Singaporean Mahjong scoring rules

The Singaporean Mahjong scoring rules are similar to that of the Chinese Old style / Hong Kong system, but accounts for the different set of tiles used.

A set Singaporean and Malaysian Mahjong tiles.

Tile system

The standard Singaporean Mahjong tile system consists of 148 tiles due to the additional Animal tile set, thus slightly different from that of other regional Mahjong tile-sets. Therefore, the rules of the game somewhat vary from other scoring systems in the region. The stacking of tiles will be 19 stacks for the dealer (East) and the player opposite (West), 18 stacks for the rest. The Dead Wall (王牌wáng-pái) is 15 tiles. The tile set is described as follows:

Suited Tiles

These tiles run from One to Nine. There are 4 of each tile in every set.

The dots suit (Chinese: 筒子; pinyin: tǒngzǐ)

The bamboo suit (Chinese: 索子; pinyin: suǒzǐ)

The character suit (simplified Chinese: 万子; traditional Chinese: 萬子; pinyin: wànzǐ)

Honour Tiles

Honour Tiles (Chinese: 字牌; pinyin: zìpái (official name)/Chinese: 大牌; pinyin: dàpái (Singapore name)) consists of 4 Wind tiles & 3 Dragon tiles. There are 4 of each tile in every set.

Wind tiles (simplified Chinese: 四风牌; traditional Chinese: 四風牌; pinyin: sìfēngpái)

From left to right: East, South, West, North

Dragon tiles (三元牌, pinyin sān yuán pái)

From left to right: Red Dragon, Green Dragon, White Dragon

Bonus (flower/animal) Tiles

Flower set (花牌 huā pái) and Season set (季牌 jì pái)

From left to right: Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, Bamboo, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter

Animal Tiles (禽兽牌qín shòu pái / 动物牌dòng wù pái)

From left to right: Cat, Rat, Rooster, Centipede

Face tiles/Head tiles (人头牌rén tóu pái)

or

Usually we don't use them. Only used in some customary situation. We can use 4 clown face tiles or 2 men and 2 women tiles.

Joker tiles (飛牌fēi pái / 百搭牌bǎi dā pái)

Some house rules play with fei as joker tiles, ranging from 2 to 24. Check with hosts if they allow you to call pong and chi with fei tiles, and whether fei tiles can return to the hand afterwards.

Objective

Be the first person to form four sets of three and a pair/ a winning combination of 14 tiles, with at least a score of 1 point. Each set consists of either three of a kind or a sequence of three tiles of the same suit.

For a beginner, some of the easier winning combinations to consider are:

1. Possessing any of these tiles grants 1 point - Animal tile or Flower tile matching your playing order of the hand
2. Obtaining a Pong / Kong of any of the Dragon Honor Tiles through self-draw or discards (1 point each)
3. Obtaining a Pong / Kong of the Wind Honor tiles matching either your playing order of the hand or the Prevailing Wind grants one point. The effects stack – Obtaining a Pong / Kong of South when the Player is at the South (南 Nán) Seat and the Prevailing Wind is South (南 Nán) grants two points to the player.
4. Sequence Hand (4 points without any Bonus tiles, or Lesser Sequence Hand 1 point with any Bonus tiles)
5. Triplets Hand (2 points)
6. Half Flush (2 points)
7. Full Flush (4 points)
8. Half Terminals (4 points)

Set-up

Seat selection

Seats are selected by first rolling the dice. The player with the highest roll randomly picks one of four Wind tiles, followed by the player with next highest roll and so on. Each Wind is denoted by a number: East (東 Dōng) by 1, South (南 Nán) by 2, West (西 Xī) by 3, and North (北 Běi) by 4. The player who picked the East (東 Dōng) tile is the 1st dealer of each round. The player who picked the South (南 Nán) tile is the 2nd dealer. The player who picked the West (西 Xī) tile is the 3rd dealer. The player who picked the North (北 Běi) tile is the 4th dealer. The 1st dealer chooses his/her desired seat. The players are seated chronologically in an anticlockwise order.

