Highlights
Yakuman Chance?
December 27, Game 1, E3-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-12_s30_p491
In E3-1, Uchikawa is in 3rd place and just 4,700 from 1st place. He starts out with a 4-shanten with a red dora, though the kanchan and penchan slow down his hand. Drawing an ankou of 6p and a pair of green dragons, he gets his hand to 2-shanten at the end of the first row. On turn 7, he draws an ankou of 5m to get him to iishanten. As he waits, he draws pairs to convert his hand cheap iishanten to a suuankou iishanten, another chance for the first yakuman of the season. Nearing the end of the row, Shiratori gets to tenpai on a 25m, calling riichi. On the ippatsu turn, Uchikawa gets to tenpai as well, staying dama on a green dragon/3p shanpon wait. If he can draw it himself, he would get the first yakuman of the year.
Unfortunately for Uchikawa and yakuman watchers, Shiratori drew the 2m in the 3rd row to end the hand. Shiratori wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Iipeikou/Dora 1 for 2,000+100/4,000+100.
12,000 Exchange
December 27, Game 1
In E4-2, Shiratori is in 3rd place and Takizawa is in 2nd place. Shiratori starts out 4-shanten with no value, while Takizawa is 3-shanten with two dora and the ability to accept the 8s dora. Int he first row, Shiratori draws a pair of easts and both Shiratori and Takizawa are 2-shanten by the end of the row. On turn 7, Shiratori calls pon on the easts and Takizawa makes a useful draw, both of them getting to tenpai. On turn 8, Shiraotri makes a call to get to tenpai on a 36p ryanmen wait and Takizawa calls riichi on a 58s ryanmen wait. On Shiratori’s next draw, he draws the 8s dora. Discarding it, he immediately deals into Takizawa. Takizawa wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Pinfu/Dora 2/Aka 1 for 12,000+600, moving Takizawa to 1st place and Shiratori to 4th place.
In S1-0, Shiratori is the dealer and in last place. Despite the hand being 4-shanten from chiitoi (6-shanten from a standard hand), he does start out with a pair of 5s dora (including the red one). As with every very bad hand, almost every draw got him closer to tenpai, getting to 3-shanten by the end of the 1st row with two ryanmen shape. In the middle of the 2nd row, Shiratori makes a call to get to iishanten. A turn later, Shiratori gets to tenpai on a 8m/5s shanpon and Takizawa waits damaten on a 47m ryanmen wait. In the 3rd row, Takizawa draws and discards the 8m, dealing into Shiratori. Shiratori wins the hand with Tanyao/Dora 2/Aka 1 to take back the 12,000 points he lost the previous hand and to return the two of them to 3rd and 2nd.
Red Dora
December 27, Game 1, S2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-12_s30_p493
In S2-0, Shiratori is in last place and 8,900 behind 3rd. He starts out 3-shanten with a pair of 4s dora for value. The first few turns progressed his hand expensively and quickly, getting an iipeikou and a red 5s on turn 3 for iishanten. On turn 9, he reached tenpai and stayed dama on a 5p kanchan wait. At the end of the row, the dealer Takizawa gets to tenpai as well, waiting on a 67p wait. Even though Takizawa had the superior wait, Shiratori managed to draw the red 5p two turns later to win the hand. Shiratori wins with Tsumo/Iipeikou/Dora 2/Aka 2 for 3,000/6,000 to move him into 2nd place.
Baiman
December 27, Game 2, E1-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-12_s30_p494
In E1-2, Sasaki is weathering the storm named Hori, trying to stop the dealer rampage. He starts out well with a pair of 5s dora (including the red 5s). He speedily gets to iishanten by turn 3 and calls riichi on turn 9 on a 47p ryanmen wait. With the riichi confirming a haneman, he has a chance to stop the dealer turn and make some ground on the leader. In the middle of the 3rd row, Sasaki draws the 4p to win the hand. Revealing one uradora, Sasaki wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 2/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 2,000+200/4,000+200 to come within 1,600 of 1st place.
