Mahjong (or Mah-jong or Mah-jongg) is a 4 player game that originated in China in the 19th Century (contrary to popular claims that it is far older). It seems there are almost as many variations as there are players. Although many of the tiles have Chinese characters on them, you don’t have to be able to read any Chinese to play the game, with the exception of knowing the numbers 1-9 and West, South, East and North in the unlikely event you are using tiles that don’t have Western letters imprinted on them.
BASIC EQUIPMENT
A complete set of Mahjong consists of 144 tiles. Originally they were made from bone or ivory, often dovetailed with bamboo backsides, but modern sets are usually plastic. The tiles are comprised of:
• 36 Circle tiles in 4 sets of 9 tiles numbered 1- 9. These are often called Dots. The picture on each shows the appropriate number of circles.
• 36 Character tiles in 4 sets of 9 tiles numbered 1- 9. These are also called Craks for short, or Numbers. The picture on each shows the Chinese character for the number represented and the Chinese character for “Thousand,” and usually a translated Arabic number in the corner. Note that these are the only tiles that contain only numbers and Chinese characters.
• 36 Bamboo tiles in 4 sets of 9 tiles numbered 1- 9. The picture on each shows the appropriate number of bamboo sticks, which often look more like bones, except for One Bamboo which acts as a maker’s mark (similar to the Ace of Spades in cards) and is usually denoted by a sparrow (the English translation of “mah jong”) or a rice-bird instead of a bamboo.
• 16 Wind tiles - 4 tiles for each of the 4 winds. Each has a Chinese character for that direction and usually the first letter of the English word for the direction it represents (North, South, West or East) in the corner.
• 12 Dragon tiles - 4 Red Dragons (called Chung, meaning “center”) denoted by a red Chinese character or dragon, 4 Green Dragons (called Fa, meaning “prosperity”) denoted by a green Chinese character or dragon and 4 White Dragons which are traditionally denoted by a completely blank tile. However, some sets denote the White Dragon with a small “P” which stands for “Po,” meaning white or pure, and some players use a tile with a blue border for the White Dragon. Some players call these Colors instead of Dragons, which is actually more accurate.
• 4 Flower tiles - The Flowers are optional; they are not used for making sets but instead give bonus points when drawn. They each show a picture of a flower and usually numbered 1-4, and these numbers relate to the player’s seat placement. 1 is East Wind, 2 is South, 3 is West and 4 is North. The depiction of the flowers varies hugely between sets (and can get kind of abstract), but they represent, in order: plumb, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo. They don’t look like any of the other tiles except a beginner could possibly confuse them with One Bamboo.
• 4 Season tiles - The Seasons are also optional; they usually show a picture of something seemingly random and are usually numbered 1-4 and labeled, in order: “Spr”, “Sum”, “Aut” and “Win,” which are abbreviations for the four calendar seasons. Spring is the season of East Wind, Summer is South, Autumn is West and Winter is North. The Seasons are used the same as the Flower tiles and are only used if the Flower tiles are used. Some players choose not to use the Flower and Season tiles because they provide easy points.
Specific tiles are grouped together in scoring as follows:
• Suits: The Circle, Character and Bamboo tiles comprise the three Suits.
• Minors: The Suit tiles numbered 2 - 8.
• Terminals: The Suit tiles numbered 1 and 9.
• Honors: The Wind and Dragon tiles.
• Majors: The Terminals and Honors.
• Bonus: The Flower and Season tiles.
In addition to the tiles, two dice are required for determining where to break the Wall. (The 1 and 4 are red on traditional Chinese dice.) Some sets include a marker containing the Winds, called a Chuang-tzŭ, which is used to keep track of the Prevailing Wind. Tile trays are also often used to enable each player to balance their tiles on edge while concealed during play. Gambling sticks or chips are used if gambling. Many Mahjong games come with additional tiles used for similar games and variations.
