining this game in a really approachable way.

Totally. I absolutely felt that last night. You could tell that you have a passion for teaching. And then the way you were just explaining and even the way you set up the board so that we could understand and moving a few tiles to create a line and just showing everybody how it was done. I think you said it was like scaffolding. You’re going to build onto it. You’re top of it. And it truly, it was like we learned one layer and then we learned the next layer. But all of those things were important stepping stones.

There’s so much information. There’s no need just to just put it on everybody because then I look around and eyes are glazing over and I’m like, “Ooh, okay, I lost you. I lost you real quick.” And so just over the years, being able to kind of fine tune when to introduce what. And in a beginner lesson, I don’t teach everything.

Yeah.

I mean, it’s kind of impossible. You must continue, like I said, building on scaffolding and just practicing and practicing and being patient. People want to know everything about everything.

Right.

And it’s a good life lesson of just like, I’m going to teach you most of it, but then our next lesson you’ll learn even more.

Yeah.

And that’s a great way to learn.

Yeah, I know. I told Chris, I was like, okay, when’s she coming back? We got to do this again.

I’ll be here. I’m ready. I love your group.

So when did you play for the first time?

I played around 2017. That’s when I learned and just kind of played for probably around two, three years just with that group after we would drop off. And that’s kind of when I was like, “Well, maybe I could teach my family and let me try this way of teaching.” So that’s kind of how that started.

And then starting teaching, what were your feelings around that? Were you like, “What am I getting into?”

What am I getting into? Well, it kind of was a perfect partnership with the Mahjong line because they’re based in Dallas, Kate and Annie started a tile line, for those of you don’t know, called the Mahjong line. And there’s kind of Mahjong before Mahjong line and after Mahjong line is really what I’ve kind of this past year is kind of how I’m phrasing it. So before Mahjong Line, Mahjong’s great. We loved it. Everybody loved it. It’s a wonderful game. Tiles were white. They’re great. They’re a little bit small. Post Mahjong line is bright and colorful, bigger, more high design.

Yeah.

And so when I was just casually teaching, it was on traditional tiles. It was great. And then when the Mahjong line started and I started maybe taking it more seriously, I guess you could say, we were both kind of starting and it was so nice because somebody might reach out to them and say, “Hey, I want to learn.” And they’d be like, “Well, we have these teachers in all these cities.” And at that point it was really mostly Dallas. And so I would say, “Yeah, I’ll go teach that group.” They would give my name out and then I would bring their tiles. And so that really helped my teaching for sure. Mahjong line boom, COVID boom, I will say too, helped the teaching. And there were a lot of people who I would go to a store or library and be like, “Look at these fun tiles. I’m a Mahjong teacher.” And they would kind of be like, “I don’t know.” And so I really realized, okay, I have to make an Instagram of me teaching. And like-

Right.

What is it? You have to show your client what are you going to have? And this is what you’re going to have. You’re going to have a fun night with fun people. We’re all sitting at a table and we’re learning this fun game on these bright, beautiful Mahjong line tiles. And so that was something I had to learn almost more from a business point of view, which I’ve had to learn how to be a business person quickly as a teacher. And so I think that is just a good lesson for me of like, okay, I want to teach, but these people couldn’t see what it was. And so that’s kind of when I started making little flyers with the photos of the tiles. And that’s kind of how the teaching started to snowball.

Right.

Word of mouth, people buying tiles. And then people would come over and say, “What are these?”

Oh, I want to learn. Yes. And I mean, it’s such a fun girls’ night or date night. Get everybody together. Eat some apps before.

Exactly. Exactly. Have a drink.

And make a night out of it.

Yes, absolutely. Yes. And I always love a night game. I also love a morning coffee game.

Yes.

And people are a little bit more like – not as fried from the day.

Yeah. Well, it’s funny. I was joking. So my best friend lives next door and her and her husband, the four of us play Mahjong together several nights a week, I would say.

Love it. Love it.

And we kind of joke that this was a great season of my life to learn Mahjong being pregnant. So I’m not drinking.

Oh, I know.

Because you got to really focus. I know. And it’s hard to play if alcohol is involved.

For sure. And I know. And I feel like the better player you are, you could –

Totally.

You could increase your martini take. But those first few games-

You’re like, “What is happening? It’s so interesting.What did that person just do?”

And you got to put your phone down, which I love. I just did a little Instagram about phones and Mahjong. And it’s like, of course you’re going to have a call about your kid’s school, of course. But I think sometimes I’ll see in between turns, people are on their phone and they’re like, “What was that? What was that discard?” I’m like, “If we can unplug just for 45 minutes, we can do it.” And it’s a great way to show your kids, let’s play Mahjong. This is a no phone zone, unplugging and focusing.

I agree. It’s so true. But then you can quickly spend three hours playing Mahjong.

Oh yeah.

The time goes by so quickly.

Because you want one more game.

Right. Oh my goodness. The amount of times that Chris and I’ll be playing and I’m like, okay, hold on. Now we both just won two. This going to be the final one.

