Thursday (February 12)

Table A

Table B

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Table A, Game 1

Mizuhara

February 12, Table B, Game 1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p10546

In E2-0, Mizuhara is in 3rd place, 5,500 behind 2nd place dealer Nagai and 7,500 behind 1st place Matsumoto.

Mizuhara starts out the hand already iishanten with her first thirteen tiles with four different tiles that could give her the double riichi. Unfortunately, she doesn’t get it. On turn 4, she ups her tile acceptance to six different tiles. At the start of the second row, she makes a triplet of 8p and calls riichi on a 47m ryanmen. Towards the end of the row, she draws the 4m and wins the hand. With an uradora hit, Mizuhara wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Dora 1/Aka 2/Ura 1 for 3,000/6,000.

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Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p10547

In E4-0, Mizuhara is now the dealer has a 3-shanten starting hand this time, holding some good shapes and a red 5p. With every single draw she gets, she gets one step closer. By turn 4, she is tenpai with a 58s yanmen, wanting the 5s for mangan minimum. At the end of the second row, the 8s comes out, giving Mizuhara the win. Though it doesn’t get to mangan with a 5s, she does hit the uradora to get mangan anyways. Mizuhara wins with Riichi/Pinfu/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 12,000 putting her up to 57,000.

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In S1-1, Mizuhara looks to take the two riichi sticks in the pot. She starts with a very favourable hand, holding two dora 7m and a red 5m, all of them secured. Unfortunately, she doesn’t make any progress in the first five turns. Matsumoto, on the other hand, goes from 2-shanten to tenpai on an 8m tanki by the end of the first row. Two turns into the second row, he improves to a 69s nobetan and calls riichi.

Two turns later, Nagai calls a green dragon pon and waits on an 8m kanchan tenpai.

By this point, Mizuhara is iishanten and has two kanchans left to fill. On her next draw, she fills in the 6s kanchan, throws the 5p and calls riichi on a 2p kanchan. Within the go-around, Akutsu discards the 2p and deals into Mizuhara. Mizuhara wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Dora 2/Aka 1 for 8,000+300 plus three riichi sticks, taking her up to 66,800.

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Results

Game 241

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Table B, Game 1

Hisato

February 12, Table B, Game 1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s80_p2970

In E2-0, Hisato is the dealer in 1st place after winning a mangan tsumo the first hand.

Hisato starts out with very strong 3-shanten hand with a pair of green dragons and all three of the red fives. By turn 3, he is at a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten.

To his right, Shimoishi also has a dragon pair. After calling pon on the 2s, he calls pon on the white dragon and gets to tenpai on an 8m kanchan.

Within the go-around, Setokuma gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 36s ryanmen.

At the end of the first row, Hisato calls pon on the green dragon and gets to tenpai on a 47s ryanmen, guaranteed a mangan if he wins. In the middle of the second row, Hisato draws the 4s and wins the hand. Hisato wins with Green Dragon/Aka 3 for 4,000 all.

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Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8553

Moving to E3-0, Hisato starts at 4-shanten with two ryanmens and a red 5p double dora. Hisato advances quite efficiently in the first row. In the first row, Hisato makes 567m sequence, a ryanmen with a red 5s, and a pair of 9s, getting him to a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten on turn 5.

Hisato is advancing well, but Setokuma is actually already tenpai on an 8p anchan, albeit without a yaku. After a few turns waiting and seeing his opponents advance, he calls a tsumogiri riichi at the start of the second row and waits on the 8p.

Being iishanten with so much value, Hisato just keeps pushing. In the middle of the second row, Hisato gets to tenpai and stays dama on a 47p ryanmen. On his next turn, he chooses to call riichi. The delay pays off as Setokuma discards the 7p within the go-around and deals into Hisato. Hisato wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Pinfu/Dora 1/Aka 2 for 12,000 plus a riichi stick.

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Results

Game 242

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Table A, Game 2

Hinata

February 12, Table A, Game 2, E2-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p9043

In E2-2, Hinata is in 2nd place and is 9,400 behind 1st place Nakabayashi.

Hinata starts out with pairs of the red dragon and the yakuhai west, as well as a handful of manzu.On turn 5, she calls pon on the red dragon and declines iishanten, breaking her souzu ryanmen to go for a half flush. A turn later, she gets to iishanten.

As Hinata waits for tenpai, Nakabayashi calls a 6s pon and waits on a 7m kanchan.

In the second row, Hinata calls a 123m chii and gets to tenpai on a 36m ryanmen. On her next draw, she gets the 3m and wins the hand. Hinata wins with Honitsu/Red Dragon/West for 2,000+200/4,000+200, moving into 1st place.

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Nakabayashi

February 12, Table A, Game 2, S3-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p10548

In S3-1, Nakabayashi is in 2nd place, 18,800 behind 1st place Hinata.

Before Nakabayashi even gets his first draw, Shibukawa calls a concealed kan of the green dragon, but the kandora north doesn’t hep anyone. When we do get to Nakabayashi, he fills in a 5m kanchan and gets to 2-shanten. With a red 5p, he has some value. Making flexible sequence shapes, Nakabayashi gets to iishanten by the end of the first row. Two turns into the second row, Nakabayashi gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 36s ryanmen, wanting the 6s to add sanshoku.

Within the go-around, Shibukawa chases with a 7m penchan.

With Nakabayashi having seven winning tiles while Shibukawa has just one, the odds are very much in Nakabayashi’s favour. At the start of the third row, Shibukawa discards the 6s and deals into Nakabayashi. Nakabayashi wins the hand with Riichi/Pinfu/Sanshoku/Dora 1/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 12,000+300 plus a riichi stick, coming within 5,500 of 1st place going into the final hand. .

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Results

Game 243

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Table B, Game 2

Daigo

February 12, Table B, Game 2, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p9541

In E1-0, Daigo starts out the hand at 3-shanten. He has no value and even his north pair isn’t a yakuhai. Within the first few turns, Daigo creates a 36p ryanmen and a north triplet, getting him to iishanten.The first player to tenpai is Date the dealer waiting on a 7p penchan with white dragon as her only yaku. Two turns later, Daigo draws the 3p dora and calls riichi on an 8p kanchan. Though Date tries to avoid it by switching to an 8p/4s shanpon and improving it to a 58p/4s wait, she ends up folding in the third row when she draws a dangerous 6s. Two turns later, Daigo draws the 8p and wins the hand. With the uradora flip, the worthless north triplet ends up being the uradora for a big boost. Daigo wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Dora 1/Ura 3 for 3,000/6,000.

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Results

Game 244

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