The REAL History of American Mahjong, Part 2: Opium, Babcock, and “The Red Book” Tile Talk EP 15 episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 4, 2026 · 1H 11M

The REAL History of American Mahjong, Part 2: Opium, Babcock, and “The Red Book” Tile Talk EP 15

from Tile Talk · host Elizabeth, Christina, & Marshall

Send us Fan MailWelcome to the 15th Episode of Tile Talk! We are so excited to continue our American Mahjong History Series. Episode 9 was Part 1, we dive deeper into "Bad Boy Babcock" and how Mahjong stormed into the Amercian scene in the 1920s!Checking in with everyone: Marshall is buying a new house! Elizabeth and Christina played Mahjong at the FSU tailgate!Hayward House drink: Mocktail! Ginger beer, fresh mint, splash of pineapple, and lots of ice! https://haywardhousetlh.com/Blowing in the Wind:We love Dolly! We Dolly and relate her life and spirit to the game of Mahjong!Black Dragon Controversy - Proposed by prominent player and expert Gladys Grad (codified the Siamese Mahjong card), the concept suggests using blank tiles designated as "Black Dragons" to pair specifically with the dot suit - Soaps are just 0s (Christie B, a Greesnsboro Instructor - Sparrow and dragon, breaks it down nicely on Instagam) https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcvszGcOx9_/?igsi=aWdzbTZia2J6M3RlAlso check out Missy Mahjongs post: https://www.missymahjong.com/post/the-black-dragon-mahjong-tileGladys has free stickers for blanks = 156 tiles, east adds four tiles to their wall. Thoughts?!? I think I would try it with Siamese? LOTS of thoughts on MJTI!https://www.facebook.com/groups/MahJonggThatsIt/posts/28677793245172149/Main Topic: The REAL History of American Mahjong, Part 2: Opium, Babcock, and “The Red Book”How did Joseph Babcock aquire, learn, and bring Mahjong back to the states?What were the driving cultural influences of the time?How did he market, sell and produce his first books and sets?How did this shape the game we know and love today?Tile Tips for this Episode feature tips for Charleston domination:filtering them first. The player sitting across from you is statistically the most likely to be chasing the exact same hand family - this weekend Christina and I were sitting across and went for the same hand!Pay close attention to the difference between what they passed you in the First Across (the 2nd pass of the game) versus the Second Across (the 5th pass of the game). Play the courtesy pass accordingly!And that’s a mahjong for today’s Talk Talk! Thank you so much for joining us! Until next time, may your tiles be lucky and your table always welcoming!Love you bye!

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Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the 15th Episode of Tile Talk! We are so excited to continue our American Mahjong History Series. Episode 9 was Part 1, we dive deeper into "Bad Boy Babcock" and how Mahjong stormed into the Amercian scene in the 1920s! Checking in with everyone: Marshall is buying a new house! Elizabeth and Christina played Mahjong at the FSU tailgate!Hayward House drink: Mocktail! Ginger beer, fresh mint, splash of pineapple, and lots of ice! https://haywardhousetlh.com/Blowing i...

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The REAL History of American Mahjong, Part 2: Opium, Babcock, and “The Red Book” Tile Talk EP 15

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This episode was published on September 4, 2026.

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