And you want to win once. I’m always like, if I don’t win, I’m like, let’s play one more. And then as soon as I win, I’m like,

Okay, I’m good.

Yeah, I’m ready.

Exactly. It’s so true. Yeah. Okay. I want to go into gameplay and how to. So how would you recommend beginners approaching building their firsthand?

That’s agreat question. I have an image of a camera lens in my brain when I’m playing with beginners. Because that card, I mean, there’s a lot on the card. Even just visually looking at it, it’s a lot of lines, a lot of hands. A lot of sections, a lot of colors. And so there’s different types of learners. And so for visual learners, that is good, but that could also feel overwhelming. And so I’m like, okay, let’s take a step back. And maybe we just think of two sections. And it can be any two, but I always recommend evens odds because that’s a good yin and yang. And so I tell a beginner, “Okay, just look at your tiles. What do you have?” And hopefully they’ll say, “Oh, I do have evens. I do have odds.” I’m like, “Okay, great.” So for the whole Charleston, just think of that section. The Charleston is the passing of the tiles. And so just keeping like, okay, evens odds. And then as you get more pieces of your puzzle, then you can kind of think, okay, three lines that I am thinking of. And then as you’re drawing and discarding, okay, now I’m between these two. And then eventually that one clicks. And I tell beginners that one might click really early, which is great. And you’re just like, “I am loving this game. I’m good. I’m a good player.” And then there’s times where you are halfway through tiles and it’s like, “I literally don’t know what I’m looking for.” And we’ve all been there. Yeah. I know. And so I just say to a beginner though, we’re not talking expert. I’m like, “But keep your path. Finish the game with that so that you can…” Because what you’re doing, even though you might not be winning, you’re learning the rhythm of the game.

Totally.

You’re learning the ins and outs, the joker swapping, whose wall’s going out. You’re still learning a ton even if you’re not winning and knowing what you’re going for.

Totally.

Yes.

Well, and that was a tip you gave us last night. And it was so helpful just for a starting point or teaching some of our friends who have wanted to learn. And Chris and I’ll be like, “Let’s just start playing and we’ll help you.” But then to be like, “Okay, let’s just only look at these sections of the card.This can be very overwhelming. Let’s not even go there yet.”

It’s like going to the Cheesecake Factory and they’re like, “here’s a binder for your menu.” And you’re like, “I don’t even know.”

Three things on all of these pages sound good. Can you just decide for me?

Yes. Just take one section of the menu and that’s a good way to approach mine.

Yeah. So true. What is the most common mistake new players make?

Piggybacking on what we were just talking about, going too specific too soon, and then those lines with pairs and singles. It feels opposite. You’re like, “Pairs and singles would be easy.” And you don’t really grasp that, I would say, until you’ve played one or two games. Because you’re like, “Oh, I have to draw that.” And that is luck of what you’re drawing. And so beginners tend to just love those little lines with just the little singles and the pairs. And I’m usually the bear of bad news when I come behind and I’m like, “Oh, I wouldn’t go for that.” They’re like, “Why not?” And I’m like, “Oh, there’s no jokers.”

Unless you start with that, it’s kind of hard to add onto it or you’re just really waiting for luck.

A ton. And yeah, you’re just kind of praying. You pull that one dot and then you look out and they’re all out there. You have to change your whole line.

Yes. I know. I mean, that happened to Chris last night. He was really like, “I’m going to pull this.” No. And then he for 20 minutes was just playing a dead line.

Yes, I know. I loved his enthusiasm to commit. And I would never deter someone from trying that out because you also have to learn. You got to figure it out. And so both rounds, he called early and I was here for it. And then when I would come back, he would look at me and just be like, “Give me these eyes. I Can’t do it.” I’m like, “Oh, sorry.”

I know. And going on such specific calls where it’s like there’s not anything else on the board you can switch to.

Right. Yep.

But you got to learn and that’s like –

I’ll be interested in the next few rounds y’all play. I’d like to hear if he changes his strategy. I would just be curious.

Right. Well, one thing that we had been doing was playing with the blanks, which after talking with you last night, some people I guess use the blanks as a wild card where you could trade. But historically, the blanks are in the set in case you lose one of them and you can draw on it.

Exactly. Make a little sticker, grab a Sharpie. I know. So I would call myself a Mahjong purist. And so just for those of you listening who are like, “What are blanks?” Or for those of you listening who are like, “I love blanks.” So a blank is included. And by a blank, we just mean a tile with nothing on it. And those are included in sets, and they always have been included in sets. For if I lose a one dot, I can get a little sharpie and write one and draw a dot so that my set is still complete without having to buy another set. And there’s things in Mahjong called house rules, and house rules are great. People love to do fun things when they’re at their house with the game, and I’m totally for it. And so people like to use blanks as a way to get a tile out of the center that’s already been discarded and put it back in the rack. And the biggest takeaway I would have about blanks is don’t learn with them. Play with them in your house. Have fun. I think it’s so important for our. This is the new generation of Mahjong. It’s been around for hundreds of years. So let’s kind of stick the course, let’s learn the real game, and then incorporate fun house rules. I one time heard somebody say something really fun and kind of silly they do is after they’ve been playing a while, then they’re like, okay, do the Charleston. And then you stand up and you change seats. And you have to sit at someone else’s rack and be like, okay, I got to get in this person’s brain-

Mindset.