PREPARATION
First, the seating positions of the four players must be randomly established. Then, which Wind each player begins as is randomly decided. For these tasks, one of each Wind tile, any Suit numbers one and two (or any other numbers as long as one is odd and the other even) and a pair of dice are required. Each player randomly chooses a temporary seat and the host rolls two dice. Beginning with himself, the host (either whoever’s home you are in or whose tiles are being used) counts counter-clockwise around the table the total of both dice and selects the location where East will be to begin the game.
The player in East’s seat then turns the Wind tiles upside-down, shuffles them and organizes them in a row between the even and odd numbered suit tiles. He then rolls the dice again and counts around the table as before to determine who will roll the dice a final time.
The third dice roll is counted the same as the other two, and decides which player will draw the first Wind tile. If the final roll totals an odd number, that player chooses the tile next to the odd numbered Suit, otherwise he chooses the tile next to the even numbered Suit. Then the remaining tiles are drawn as they are aligned by each player in counter-clockwise turn. Whoever draws East Wind sits in East’s seat. West sits across from East, North to his left and South to his right (NOT like a compass).
• Prevailing Wind: The designation given to the player that has the first turn. East begins the game as the Prevailing Wind.
For each subsequent round, the positions change in one of two ways:
1. If the Prevailing Wind completed Mahjong in the previous round, or the round ends in a stalemate, usually called a wash-out, then the positions stay the same.
2. If any of the other Winds went out in the previous round, all of the Wind positions rotate counter-clockwise so that the player who was South Wind in the previous round becomes East Wind, etc.
In a complete session of Mahjong, which might take a number of hours or even days to complete, the Prevailing Wind continues to be East until each player has lost as East. Then South becomes the Prevailing Wind. Once South is finished, the Prevailing Wind becomes West and finally, North. The session ends when each player has lost while as the Prevailing North Wind. Obviously, it isn't necessary to complete a session – playing only one or two complete Prevailing Wind cycles is common.
BUILDING THE WALL
Each round begins by scattering all the tiles face-down on the table. They are then shuffled thoroughly by all except the Prevailing Wind in a ritual that is called “the twittering of the sparrows.” The shuffling immediately ends when the Prevailing Wind utters, “Pow!” The tiles are then built into a square structure known as the Wall. If the Flowers and Seasons are used (for a total of 144 tiles), then each side will be eighteen tiles long; if you choose not to use them (for a total of 136 tiles), then each side will be seventeen tiles long. In either case, it is two tiles high and one tile deep. Each player builds one side of the Wall by placing the tiles face-down from right to left. A square is then formed from the sides. (The tile trays are usually sized so they can be used to push the sides together. Allowing cracks in the Wall is considered bad luck.)
BREAKING THE WALL
There are two accepted methods of breaking the Wall. To differentiate, I will refer to the chronologically earlier established method as the “Kong Box” and the more modern and familiar method as the “Dead Wall,” although in practice these terms are interchangeable. Both methods separate a part of the Wall from which replacement tiles are drawn after creating a Kong. They differ in a myriad of subtle ways, but, practically speaking, the main difference is that, with the Kong Box method, Season and Flower tiles are replaced from the Live Wall whereas with the Dead Wall method those tiles are replaced, like with Kongs, from the Dead Wall. Because it prevents Bonus tiles from being used for scoring Doublers and Special Hands utilizing Loose tiles, thereby rightfully increasing the value of Kongs, I prefer the Kong Box method, even though it is less frequently used.
The Kong Box Method
The current Prevailing Wind rolls both dice inside the Wall, and counts off the participants around the table counter-clockwise starting with himself to determine a player who must roll both dice again. (If a die lands on edge against the Wall or on top or outside of it, it must be re-rolled.) This player, after rolling, counts the number of tile stacks equal to the total of both rolls clockwise beginning at the right end of his section of Wall.
The two tiles in the stack at the last number are lifted by that player that made the second dice roll. The top tile is placed on top of the stack five places counter-clockwise and the other upon the stack three places counterclockwise from the initial location. These two tiles are called “Loose” tiles. Then, the section of the Wall that those tiles are centered upon, which totals seven stacks and sixteen tiles (including the Loose tiles), is physically separated from the rest of the Wall and called the Kong Box. (The remainder of the Wall is called the Live Wall or simply the Wall.)
