How did you get into American Mahjong?
I started just last year. I was curious, gave it a shot expecting to be lost—and instead I couldn't stop thinking about it. Between classes at Front Range, it became the thing I actually looked forward to.
← Meet the table
Meet Maddy.
I'm 21 and I just picked up American Mahjong last year—which basically makes me the baby at most tables, and I love that. I'm a student at Front Range right now, heading to CSU next year, and somewhere in the middle of classes and everything else I found this game and got completely hooked. There's something about it that pulls you in fast: you're learning the tiles, figuring out the card, planning a hand—and before you know it a couple of hours have gone by and you're already asking when the next game is.
Honestly, I think mahjong is one of the best-kept secrets for college kids. It's a real break from screens, it's cheap fun, and it drops you at a table with people you'd never cross paths with otherwise—which, when you're new-ish to a town or juggling a full course load, actually means a lot. A year in, I'm still learning something every single game, and I'd tell anyone my age not to write it off as a game for someone else. Pull up a chair. You'll be surprised how quickly it feels like yours.
Across the table
In Maddy's own words.
The best player stories sound like the people telling them.
What do you love most about the game?
It's the perfect mix of thinking hard and hanging out. You're strategizing the whole time, but it never feels like work—you're laughing and talking the entire game. It's the most relaxed my brain gets while still being fully switched on.
What surprised you when you started playing?
How fast it clicked, and how much I'd look forward to it. I also didn't expect to end up at a table with people of all ages who genuinely wanted me there. As a college student, that mix is honestly refreshing.
What would you tell someone nervous about their first lesson?
Just go. Especially if you're my age and think this isn't "for you"—it so is. You don't need to know anything walking in. Everyone was new once, and the table roots for you way more than you'd expect.
What makes a FoCo Mahjong table feel special?
It's welcoming in a way that's kind of rare. Nobody cares that I'm the youngest or the newest—I just get treated like I belong there. For a college student, having a spot like that in Fort Collins is a big deal.
There is room at the tableWrite your own
Write your own
mahjong story.
Start with a beginner lesson, or find your next Fort Collins game.