Which is a really good way to learn the car.

That’s actually fun.

I know. And so there’s of course different things to do. There’s ways to play it, how you want to play it. But I think as far as blanks go and house rules, it’s just important to learn the right way and then you can kind of go your course.

Yeah. So last night Chris was like, “We are taking the blanks out of all of the sets. We are now going to learn the real way.”

Yes. And I was explaining to him and he started tracking. I was like, so people are like, “Well, why don’t you like blanks?” I mean, people are like, “You are no fun.” And I’m like, “I am fun.” But the reason I don’t like blanks is, and I’m probably speaking for a lot of the Mahjong community out there is if I’m playing and I’m really trying to up my defensive play or how can I become a better player? And if I am trying to discard tiles that I know people need and they’re not ready to call for, or if I know you need a pair and you’re not ready to win, I’m going to discard that nine crack. So you’re kind of sweating. So if I discard that nine crack and then later you get a blank, you’re just going to pick it up anyway.

Right.

And so I feel a little defeated as a player in my defensive world. And so that’s kind of where that comes from.

Totally. Well, and I felt like last night not playing blinks, I could see a little bit more on the defense. And there were even more tiles that I was like, “Okay, hold on. We might need to shift this line because a few of those are already out and we have no way of getting them now.”

Yes. I know. I heard y’all talking about those one band.

Yeah. Those bird bands. I know. We were like, “Well, good. Now we can’t go for that.”

That is a huge. If Mahjong is a pie, that is a huge piece.

Totally.

And if you have blanks, that piece is gone.

Yeah.

And so let’s keep all the pieces of the traditional thing.

I agree. I agree. So we will be switching back to play properly. I like that. That’s good. Is there a secret or underrated strategy that more people should know about?

I think I talk a lot about backup lines and I share what backup lines are specifically. So I would just say always having those in your pocket of, as a player, we tend to start to go for the same lines, which I do it too. I’m always like, “I have my favorite lines.” And just always knowing, okay, if this doesn’t work, you can think of the friends show Ross screaming pivot with the couch in the hallway, pivot. In your mind, you’re like, “Okay, this isn’t working.” And so a strategy to help that is don’t call too soon.Because as we know, when you call and you expose, you’re pretty locked in.

Yeah.

That group of three can’t be a four. And so if you’re not really, really sure, waiting to call is a good strategy. And then also having that line. Because if you wait to call and you pivot, then you’ll feel like, okay, I’m glad I kind of waited a little bit. And that’s always a good strategy. A really great one for new players, beginners. I tell them, if you’re not going to need flowers, discarding those kind of early is good because people tend to collect those toward the end for a pair, which you can call to win with a pair. So discard early flowers, that’s a great beginner first dipping a toe into strategy. This year’s card is a little hard because there are lines that every wind can be used as a single and every number tile and dragging can be used as a single. So there’s really truly no safe, safe, safe discard out there because somebody can mage with it at the end. Totally. So you just have to have that also in your brain.

That’s a good tip about the flowers, discarding those early. I feel like those were always something I would hold onto. But playing with blanks, somebody could pick it up. So I feel like some of these shifts, I’m like, “Ooh, actually I like that strategy.” And kind of giving yourself permission. I know I’m not going to need this, but I actually don’t need to hold onto it.

Yes. And I think we all do that. We all hold onto tiles. Or last night I went behind a group of your girls and they had some fours and sevens and sixes. And it was like, “That’s okay. You’re not going to be able to use every single thing you have, but it’s hard to let go.”

I know because it’s like, “Well, what? I haven’t committed to a line, but I could pull those fours back for the backup of the backup line.”

Yes. Absolutely. And so I would say difference between. So beginners, we hold onto those tiles, and that is great. My intermediate and advanced players are learning more of, okay, during the Charleston, separate those pairs and just kind of flush them out that way if you know you’re not going to use them.

I agree.

And so that’s a good way to up your game as well. For sure.

How do jokers change the game?

Jokers, we love the jokers. So your set comes with 10, play with eight. And if you have jokers, you want to use them. There’s nothing worse. Chris last night was having to discard so many jokers. Because he was going for pairs. So if I have jokers, I really, really am like, okay, what lines have groups of three and more? Yeah. Go to Quince. When you win a quince line, it’s always like everyone’s like, “Whoa.” It’s like aggressive. I don’t think I’ve ever done – Yeah, try it. It’s great this year. Okay. It’s a great section this year. And so I love jokers. I mean, I say jokers have more than one life because as we know, you can put them on top, joker swap. I mean, they could honestly have three lives. Use it. It’s Someone else gets it and uses it, and then someone else gets it later on. I mean, it’s amazing. Jokers make the game go round always.