Next, beginning with the Prevailing Wind and alternating turns counter-clockwise, two stacks are taken by each player from the Wall in a clockwise fashion beginning with the tiles after where the Loose tiles were taken until each player has taken three sets or twelve tiles.
Finally, the Prevailing Wind takes one more stack, or two tiles, and each other player takes one tile only, so the Prevailing Wind begins the game with fourteen tiles while the other players have thirteen.
During each round, whenever a Kong is revealed, the next Loose tile is immediately drawn as a replacement tile. Bonus tiles are instead replaced from the Live Wall so that they behave as a “draw again” tile. The Loose tile on the right is drawn first, and after the second Loose tile is drawn, the player who originally built the Kong Box immediately replaces both Loose tiles as at the beginning of the game by taking the stack from the far left of the Kong Box and centering those tiles on what remains of the Kong Box, with the top tile of the stack to the right of the other. The only way to use all of the tiles in the Kong Box would be in the highly unlikely event where all four players made four Kongs.
The Dead Wall Method
The current Prevailing Wind rolls both dice inside the Wall, and counts off the participants around the table counter-clockwise starting with himself to determine a player who must roll both dice again. (If a die lands on edge against the Wall or on top or outside of it, it must be re-rolled.) This player, after rolling, counts the number of tile stacks equal to the total of both rolls clockwise beginning at the right end of his section of Wall. The Prevailing Wind breaks the Wall to the left of the final tile counted by taking two stacks of tiles.
Then, moving counter-clockwise (so that in the first game South draws second), each player in turn takes four tiles at a time from the Wall, tearing it down in a clockwise fashion, repeating three times around the table so that everyone has twelve tiles.
Next, the Prevailing Wind takes the next tile from the top at the edge of the Wall, and also the top tile two stacks over. Each other player then takes only one tile, again in counter-clockwise order, leaving the tile under the last tile the Prevailing Wind took as the next tile to be drawn after play begins. The Prevailing Wind begins each hand with fourteen tiles while the other players start with thirteen.
Finally, the seventh stack of tiles counting counter-clockwise from the opposite end of the Wall are taken up by the player who made the second dice roll and become “Loose” tiles. The bottom tile of this stack is placed on top of the third stack (counting the same direction) and the other tile is placed on top of the first stack of the section of the Wall that has just become separated by removing the Loose tiles. These fourteen tiles separated from the rest of the Wall form the Dead Wall. (The remainder of the Wall is called the Live Wall or simply the Wall.)
Whenever a Kong or Bonus tile is revealed, the next Loose tile is immediately drawn as a replacement tile. The Loose tile on the end of the Dead Wall is drawn first, and after the second Loose tile is drawn, the player who built the Dead Wall immediately replaces both Loose tiles from the very end of the Live Wall in the same manner as was done after the original tiles were drawn. The 12 tiles in the Dead Wall under the Loose tiles are entirely out of play for the remainder of the round.
OBJECTIVE
A player generally tries to collect sets, called Melds, of tiles. The three Melds are:
• Pung (aka Pong): A set of 3 identical tiles.
• Kong: A set of all 4 identical tiles.
• Chow: A consecutively numbered run of 3 (and only 3) tiles in the same Suit, e.g. 5,6 and 7 of Bamboos. You cannot make Chows with Honors.
Melds can be formed in one of two ways:
1. Concealed: A Meld that uses only tiles drawn from the Wall.
2. Exposed: A Meld that incorporates one tile claimed from another player, either via their discard or by Robbing a Kong.
The primary goal of the game is to collect tiles that allow a player to complete "Mahjong,” often called “going” Mahjong.
• Mahjong: An arrangement of tiles that allows a player to win a hand in Mahjong. Except for (two) rare Special Hands, a Mahjong hand consists of four Melds and a pair. The pair is properly called an Eye.
The overall goal of the game is to amass a greater score than your opponents. It is theoretically possible to do this over a series of rounds without ever completing Mahjong, although completing Mahjong yields far more scoring opportunities.