Quick Chanta
December 27, Game 2, E4-0
In E4-0, Honda is in last place after dealing in two hands in a row. He starts out with two terminal sequences, a pair of green dragons and 1m, as well as some isolated terminals and honours. On turn 2, he progresses easily to iishanten and on turn 3, he gets to tenpai and calls riichi on an 8p kanchan wait. In the middle of the 2nd row, Honda draws his 8p to win the hand. Honda wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Chanta for 2,000/4,000 to come within 2,300 of 3rd place.
Ryanpeikou
December 28, Game 1, E2-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-12_s30_p501
In E2-2, Matsugase is in 2nd place and 1,100 from 1st place, though it is still early in the game. Matsugase starts out with a 4-shanten hand with the obvious value being a potential tanyao. Creating and completing ryanmen shapes, Matsugase gets to iishanten for both chiitoi and a potential ryanpeikou before the end of the row. As Matsugase waits, Ishibashi gets to tenpai and calls riichi on 47m ryanmen wait. In the ippatsu turn, Matsugase gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 58p ryanmen wait, with the 5p giving ryanpeikou. In Matsugase’s riichi turn, Kayamori (who was the first player in M-League to win a ryanpeikou) discards the 5p that was safe against Ishibashi and deals into Matsugase. Matsugase wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Pinfu/Tanyao/Ryanpeikou for 12,000+600, taking a big lead.
Ura San
December 28, Game 1, E4-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-12_s30_p502
In E4-1, Matsugase is in 1st place and holds a 17,800 lead over 2nd place. His haipai is 3-shanten with an isolated 9p dora, not exactly the best hand to move the game along. In the first row, his 9p dora became a pair, he completed a ryanmen and got to iishanten by turn 4. Before the row was finished, Matsugase called riichi on a 9p/3p shanpon. Even with player around him calling left and right, Matsugase quickly draws the 9p to beat them to the rush. Revealing three uradora, Matsugase wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Dora 3/Ura 3 for a surprise 4,000+100/8,000+100 (+2,000 in riichi sticks) baiman, basically guaranteeing his win.
Back-to-Back Haneman
December 28, Game 1
In S1-1, Kayamori is in 3rd place and 2,200 from dropping down to 4th. Starting out 3-shanten with a red 5p and a 1m dora, her hand’s only major option is to go for riichi. As she gets rid of the junk through the first row, she completes some shapes and gets to iishanten by the end of the row. Before the end of the 2nd row, Kayamori gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 36s ryanmen wait (with the 3s giving sanshoku). Within the ippatsu turn, dealer Taro throws the 3s and deals into Kayamori. Kayamori wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Pinfu/Tanyao/Sanshoku/Aka 1 for 12,000+300 (plus one riichi stick) to move into 2nd place.
In S2-0, Kayamori is the dealer and starts out with a very nice 2-shanten hand, having the option for a standard or a chiitoi route. She confirms the standard route on turn 2 and gets to iishanten by turn 3. On turn 7, Kayamori gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 47m ryanmen wait for mangan minimum. At the end of the row, she draws the 7m to win the hand. Revealing one uradora, Kayamori wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 6,000 all, getting to within 5,200 of 1st place.
Not Meant to Be
December 28, Game 2, S1-1
In S1-1, Kobayashi is the dealer in 3rd place, 9,100 behind 2nd place Tojo. He starts out 3-shanten with a hand that is geared straight towards honitsu. With his first few draws, he pairs up the green dragon, draws some more pinzu and gets to iishanten for a Honitsu/Chiitoi on turn 5. On turn 6, he draws a south ankou and on turn 7, he gets to tenpai, stayind dama on a green dragon/8p shanpon wait. If he is able to draw the green dragon himself, it would give him a dealer baiman for 1st place. As Kobayashi waits, Tojo makes progress on her hand. Near the middle of the 2nd row, Tojo gets to tenpai and calls riichi on an 8s kanchan wait. With the riichi stick on the table and no possibility of the other two throwing out his waits, Kobayashi decides to chase and call riichi himself. If he draws either of his waits and gets three uradora, the hand would be upgraded to a sanbaiman.
At the end of the 2nd row, Tojo drew her 8s to win the hand. The uradora indicator revealed the east, which would have made Kobayashi’s south ankou the ura 3 for sanbaiman. Instead, Tojo wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Dora 1 for 1,00+100/2,00+100.
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