I agree. Yes. And I also think that people forget to watch what’s already laid down. There’s so many times I’ve been playing with friends and they will discard what they could have given to the line for the jokers. And I’m always like, oh my goodness, no. So I guess a question would be, let’s say you’ve got seven bam with a joker in the middle and I pull a seven bam and I am just like, don’t need it and I lay it down. Can I then, if a few seconds later I’m like, oh wait, can I pick it up and trade it? Or once it’s late, it’s dead? So there’s kind of two ways to answer that.

And whenever that happens, it’s like the gas heard around the world and the table. No.

I’ll tell people, I’m like, no. You got to pay attention.

So I would say beginners, I always am like, okay, you actually don’t want to discard that. Let’s pick it up. Let’s rewind. I always, as a teacher, always rewind. And that’s what I say. I say, rewind, pick that up. And they’ll pick it up and I’ll give them actually a second. Evie last night discarded. And I said, okay, wait, pick that up. And I kind of had her hold it for a second and she was looking at me like, why? And then I was like, look around and she handed over the joker. And so as a teacher at those beginning lessons, or if you know how to play and you’re teaching your friends, give them a break.

Totally.

But the real hard rule is once that is discarded, it’s dead. No one’s going to call it and get it. And a lot of people are like, oh, what a bummer. However, there’s also this kind of third mini road where a player might be doing that because they don’t want that joker anyway. They’re kind of getting close and they really just need a payer so they’re not going to get that joker.

Right. It doesn’t actually help them.

Right.

That’s so true. But it sort of always seems like, wait, you’re missing this huge opportunity. I

Know. And I’ve done that with a group of players who were not rewinding. We were playing seriously. And the sweat that happens when you do that, you realize it after the next person is gone and you just are like, yeah, you’re just kind of crumbling inside.

I know. I totally get that.

We’ve all been there.

Or it’s like, wow, that just changed the trajectory of this game.

Yeah, you’re like, now I’m going to lose.

Yeah, exactly. That’s so funny. What should players do with flowers and dragons?

So flowers and dragons, we love those tiles because when you’re looking at the card, if you’re in a section, scan for Fs and the D if you have those, don’t be scared. People I think are more friendly with flowers when you’re a beginner player.That doesn’t seem as intimidating. The dragons can seem hard because they’re part of a suit, so they are going to be changing colors on the card. Winds and flowers don’t change colors because they’re not a suit. And so new players, if they’re feeling like, oh, goodbye, I’ll be like, that’s fine, just this card. We don’t have to focus. But as you get to be better, if you’re in the odds and you’ve got dragons, scan and try to. My phrase is use what you have. I have dragons, I have flowers, I have odds. Okay, where can I fit in? It’s like you’re doing a puzzle and you have lost the lid, so you don’t know the picture. And so you’re doing this puzzle and then all of a sudden you’re like, it kind of comes into focus. And so don’t be afraid to use those dragons. And when we’re making the grouping 2025, that soap is neutral, that white dragon. So if you’ve got a soap and twos and fives, be looking in 2025 and trying to use what you have.

That’s so true. Okay. Is there a timeframe that is appropriate? Let’s say we’ve cut the deck, everybody’s got their tiles on their rack before you start the Charleston trying to get organized.Because I feel like that can be like, I don’t know what I’m going for. And then sometimes it feels like you just need to start the Charleston, start giving. And then after the Charleston is over, what is an appropriate amount of time to feel out your line, look at what line you want to go for without it being like, okay, let’s hurry this along.

Right, right. When can you figure out your Mahjong path? I think beginners, I always am just like, dive into the Charleston, just dive in. That’s where I see people get hung up the most is that first pass. And I told someone last night, I said, “Just pass. And that first pass usually can kind of set you on your path.”

Totally.

Because there are times where you are looking and you have nothing or you think you have nothing. There’s always something there if you can think kind of broad. And so I would say pass once, pass twice, and then kind of figure out your path if it’s not super clear. And then I mean, no one knows what’s going on in the rack in front of you. And so you could play a whole game and have really no plan and no one has to know. So true. You’re just like, “I really don’t know what I’m going for. Someone wins.” I dump my tiles really quick. I’m like, “Y’all don’t even want to know what I was having in here. I didn’t have anything.” And so I think early on, figuring it out is always great, always feeling good. And then there are games where truly it’s like that third wall comes out and I’m like, “I am still not sure.” But then sometimes I’ll win. Even as a teacher, I’m playing four, eight games at a time as I’m teaching in my head. And I’ll pass by someone. I’m like, “Oh man, she is not going to win.” And then next thing I know, she’s the winner. It’s just a good lesson. It is not over until it’s over. Truly over.