PLAY
The players begin by looking at and organizing their tiles. All Bonus tiles should always be immediately revealed by laying them down and face-up on the table (or tile tray). Kongs must also be revealed in order to be scored as such, but this can be done at the start of play or on any of their turns before a player completes Mahjong. Not revealing a Kong right away can allow for Meld arrangement options, because until the tiles are shown to the opponents, they can be re-arranged at any time up until scoring the hand, but once a Meld is displayed, it becomes permanent and cannot be changed. For example, a player could have in his hand all four 6 Circles, but, if that Kong has not been revealed, separate one of those to form a Chow with 5 and 7 Circles.
If a player forms a Chow or a Pung using only tiles drawn from the Wall, he keeps it hidden in his hand during gameplay. (Not only is it worth more points this way, but it keeps the other players from knowing his tiles.)
Starting with the Prevailing Wind, a replacement tile must be drawn for each Bonus tile and revealed Kong. After the Prevailing Wind has replaced these tiles, including any further Bonus tiles or revealed Kongs formed because of replacement tiles, the player to the right of the Prevailing Wind does the same. After all four players have completed this task, the Prevailing Wind, assuming he doesn’t have the Special Hand of Heaven’s Blessing, discards one tile by announcing its name and placing it face-up inside the remainder of the Wall to end his turn.
If, at the time of their first discard, any player needs only one tile to complete Mahjong, he may alert the other players of this fact by announcing that he is “Fishing,” in order to attempt to score for “Original Call,” which is when a player declares Fishing with their first discard and then completes Mahjong using those same 13 tiles and the Last. (Forming Kongs and drawing Bonus tiles do not disqualify Original Call.) Fishing should NOT be declared aloud at any time after a player’s first turn.
• Fishing: A player that could theoretically complete Mahjong with any one tile.
• Last: The final tile drawn or claimed in order to complete Mahjong.
A player can be Fishing for more than one type of tile. This usually happens when a player has three Melds and two pairs, two consecutive numbers in a Suit and neither is a Terminal or four consecutive numbers in a Suit, but there are other examples. Trying to complete Mahjong with only one possible type of tile decreases the odds of doing so, but also scores points. For scoring purposes, Fishing for an Only Possible tile does not consider the current state of the discard pile. For example, if the Fishing hand contains two pairs, that hand is not Fishing for Only Possible even if the remaining tiles of one pair have been irretrievably discarded.
• Only Possible: Fishing hand that allows only one type of tile to complete Mahjong.
When a player is Fishing, he may claim the Last tile from any discard, whether it be to form a Pung, Kong, Chow or the Eye. Also, a player who is Fishing may claim a tile and get Mahjong by making a Chow or Special Hand with a tile that has just been drawn by another player and added to their Exposed (but not Concealed, unless it is to complete the Thirteen Orphans Special Hand) Pung. This is called “Robbing the Kong.” If multiple players could win with the same discard, then the one whose turn would come next in the normal counter-clockwise rotation gets to take it.
• Robbing Kong: Completing Mahjong by claiming a tile that was drawn and added to an Exposed Pung by another player.
After each discard, ANY player may claim that tile if they can use it to complete a Pung or Kong, even if it does not complete Mahjong. That player announces his intention, and if there is no objection (i.e. multiple claims), takes the discard and immediately displays the resulting Pung or Kong face-up on the table (or tile tray) in front of him. A claim for Mahjong always takes precedence over a non-Fishing claim. (Multiple claims for Pungs or Kongs are mathematically impossible as there are only four of every tile.) After a player has taken a discard but not for Mahjong, it is then that player’s turn to conclude with a discard; any players between him and the player that discarded are skipped.
If no other player wants the discarded tile (which should be decided almost immediately to keep the game moving), then the player to the right of the discarding player takes the next turn. This player may choose to claim the discard and use it to form a Chow, which he must immediately Expose. (No other players can claim the discarded tile to make a Chow except to complete Mahjong.) If no one takes the discarded tile, then it is out of play for the remainder of the round, and the next player simply draws the next tile (without showing it to the other players) from the front of the Wall.
