The strategy of the closed game has a great deal to do with what type of game the others at the table are playing. You need to remember that the more players who opt for the Open game, the less you have to lose and the more attractive it will be to hold out for a valuable win. If an Open player wins, you can lose only a modest amount, so the odds are on your side to hold out.
During the play of your game, you need to keep in mind that you may want to switch if the Hand you are aiming for fails to materialize, or if the melds or discards of the other players inform you that it is impossible to make. For example, if you are playing for one of the Minor Hands and hold only low-numbered tiles, you may be able to switch to Piccolo 41 Odd if necessary, if you’re holding all high tiles, Grand Odd may be your best chance to win. Becoming familiar with the various patterns and learning to associate the related patterns makes you not only a flexible player, but a winning one as well.
You should also realize that if you try for certain Hands, it may be quite difficult to switch to an Open game on short notice. If you see a key tile in your planned Seven Pairs go into a discard pile across the table, it may be very hard to put together an initial meld which will let you switch to a safer Open game. You should also keep your eye on the trump tile at all times. You need to remember that it is yours if you need it to win. That may make your decision even more difficult though, so you need to look at all the tiles in time to make the switch.
If an opponent picks up many tiles from the player on his left, this is a fair indication that he may be close to winning. Unless you happen to know that he frequently picks up tiles on speculation, you should consider melding to guard against a large loss.
You should also try not to “feed” the player on your right the tiles you think he may need. If he has picked up a high tile from your discard pile and then picks up a second seemingly unrelated high tile from you, you need to be very cautious about feeding him a third tile. If at such a time, you have the option of settling for a lesser win than the one you have set your heart on, in order to not give him a tile you think he needs to win you need to do so.
Try not to discard a tile, which could be added to an existing meld. The player on the right may be one tile away from a Hand and decide to switch to Food for a quick win by drawing your discard and getting rid of his unwanted tile.
By the same toke, if there are melds on the table and you are one away from winning a Hand, you need to consider drawing the discard made from your opponent on your left side, or using a blind draw to take a quick win with a Foot.
Remember that after several turns around the table the chances that another player will win grow each time, and that means that your chances of losing are also increasing. If all four players are closed, the gambling element in this game is at its greatest. Your own personality, as much as the tiles you hold, will dictate whether you go on with the gambler in you, or chicken out and play it safe by melding.