>>99550973After declaring riichi, you might sometimes feel that everyone is playing defensively and it’s hard to win. However, if you consider that you are the only one drawing winning tiles from the wall, this is actually an ideal situation for the player who declared riichi.
Continuously declaring riichi can force other players into a defensive mode, making it an effective tactic even against advanced players. Some players might prefer to win quietly without declaring riichi because they think it looks cooler. However, I would argue that winning with a high score after declaring riichi is even cooler! Showing an impressive win is cool, but the coolest thing is indeed taking a big top place. And to achieve that big top place, the score boost from declaring riichi is indispensable.
If you can practice declaring riichi as soon as you are ready to win, you will avoid situations where you might think, If only I had declared riichi, I could have won impressively with a direct draw...
Riichi is one of the first yaku (hand patterns) you learn, yet it is a very powerful yaku that comes with various benefits. It’s like the fastball in baseball or the straight punch in karate; if honed, it can be a decisive move that can win the game on its own.
Remember, when you are ready to win with a closed hand, the first thing to do is declare riichi.