A Concealed Kong that is not revealed before a player completes Mahjong is scored instead as a Concealed Pung. Also, when another player’s discard is added to a Concealed Pung and revealed as an Exposed Kong, that Meld can still be scored as a Concealed Pung for Doublers and Special Hands (only), as long as after all four tiles are displayed (and before that player has discarded), the fourth claimed tile is placed either lengthwise or face-down on the end of what had been a Concealed Pung. A Kong formed without using a claimed tile is considered Concealed for all scoring, as long as after showing all four tiles (and before that player has discarded), both ends of that row of tiles are placed either lengthwise (especially in the case of Po, the White Dragon) or face-down in front of the player to differentiate it from an Exposed Meld.
A player cannot declare Kong and Mahjong at the same time, as a replacement tile must always be drawn after revealing a Kong, with the unique exception of the Special Hand called Nine Gates. In addition, if a player previously Exposed a Pung because it incorporated another player's discard and later draws from the Wall the fourth of that tile, he may add it to the Exposed Pung (although this risks a Robbed Kong), turning it into an Exposed Kong. All four tiles of such a Kong remain face-up and can only be scored as an Exposed Meld. A discarded tile CANNOT be added to an Exposed Pung, and no Meld can ever consist of more than one discarded tile.
Each player must always finish a turn by discarding one tile, placing it face-up inside the remainder of the Wall and announcing which tile is being discard aloud, except when completing Mahjong, in which case that player cannot discard but simply reveals all tiles, keeping the Concealed tiles behind the tile rack to separate them from the Exposed tiles and demarking the Last tile by turning it length-wise (for scoring purposes). It is important not to forget to place the final Meld with the Exposed tiles if it was created by a discard or by Robbing the Kong.
If all the tiles from the Wall have been drawn with the exception of the Kong Box or Dead Wall, then the game is declared a wash-out and no scores are made. The tiles are shuffled again and game is restarted with the same player as Prevailing Wind. Just prior to that, scores can be made for completing Mahjong with the final tile possible if a player completes Mahjong with the last tile on the Wall, the discard that is made after the Wall is empty or with a Bonus tile drawn after the Wall is empty.
SPECIAL HANDS
Special Hands are unique ways of going Mahjong. In scoring, all Special Hands receive the maximum number of points allowed. Special Hands will vary depending on who you’re playing with, but the number allowed should be somewhat limited to prevent the game from becoming absurd. Following is a list of commonly accepted Special Hands, only two of which do not consist of four Melds and a pair:
• Thirteen Orphans (aka Thirteen Unique Wonders): One of each Major tile (Winds, Dragons, Ones and Nines); one of these paired. Uniquely, may Rob Concealed Kong for Last tile.
• Nine Gates (aka Nine United Sons, Nine Sacred Lamps of Lotus): Three Ones, three Nines and a run from 2-8 plus any Last tile, all in the same Suit; all but Last tile must be concealed. Uniquely, may get Mahjong by completing a Kong.
• Buried Treasure: Fully Concealed Pungs/Kongs and an Eye.
• Fourfold Plenty: All Kongs and an Eye.
• Heads and Tails: Only Terminals.
• All Symbols: Only Honors.
• Imperial Jade: Mahjong using only all-green tiles (which are the Green Dragons and 2, 3,4,6 and 8 of Bamboos.)
• Wriggling Snake: Pungs/Kongs of both Terminals, an Eye of either 2,5 or 8 and two Chows containing the six remaining numbers all in the same Suit. (There are other variants called Wriggling Snake, and since this is also the most convoluted Special Hand, I’d be heavily tempted to disregard it except that it’s so widely used.)
• Concealed Clear Suit: All one Suit, fully Concealed.
• Three Great Scholars: Melds of all 3 Dragons, any other Pung/Kong and any Eye.
• Four Blessings Hovering Over the Door: Melds of all 4 Winds and any Eye.
