A seven-day notebook for Mahjong Ways: one rule a day on TK999

The first time you open Mahjong Ways it feels like too much is happening at once: tiles dropping, numbers lighting up above the reels, some tiles suddenly turning gold. In reality there are only four rules — ways to win, cascades, the multiplier ladder and gold tiles — plus free spins. This site splits everything into seven days, so here too you'll keep a notebook and learn one rule a day. Real money comes right at the end, once your limits are written down. Remember, this is an unofficial guide; the game runs only in the official lobby, and whatever the game's own help screen says is final.

What kind of slot is Mahjong Ways, and how do I tell it apart from Mahjong Ways 2?

According to PG Soft's game information, Mahjong Ways is a 5-reel, 4-row video slot. Instead of fruit or cards, the reels show mahjong tiles: bamboo, circles, Chinese characters. You don't match along drawn lines; a win forms when the same tile lands on adjacent reels starting from the first reel on the left, whatever row it sits in.

Searching the lobby often brings up two icons: Mahjong Ways and Mahjong Ways 2. They look similar, but the second has a different grid and some different rules. This page covers the first one. After opening, check the name on the loading screen and the rules page in the menu. Applying one game's rules to the other will muddle your whole week's notes.

Days 1 and 2: what should I copy into my notebook when I open the game?

For the first two days, don't touch the spin button. Log in, open the game, then read the rules and paytable from the three-line menu. Write down these five lines:

• Which tiles pay more and which pay less, in your own words from the paytable pictures.
• The smallest amount on the bet menu.
• Where the balance and win boxes are on the screen.
• Which buttons are turbo and auto spin, so you don't switch them on by accident.
• Where the history of past spins sits in the menu.

If the lobby has a demo or free play mode, you can try a few spins there on day two. If not, just read and watch; that does no harm either. If general slot words (reels, bet level, paytable) are unfamiliar, read the slots lesson first.

Day 3: how does the multiplier ladder climb with each cascade?

When a spin wins, the winning tiles are cleared and new tiles drop from above to fill the gaps. This is a cascade. If the new tiles win again, they are cleared again. It keeps going inside the same spin until there is no win.

Four multipliers sit side by side just above the reels. According to PG Soft, the ladder in normal spins is x1, x2, x3, x5: x1 on the first step, x2 on the second step if the first step won, then x3, and x5 from the fourth step on. As soon as a new spin starts, the ladder drops back to x1. So reaching a high multiplier needs several wins in a row in the same spin, and nobody can say when that will happen. If the lobby's version shows different numbers, go by the game's help.

Day 4: when does a gold tile become Wild, and when does nothing happen?

On reels 2, 3 and 4, some ordinary tiles can land in gold. There is one condition: the gold tile has to be part of a win. If it is, it turns into a Wild on the next cascade step. A Wild can stand in for every tile except the Scatter.

Newcomers often think a gold tile always means something. It doesn't. If the gold tile isn't on a winning way, the spin ends and it disappears like any other tile. Your day-four note: "gold + win = Wild on the next step; gold alone = nothing."

Day 5: what actually changes in free spins?

According to PG Soft, three Scatters anywhere on the reels start 12 free spins, and each extra Scatter adds 2 more. During free spins the ladder above the reels becomes x2, x4, x6, x10, and the feature can be triggered again inside free spins. Cascade and gold tile rules stay the same.

Understand one more thing today: this in-game feature is not the same as "free spins" given as a lobby promotion. Promotional spins have their own terms — which games they work on, when they expire — written on the lobby's promotions page. The difference is explained in the free spins lesson. Also on day five, write your monthly money limit and daily time limit on the last page of your notebook.

Days 6 and 7: what should I check before and after my first real spin?

If your limits are written down, and only if you want to, make a handful of spins at the smallest bet on day six. Decide the number of spins in advance. Press each spin yourself, and wait until every cascade step has stopped — pressing the next spin early means you can't see what each step added.

1. Write your starting balance in the notebook.
2. Stop after the planned number of spins; don't raise the number halfway.
3. Write your ending balance and look at the difference.
4. On day seven, open the history in the menu and compare it with your notes.
5. Ask yourself: did I stay within my limit? Was it fun, or stressful?

If the honest answer to the last question is "stressful", stopping here is a good decision.

Find Mahjong Ways in the lobby

Which mistakes do newcomers keep making in Mahjong Ways?

• Getting excited by the word "win": a few small cascades make the screen sparkle, yet the total can be less than your bet. Watch the balance number.
• Raising the bet hoping the ladder reaches x5: every spin starts again from x1; one spin doesn't affect the next.
• Leaving auto spin on while doing something else: many spins go by in a few minutes and you lose track.
• "Hacks" or signal groups: every result is decided randomly inside the game. People who claim to know in advance usually want your money or login details.

Mahjong Ways questions

Unofficial guide, not the official site. Game numbers come from PG Soft's published game information; whatever the lobby's game help shows is final. 18+ only. Play is entertainment, not a way to earn. Ways to keep limits: responsible play.