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So it’s in New Orleans. And that is actually where I participated in my first major tournament. I did that one year in March and it was Maji Grah. So it was March. That’s so fun. So I went to New Orleans and the tournament was over many days, like two or three days. And you stay at the hotel and you’re just playing, playing, playing. My eyes at night were going to cross applesauce. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Get your dreams. Yes. And that was playing with women who had been playing for decades, decades. And I wanted to participate in that tournament so that I could start running tournaments in Dallas and elsewhere. I’ve done them really all over. And so this one in New Orleans, I’m working with an Episcopal church, Trinity Episcopal. And we are raising funds for their community program, which is wonderful. Big part of Mahjong when events like this are happening is that charitable aspect. Finding organizations that people care about and using money from the Mahjong tickets to contribute. And so it’s in November, and it’s not going to be three days, it will just be three rounds. So one round is four games. So we’re going to rotate. It’s going to be a great way for people to meet people from all over. It’s sold out in days. So crazy. Almost 300 tickets are sold out. That’s amazing. We have a waitlist of like 200. So dream big.

Seriously.

Maybe my next one I’ll be able to fit more people in a big room. And so I’m excited. It’ll be fun. And people who are going, they either know me actually or they’ve been a follower for a long time. And so I think they feel comfortable coming. No one’s going to be unkind. Everyone will be gracious. We will follow rules though. You can follow rules and be nice about rules. For sure. I’m excited.

That’s going to be so cool. And then next time you can host one in Dallas or all over.

I’ve done some in Charlotte, Dallas, Oklahoma. I’ve done them.

We need to have you come back to Athens. We opened up a question box last night, which we’re going to get to a few of those questions in just a second. But somebody was like, “You should host some of your followers. You should do something where you could invite followers to learn how to play.” It’s so fun. The whole weekend. Right?

I know. That would be so fun.

Man, we could just make a.

I know.

I mean, I love a good start of an idea.

I know. Let’s get it going. Let’s get it going. I think that’s great. I know. I think it’s endless opportunities to do things.

Totally. What would you say that Mahjong has given you personally beyond just the game?

Yeah, I think that’s a great question. I think it’s given me a sense of purpose because mom’s working. And I truly thought when I had started having children, I was like, “I might not work or I might tutor kids after school.” And this has just been such a gift because I have felt like I’ve been able to give back to my community in ways that I didn’t really expect. And that can look like a lot of things. That can just be me going over to someone’s house who might want to be meeting friends. And so she invites some new friends over and that’s me helping that. Or it can be on a bigger scale where we’re raising money for a big organization that helps underprivileged children in our community. And then something else that has kind of taken shape, which is fun, is it’s a partnership with the Mahjong line that I’m training teachers. And so Kate Nanny and I, we’ve traveled a lot together. And I think over dinner a few years ago, Kate was like, “The way you’re teaching is really great. I think you should be training teachers.” And I was like, “I think that is a great idea. I need to do more though first.” And so I wanted to do it all. So I started doing the tournaments and just that was very life-giving and I felt really good about that and I wanted to do all these things. And so we partnered up and I traveled to a few cities. I went to Florida. Where was I in Florida? Tampa and Pensacola, Greenwich, DC. And by training teachers, we were also getting teachers for the Mahjong line, which we call ambassadors. They’re teachers and they represent the company. When they go out into the field. And so that has been something where I’m like, wow, that’s something I am good at too. I’m good at helping teachers start teaching and starting their business. Right. That’s a role that I have stepped into and I’ve really enjoyed it. And the feedback’s been really great. And it’s been nice because as the Mahjong line grows, we want a lot of teachers, but we also really want those teachers to know the game, to be in cities that we want to reach with products and grow the community. And totally. That’s been a really fun part of this too.

There’s like so much more to it besides just playing a tile game.

Yeah. The other day, I’ve been doing some live Zooms. And so we had a teacher from Canada and California and New Jersey. I’m like, “This is great.” And people, again, are drawn to the tiles, the bright colors of the Majang line, and they’re drawn to my teaching. And so it’s been a fun thing to be a part of.

Totally. And I also feel like it’s almost like these tiles are having a fashion statement, like a moment. And just there’s so much beauty and different sets that come out that are specific themes. I know. Last night we played with a botanical set. So some of the designs were a little bit more botanical. And that was one of the originals.

Yeah. They started with minimal, botanical and cheeky. And then the botanical that you picked out is so pretty. I love the flowers on the botanical.

I agree.

And I loved it on that kind of seafoamy green mat we had. And now, I mean, I don’t know if you’ve seen the foodie line?

Yes.

The ranch line.

So last night somebody was like, “What is this exact tile?” So then I was on the Mahjong line looking to find that link to send. And there were just so. I was scrolling through all of them and I was like, “Man, the ranch line.” I thought about some of my friends in Texas. I’m like, “This would be perfect for them or this would be perfect for that person.” I know.