• Twofold Plenty (aka Kong on Kong) : In one turn, complete a Kong, draw a Loose tile which completes another Kong, draw another Loose tile with completes Mahjong.
• Gathering the Plum Blossom from the Roof: A Loose tile is Five Circles, which completes Mahjong for player that draws it.
• Plucking the Moon from the Bottom of the Sea: The Last tile on the Wall (not including Kong Box or Dead Wall) is One Circles, which completes Mahjong for player that draws it.
• Scratching a Carrying Pole: Rob Kong of Two Bamboo.
• Heaven's Blessing: Mahjong completed by Prevailing Wind before ever discarding.
• Earth's Blessing: Mahjong completed by another Wind after claiming the first discard made by Prevailing Wind and without ever discarding.
• East’s Thirteenth Consecutive Mahjong: The Prevailing Wind completes Mahjong for the 13th time in a row, not including wash-out rounds, after which Prevailing Wind is relinquished.
SCORING
When a player completes Mahjong, all players must show their hands, keeping concealed tiles below the tile rack. Sometimes concealed tiles can be arranged in different combinations to form different Melds, and all players have the freedom to do so before they are displayed, but once the Melds are chosen and displayed they cannot be rearranged during scoring.
Since a score can become ridiculously large, a maximum limit is agreed upon before play starts. The maximum is usually 1000, but can be as low as 500 and as high as 2000.
Scoring is the most complicated aspect of the game and differs widely among players, so you might have to barter an agreed upon method before gameplay begins. (There is lively debate, for example, as to whether completing Mahjong should be 10 or 20 points.) The classical method of scoring only uses even numbers. Confusion often stems from point totals being stated non-cumulatively. For example, a veteran player might state that a Last tile forming a Major Eye scores four points without bothering to explain that two of those four points come from the Last simply forming any Eye. Scoring greatly increases the level of strategy in making Melds, but it is sometimes prudent for first-time players to forego scoring altogether.
If a player creates a Special Hand, he receives the limit. Otherwise, the value of each hand is calculated by adding points and then counting “Doublers.” The entire score is doubled for each Doubler so that they affect the overall score exponentially. Some points and Doublers are available to all players while others are only available to the player that completed Mahjong.
First, each player adds points for each of the following:
Exposed Minor Pung= 2 points
Exposed Major Pung= 4 points
Exposed Minor Kong= 8 points
Exposed Major Kong= 16 points
Concealed Minor Pung= 4 points
Concealed Major Pung= 8 points
Concealed Minor Kong= 16 points
Concealed Major Kong= 32 points
(Chow= 0 points)
Pair of Dragons= 2 points
Pair of Prevailing Wind= 2 points
Pair of own Wind= 2 points
(A hand with none of the above points is called Worthless)
Each Flower= 4 points
Each Season= 4 points
Only the player that completed Mahjong also adds for:
Completing Mahjong= 10 points
Completing Mahjong with Only Possible Last tile= 2 points
Last tile forms Eye= 2 points
Last tile forms Major Eye= 2 points
Completing Mahjong by drawing Last tile from Wall= 2 points
Then, all players count Doublers for each:
Meld of Dragons= 1 Doubler
Meld of Prevailing Wind= 1 Doubler
Meld of player's own Wind= 1 Doubler
3 Concealed Pungs/Kongs= 1 Doubler
All 3 Dragons in 2 Melds and 1 pair= 1 Doubler
All 4 Winds in 3 Melds and 1 pair= 1 Doubler
3 Dragons in 3 Melds= 2 Doublers
4 Winds in 4 Melds= 2 Doublers
Own Flower and Own Season= 1 Doubler
All four Flowers= 2 Doublers
All four Seasons= 2 Doublers
Additional Doublers are applied only to the hand that went Mahjong:
Worthless Hand (Only Chows and an Eye that’s not Dragons or Prevailing or Own Wind)= 1 Doubler
No Chows= 1 Doubler
Fully Concealed= 1 Doubler
Only Majors= 1 Doubler
Only one Suit and Honors= 1 Doubler
All same Suit (called a Clear Suit)= 3 Doublers
Last is Loose tile (drawn from Kong Box/Dead Wall)= 1 Doubler
Last tile is final discard or draw possible (before a wash-out)= 1 Doubler
Robbing the Kong= 1 Doubler
Original Call= 1 Doubler
The total score is tallied by adding the points and then multiplying the entire score, including any previous Doublers, for each Doubler. This can be expressed as the equation A x 2n, where A represents the added score and n represents the Doublers. Two Doublers multiplies the added score fourfold, while three Doublers multiplies the added score eightfold, etc. Because of this exponential accumulation, having more than one Doubler is very advantageous.
