Mahjong, bridge and canasta lessons at home in Livingston, NJ

Starting a Mahjong table

Mahjong needs four players. You gather the table: friends from the neighborhood, a sister, a couple of women your mother knows from the library or the pool. The pro brings the set and teaches. Mahjong takes a few sessions to learn, so it requires booking at least four visits, which is about how long it takes before a new table can play a full game without stopping every few minutes.

By then, most groups are hooked. Some keep the pro on weekly to keep things moving. Others start rotating houses and book the pro now and then to learn new hands or settle an argument about the rules.

Bridge and Canasta

Bridge also needs four players, and it suits people who like a mental workout. A pro can teach the basics of bidding to beginners or refresh a lapsed player who hasn't played since the kids were small. Canasta is easier to pick up and also needs four, with the same four-visit minimum as Mahjong.

The pro brings the cards and score pads. You bring the table, the chairs and probably something to snack on.

Bridge also rewards a steady weekly game. Players get better faster when they meet at the same time each week, and the pro can track what the table is ready to learn next.

A weekly chess game

Chess on Home Happenings is mostly about having someone to play a real game with each week. Some pros teach, but many people just want a good opponent. For a retired engineer or doctor who used to play at lunch, a weekly game with someone who takes it seriously can be the best hour of the week.

Games can run long. A 1.5 hour visit usually fits one or two.

Some pros will go over the game afterward, showing where a different move would have changed things. Others prefer to just play and talk. Ask in a message which style suits your parent before you book.

Booking and cost

Pros set their own rate between $50 and $150 an hour, with visits of 1, 1.5 or 2 hours. One booking covers the whole table, and many groups split the cost among themselves. A $2.50 booking fee and a 10% service fee come on at checkout, and that's it. Cancelling is free up to 3 days before a visit, which helps when four schedules need to line up. After each visit the pro writes a short note on what the group covered.