So creative. I think Jenna Bush, the ranch slide. And it’s amazing that creativity from Kate and Annie is something that is refreshing and it’s just so cool to see. I’m a teacher, I’m artsy, but creating something like that is like, I’m like, man, that is so cool. The colors. Totally. You’re good with colors. So I’m sure you probably enjoy picking out the tiles and the mats. But even coming here, I was like, “Annie, what matte looks good with this? What do you think?” And we’ve talked it out.

Right.

I’m like, “I just want it to look just right.”

They were perfect. It’s so true. Okay. I want to get into a few of the follower questions that we asked. Opened up a question box yesterday and said if anybody has any questions for Molly, we will ask her those. Okay. Okay. What would be the best way to get started on the Mahjong journey?

Yes, Mahjong journey. So let’s say you live in a city that’s not Dallas where I’m not there or someone on my team can’t teach. You can find a teacher, you can go to the Mahjong line, you can DM me, and we’ll get you set up with a teacher in your area. Hopefully we’re going to be near you. And finding friends to play. And then once you’ve had a lesson, there is a really great website called I Love Maj. And that is a great site to practice playing on. And you can pick your tiles, you can pick botanical. You could go out and pick your pink botanical tiles if you want or play on the ranch line or whatever. I would get your card and I would bring it to your hair appointment. I know that sounds so silly, but I bring it to my hair appointment. Or I went in my car and in carpool, which we all see in carpool. How many hours – All the things. Of your life are you in carpool? And I’ll get it out and I’ll be like, “I want to teach my community some more backup lines.” And so I’ll be looking at it. But for a beginner, “Oh, I’m playing tonight. Let me get some lines in my head so that I’m not scrambling.”

Totally.

And so that’s a good way to start too.

Yeah, that’s great advice. Okay. Can you play with two people? I feel like Chris and I play, but now I’m sort of like, “Are we playing the right way?”

You are. Yes. So two player, it’s called Siamese Mahjong as well. So yes, two player, because during COVID, Will and I played two players all the time. And my daughter and I play two player. Yeah. So for two player, you’ll have two racks. You could even start with one rack if this is feeling overwhelming. Two racks though is the traditional way. You don’t build walls, you just turn them over, mix them up. And so you’re going for two lines at a time. And what this does though, it forces you to know the card like that. I mean, this is a great way to get better, truly. And my biggest tip is going to be don’t do two lines and evens because you’re going to cancel yourself out. So do very different. Do an evens and a wins and dragons or do a 369 and an any like number. And so yes, play with two players. It’s absolutely a blast. Three players, somebody’s not going to show up. You can play with three players. The best way to do that is don’t do the Charleston. Just start. And it actually does work out okay.

Yeah.

So yeah, you can play with anything. And then let’s say people are like, “Well, what if five people come? What if six people come?” I’m like, “Well then have a team.”

Yeah.

That’s what we did last night. I think it’s so great for our brains.

Totally.

And for people who feel a little intimidated to have somebody be like, “Well, what do you think we should go for?” And you can learn that way too.

Right. And I think if you’ve got a beginner playing as a team, and then it allows you to ask some questions without feeling like, “Hold on, I need to hold everybody up.”

Yeah, exactly.

Great.

Yes.

Okay. Why do you think it’s becoming so popular right now when it has existed for such a long time?

So if you are a history person, you can read lots of history books about Mahjong. And so to kind of sum it up, we see if it was a graph, we see peaks and it never goes drastically low. And I’m talking since the 1920s, 30s. So it’s going up, it’s going down, it’s going up, it’s going down. It might’ve gone down during war and then up. And the economy’s great. 2020, two things, COVID and Mahjong Line. That is kind of what blasted this peak. Or it’s not kind of, it is what blasted this peak. Kind of that before and after. And Instagram, I mean, let’s be honest. It’s like getting eyes on things.

Totally.

Yeah.

Well, and now I feel like people are just learning more. Algorithms are starting to push more. People are making more videos. I think there’s more Mahjong satire.

Yeah. Oh, for sure.

And it’s funny. And so then it’s like, but I actually want to learn.

Yes. And I think it’s refreshing, and I’ll just speak for myself. As a mom who wasn’t working full-time, I wasn’t going into an office and I wasn’t really diving in from nine to four. I was diving into my children and pouring into them, which is what I wanted to be doing. I think when I learned, I felt like, hey, I enjoyed sitting at that table. And I sat next to a lawyer and I sat across from a doctor and this person is a retired teacher as well. And making those connections, I think that’s also why women and men are finding something there for them and a way to use your brain. And there is concrete research out there that this is helping our brains fight Alzheimer’s, dementia, creating those new circuits in our brain is o good for us.

Well, Chris and I always say that at night instead of sitting and just doom scrolling, we’ll play Mahjong. And then we’re like, “Well, this is preparing our brains to hopefully not have Alzheimer’s today or whatever.” But you’re just thinking. I guess it’s kind of similar to crosswords or word searches. The way that you would do that from the paper.

Yes. And Ginrummy’s fun, but am I really going all in with my brain?

You have to think. You have to use your brain to play this thing.