As an example, forming two Exposed Major Kongs (16 points + 16 points), one Pair of Dragons (2 points) and completing Mahjong (10 points) yields an added score of 44 points. Scoring Doublers for Robbing a Kong (1 Doubler) and having all the same Suit (3 Doublers) yields 4 total Doublers, and the total score for that round would be calculated as 44x16, equaling 704 points.
GAMBLING
Mahjong is traditionally a gambling game, although it can be enjoyed without doing so. Counting sticks are traditionally used for this. There are four different sticks, with values of 2, 10, 100 and 500 points. I believe because they were usurped from another game; the markings determining the number values on these sticks is varied and seldom literal- for instance the stick with a value of 10 often has eight black dots.
Each player starts the game with 2000 points worth of sticks, which can be divided into ten 2 point sticks, eight 10 point sticks, nine 100 point sticks and two 500 point sticks. (Using this method, a full set contains 116 sticks.) Generally, if a player runs out of points, he simply continues to play until he earns some back without incurring negative debt.
The Prevailing Wind always pays and/or receives double the amount scored. The Prevailing Wind can pay up to double the maximum limit and receive the same, so if the Prevailing Wind wins with a Special Hand with a maximum limit of 1000, he will receive 2000 points from every other player (or all of their gambling sticks if they don’t have that much).
The player who went Mahjong is paid by the other players the amount scored by his hand, and does not pay out anything. This means that the player who gets Mahjong always wins the round, even if other players have scored greater amounts.
After the player that completes Mahjong is paid, each losing player also pays any other losing player with a greater value hand the difference between the two hands, with the Prevailing Wind paying and/or receiving double the difference.
INFRACTIONS
The following rules are intended as procedures for handling situations where players are confused or make mistakes. I don’t think they necessarily need to be strictly enforced with beginners, and in casual play less strict alternatives can be implemented as long as they are agreed upon by all players:
1. Short Hand: A player that is short on tiles at any time after the first discard must play out the hand and can score points even though completing Mahjong for that player is impossible. (After the first discard, replacement tiles can be taken any time during a turn until that player discards, although they should always be taken immediately after displaying a Kong or Bonus tile.)
2. Long Hand: A player which has seen a concealed tile that gives him too many in hand must accept that tile and play out the round but cannot score any points.
3. A tile drawn from the Wall the face of which has been felt or seen must be accepted by the drawing player.
4. If a tile from the Wall other than the next to be drawn is incorrectly drawn or otherwise exposed to any player, it must be shown to all players; then the side of the Wall with that tile must be shuffled and re-built.
5. A discarded tile can never be withdrawn. A tile discarded out of turn can be claimed by another player unless doing so would force a player whose turn it was to discard to have a Long Hand.
6. A player that announces a discard as the incorrect tile must forfeit his next draw and cannot participate in play until his next turn.
A. The discarded tile can be claimed for a Chow by the next player to the right on the forfeited turn.
B. If an incorrectly named discard results in an incorrectly declared Mahjong, the penalty for the incorrect Mahjong (listed below as rule #11) must be paid by the player that incorrectly named the discard.
7. A discarded tile cannot be claimed by another player after the next player has drawn unless the drawing player did not ensure all players were aware of the discard, in which case the offending player must keep the drawn tile and play with a Long Hand.
8. If a player fails to claim a tile which would have completed Mahjong, he may not go out on any identical discard until after his next turn.
9. A player that claims a tile but changes his mind before any tiles have been exposed can return it to the discard pile, but must pay 100 points to any other eventual winner.
10. Foul Hand: A player that incorrectly exposes any of his tiles is disqualified from winning the current hand.
A. Any claimed tile, after he has exposed tiles, must be accepted even if it creates a bogus Meld, unless it can be claimed by an eligible player or was an incorrectly named discard.
B. The player with the Foul Hand must play out the hand and can still score points.
11. If a player incorrectly declares Mahjong, he cannot go out until after his next turn.
A. If that hand is Long, Short, Foul or made fully exposed (for partial exposure, see Foul Hand penalty) or any part of another’s hand is consequently exposed, the offending player must pay half the limit to all players with dealer doubling applied, after which Prevailing Wind does not move unless that’s the player at fault.
INSURANCES
There are also rules that have been established to keep players from cheating or conspiring, which of course becomes more tempting when gambling is involved.
12. If a player calls attention to an error that is corrected and that correction adversely affects another player, the player that mentions the error must forfeit his next draw and cannot participate in play until his next turn (see also 6A).
13. A player who calls attention to any feature of another’s play, including his discards or apparent objective must forfeit his next draw and cannot participate in play until his next turn (see also 6A).
14. A player who scores too many points to his hand can be corrected by a player obliged to pay him until the last payment has been made, but a player who has shorted himself points cannot be helped by any other player. A player that does assist must pay the resulting difference in loss sustained by any other player. No corrections in score can be made after all payments have been settled.
15. Letting off a cannon: Playing an irresponsible, or “dangerous,” discard or allowing a Robbed Kong that helps enable another player to complete Mahjong on a big hand (not necessarily immediately). A player who lets off the cannon must pay the winner on behalf of all losers, that is, he must pay three times and the other losers do not pay, and there is no settlement among losers.
A. A player can be guilty of letting off a cannon only in the following situations:
1. If there are four or less tiles left in the Wall, and he discards any tile that does not appear in previous discards or Exposed Melds, helping another player complete any Mahjong.
2. If another player has Exposed three Melds of one Suit, and he discards or makes a Kong from an Exposed Pung of that Suit, helping that other player complete Mahjong with all same Suit.
3. If another player has Exposed three Melds of Terminals, and he discards or makes a Kong from an Exposed Pung of any Terminal, helping that other player complete Mahjong with Heads and Tails.
4. If another player has Exposed three Melds of Honors, and he discards or makes a Kong from an Exposed Pung of any Honor, helping that other player complete Mahjong with All Symbols.
5. If another player has Exposed three Melds of green tiles, and he discards or makes a Kong from an Exposed Pung of any green tile, helping that other player complete Mahjong with Imperial Jade.
6. If another player has Exposed two Melds of Dragons, and he discards or makes a Kong from an Exposed Pung of the third Dragon, helping that other player complete Mahjong with either all 3 Dragons in 2 Melds and 1 pair, 3 Dragons in 3 Melds or Three Great Scholars.
7. If another player has Exposed three Melds of Winds, and he discards or makes a Kong from an Exposed Pung of the fourth Wind, helping that other player complete Mahjong with either all 4 Winds in 3 Melds and 1 pair or Four Blessings Hovering Over the Door.
B. A player is exempted from letting off a cannon if:
1. A player claims no choice: If a player’s hand, after drawing from the Wall (but not after claiming a tile), consists only of dangerous tiles, he can briefly display his entire hand in order to be reprieved from any consequences of discarding or adding to an Exposed Pung.
2. Another player subsequently lets off another cannon affecting the same hand. (The other player becomes responsible.)
3. The discarded tile is used to form a Kong (since that does not help complete Mahjong).
SCORECARD
In order to assist in scoring, remembering terms and gambling payout procedures, I have developed a two-sided scorecard. (Its original size is 8.5”x11” landscape but I’m not sure how it will be formatted by blogspot.)
These rules rely heavily, but not exclusively, on the book The Complete Book of Mah-Jongg, by A.D. Millington. Paperback Ed. 1993.