I know. And it’s for all ages too, which I like. And kids, we now have those little Maj cards that you can buy. Or what I started doing really early on is we would create our own games. And so my daughter created one where you just collect anything like a gin rummy and you only have seven tiles. And this would be good for your girls. She just tries to collect threes and fours and that’s it. Just kind of creating things. Get your kids in there. Have them build little towers. Learn the tiles.

Totally.

It’s like for all ages.

I know. We’ll play with Collins and Hazel and they will discard for us. And so they’ll be like, “What is this?” And they’ll be like, “Eight, bam.” And then Hazel will set it down, but she yells like, “Eight, bam.” And it’s like – I know it’s bad. Yeah. Every tile is yelling what it is. And she thinks it’s so great, but they feel like they’re playing with us and helping.

Yes. And then when you do introduce the card, whether it’s the Little Maj or the regular card, they’ll already know the tiles. So you’re not like, “here’s the tiles and here’s this.” It’s like they already have a little piece of knowledge, so it’ll be great. And you have a little foursome built in already.

Yeah. Okay. So I would say some questions that I’ve seen, people have asked, “Is there a way to play without committing to buying an expensive set?” The price point feels sometimes like it can be high to invest in all the things that you need.

Absolutely.

How would you suggest a starting point? What is the best way to go about if you want to try, but maybe you’re not in a place to go full on with a full, beautiful set?

Right. I mean, my first set is a very traditional white Amazon set. You could totally do that. What I have found is when somebody buys that set, they love it and they have it. When I bring my Mahjong light set, I do see people up immediately usually. They’re like, “Oh, okay, I’m just going to do this.” So let’s say you don’t want to buy anything. Then I would go to I Love Maj and I would play online. Okay, I’ve had a lesson at a friend’s house. I’m not ready to buy tiles, but I want to play. Okay, I’m going to play online and I’m going to use all the different types of tiles they have. I’m going to use the minimal, then I’m going to use a traditional. Then I’m going to use the ocean line. Then I’ll use a traditional. And then you can ask yourself, okay, what was I really happy with? What brought me joy? What colors? What art? And then pick from there. That would be a really good. It’s like a catalog.

And you kind of have known. You’ve gone online, you’ve played several times, you’re into it.

Yes.

You think this is something you want to commit to.

Yes. Yes. And I would say it’s rare for me to teach someone and they’re like, “I’m never playing again.” It’s like most people, 98%. It’s like, “Yeah, I’m into it.” And that doesn’t mean you have to buy everything all. There’s different personalities. It’s so funny. After a lesson, I’ll have people just. They’ve got everything, the mat, the racks, the tiles. It’s like everything. Get your Mahjong hats. And it’s a personality thing. And then I just have some people where six months later, they’ll email me, “What was that Mahjong line set we played on? I think I’m ready to pop.”

Even thinking about it.

Yeah. So it’s like personality. And if not, just see each one.

Or if you have a friend that has it, then it’s like, y’all can play with that set.

Yes. That’s the good news. Yes.

One set for four people. It’s not like everybody has to have their own sets.

Exactly. One set of tiles, one set of racks.

Totally. I love that. That’s a great.

Yeah.

I am definitely like, “Ooh, I like this one.” And ooh, but those racks are so pretty. Yeah, I’m kind of a maximalist when it comes to the things for Mahjong.

I can see you just opening up your cabinet and being like, “What’s set today everyone?”

But then also I have loved, and I’ve been so thankful. The Mahjong line has gifted me sets. There’s been ones that I’ve bought, but then my friends who are learning and then they don’t have a set, I’m like, “Take this home and play with this.” That’s nice. That’s a great idea. Or learn on this one. We have one that we’re playing with.

Yes, absolutely.

You borrow this.

Yes. Because you want them to be used.

Totally.

If you’re going to buy them and a friend wants to borrow them, you’re almost like, “Yes.”

It’s so true.

Try them.

Some of my girlfriends will be like, “Well, our husbands are golfing and a new golf club costs $400.” And so it feels like this Mahjong line is.

Yes.

This is a good way to weigh it out. And when you bring that to their attention, it’s kind of hard to say no.

Exactly. And truthfully, you might think you’re buying that set like, “I’m going to buy this for me and my friends, but eventually Chris, it is a game and all games are for everybody in the family.”

Totally.

When you buy Monopoly, it’s not like-

This is only mine and don’t touch it. Well, and I think the beautiful thing about some of these sets is you can get the Lucite box with it, and then it becomes a piece that you’re displaying.

Yes, a little pop of purple.

And it looks so beautiful. And so it’s kind of like, okay, this is serving a few purposes. It’s beautiful decor, but then it also is super functional.

For sure. And when I first started it, I didn’t have a set game table and you don’t need to have a set game table. Buy one from Costco or Amazon, keep it folded in your closet. Take it out. We pulled out the card tables last night. Exactly. That’s what we did last night. But once I realized this was going to be my professional, I was like, okay, let me just get a pretty wooden table. And I just leave it out because it’s bright and fun. Totally. And it’s like, why not leave?

And then it’s a conversation starter.

Yes. What’s this?

Yeah. Oh, well here, let me show you. You’re like lucky for you…

I know. Came to the right place.

I’m actually a professional. That’s so funny. Yeah. Okay. So I have one last question that I ask all my guests at the end of our episodes. And that is what is the most meaningful act of kindness that somebody has extended to you that has had a lasting impact on your life?

It’s kind of funny. I don’t even know this person, and maybe she’s listening today. But when I had listened to your podcast and I heard that question, I was like, “Gosh, what would I say?” And when I went to that first tournament in New Orleans, and to be honest, when I walked in, it was a little bit of an err because I just kind of stood out. I was by far the youngest and probably just I hadn’t been to one before. It was very obvious that I was just kind of like, “What am I doing?” And this woman named Penny, who was probably maybe a great-grandmother, she just came right up to me. She had this cute little sweatshirt, bedazzled Mahjong on it. And she was like, “What’s your name?” And I was like, “Molly.” She’s like, “I’m Penny. Is this your first one?” And she just was like, “It’s going to be fun.” And she just told me what to expect and like, “You’re going to do great. Don’t worry.” And I would see her throughout the tournament and she would just check in with me. And she just shared her story about when she was a young mom backpacking through Europe, packing peanut butter sandwiches on a budget. And I’ll just never forget our conversations. And we took a selfie and I have that picture. But what that taught me in the Mahjong world, which is such a big piece of my life, is you don’t know what you don’t know when you go to these things. And so there’s just no need to be like, “That’s a rule. You should know that.” And so I just really try to remember that every time I’m doing something new or when I’m teaching somebody. And I just think that patience has really rubbed off on me, which was so unexpected. I don’t know her. If you’re listening, Penny, DM me. Shout out to Penny. Shout out to Penny. That’s really great. And so that’s kind of what popped into my head. And my community’s been so nice where I live in Dallas. Everyone’s just like, “Molly, you taught Mahjong when I’m at the grocery store.” And I never forget a face. I might forget a name, but I’m always like, “Hey, I know you. Did I teach you Mahjong? Or have you been to an event?” And everyone’s just always welcoming. So it feels good. That’s really

Great. Yeah. And I’m sure it just fills something in you to know you’re helping people, which is amazing. Yeah. Well, this episode has been very informative and very fun. For those of you guys who are listening, I hope that you are encouraged to try out Mahjong. And if nothing else, then to go to ilovemaj.com and get an idea of how to start playing. I’m definitely going to check that out and just see what kind of resource that is because I feel like there’s people who ask all the time like I just want to play by myself or I don’t know, what do I do?

Exactly. And you can have three weeks for free if you enter Molly.

Okay. Okay. I don’t know if I should share that. But yeah enter Molly at checkout. Okay. Well, tell us where our listeners can find you on Instagram.

@Mahjong Molly. Molly’s like, “Thanks mom for the name.”

Seriously. It’s more alliteration there, it’s perfect.

It’s just Majiong Molly. Yeah, it’s easy to find.

Well, when I started back up playing Mahjong earlier this summer, I asked some of the girls that I was with, I was like, “Is there somebody on Instagram who just gives these tips? I feel like I have just a few questions or I want pointers.” And they were all like, “Oh my gosh, Mahjong Molly, she always posts easy videos to consume.” And so then that’s how I found you. And I just feel like it’s so helpful for those who are starting out to play. And then it’s like, “But hold on, I want a little bit more.”

Yeah. And check out all the bubbles I try to save. I try to be organized. But if you went right now to the bubble 2025 car. Word and just watch some of those reels, that would even just be helpful of navigating a two player, three player. So it’s there for you. I work hard so that that can just be a resource for people who have what you said, a quick question or –

Just want to know a little more. Yeah. I find myself being like, “Ooh, that’s good.” I’ll watch a video and then I’m like, “Okay, I’ve got the itch to play again. We need to get going.”

Yes. And my link is my website and I sell a guide that I wrote. It’s just a quick guide. It’s a reference so that when you’re at the table, if you’re like, “How do we deal?” You flip to it and it’s there. And that’s also something that people, if they’re interested and can find.

And Molly so kindly gave Chris and I a guide yesterday. So if you head to Life With Loverly stories, we will be showing you what this is. We were talking about how this would be a great stocking stuff or add-on. So starting to think about those type of giftables. So we will share a closer up look at what that guide is on Life with Loverly stories.

Thank you.

And then of course we’ll leave all these details in the show notes so you can just easily click over and start following Molly on Instagram.

Thank you.

Well, thank you so much for coming to Athens and for teaching us. We all had such a wonderful time and I know that our listeners will definitely learn something from this episode. Well, thank you for having me. All right friends, until next time. Hi friend. If you’re loving the show, will you go find that follow button on your podcast app? This will ensure that you won’t miss a single episode. I love having you in this community. Until next time. This season of Life with Loverly is produced by Elizabeth Evans Media Productions.