Setting up the tiles

The tiles are shuffled face-down. The tiles are stacked to form four two-layered mahjong walls. The first dealer forms the initial East (東 Dōng) wall, the second dealer the South (南 Nán) wall, the third dealer the West (西 Xī) wall, and the fourth dealer the North (北 Běi) wall. The players at the East (東 Dōng) and West (西 Xī) walls, the 1st dealer and the 3rd dealers, stacks a two-layered 19-tile-long wall, while the players at the South (南 Nán) and North (北 Běi) walls, the 2nd and 4th dealers, stacks a two-layered 18-tile-long wall. If using an automatic table, players sitting at the East (東 Dōng) and West (西 Xī) with a 18-tile wall should remember to take 2 extra tiles from the walls beside. The players at each wall rotates as the dealers rotate through the gameplay, with the dealer always at the East (東 Dōng) wall.

Gameplay

Each game consists of four rounds. Each round has at least four hands, with each player getting the opportunity to be the dealer through rotation. Each round is denoted by a Wind which is known as the Prevailing Wind of the round, in the order of East (東 Dōng), South (南 Nán), West (西 Xī) and North (北 Běi). A complete game has at least 16 hands.

The game begins with the first hand of the first round. The Prevailing Wind of the first round is the East (東 Dōng) Wind. The 1st dealer is the dealer of first hand of each round. When a player other than the 1st dealer wins the hand, the playing order rotates in an anticlockwise direction, with the 2nd dealer becoming the dealer, while the Prevailing Wind remains as East (東 Dōng) for the next hand. The rotation continues until 1st dealer takes up the dealer position again, signifying the end of the first round of East (東 Dōng) and the start of the second round of South (南 Nán). The game is complete when all four rounds/winds have been completed.

If the dealer wins a particular hand or it ends in a draw, the dealer, the Prevailing Wind and the playing order do not rotate, everything stays in status quo for the next hand, an additional hand is played until another player other than the dealer wins the hand.

Drawing tiles

Each hand commences with the rolling of three dice (or two dice twice) which will be used to determine the exact point to cut the tile wall and to draw the tiles. The dealer of the hand (East, 東 Dōng) of each hand rolls the dice and sums up the total.

Start counting from the dealer of the hand (East, 東 Dōng) as 1, count anticlockwise (i.e. South 南 Nán is 2 and so on) until reaching the summed total of the dice roll. The chosen player’s tile wall will then be used for cutting.

From that tile wall, start counting from right to left using the same summed total of the dice roll to determine the exact point to cut in the tile wall. The tiles to the left of that point represent the Open Wall. The tiles to the right represent the Dead Wall.

The dealer of the hand (East, 東 Dōng) starts by drawing 4 tiles from the Open Wall, followed by the player to his right (South 南 Nán) in an anticlockwise direction until all four players have 12 tiles each.

The dealer draws his/her final two tiles by "jumping" tiles, while the remaining players draw their final (one) tile. The dealer always begins with an extra tile in his/her opening hand.

Replacement draw

When all players have their opening hand, they will reveal any and all Bonus tiles (i.e. Flowers and Animals) face-up to other players. A replacement draw (补花 Bǔ Huā) is performed in an anticlockwise direction, beginning with the dealer of the hand. Players who did not reveal the Bonus tiles in their hands immediately will not be allowed to make replacement draws in later turns.

A replacement draw is performed by drawing a tile for each Bonus tile that one has, from the Dead Wall. If a player draws any Bonus tiles from the replacement draw, the tile/s are revealed again and another replacement draw is performed, but only after the first cycle of replacement draw has been completed.

Bonus tiles do not count towards the 14-tile combination required to win the game. With the replacement draw(s) completed, the Hand is ready to begin with the dealer of the hand having 14 tiles and the other players having 13 tiles each.

Game moves

The dealer of each hand begins the hand by discarding his/her additional tile from his/her opening hand. In an anti-clockwise order, the next player can choose to pick up that discarded tile or draw a tile from the Open Wall. After picking up a tile, he/she has to discard a tile from his/her hand, and the turn goes to the next player. This goes on until someone picks a winning tile, either through a discarded tile or a tile drawn from the wall.

Drawing tiles

A player can chose to draw a tile from the Open Wall or pick up a discarded tile through Chow, Pong or Kong. If a Flower or Animal Bonus Tile is drawn, that tile is revealed and the player performs a replacement draw from the Dead Wall.

Chow (吃 Chī)

This can only be performed by taking the tile discarded by the player immediately to your left and combining it with two other tiles in your hand to form a sequence of three tiles of the same suit. The player has reveal the sequence to the other players, before selecting and discarding one tile in the hand. Some hosts require players to place the chow-ed tile in the middle of their sequence, for easy reference afterwards.

Pong (碰 Pèng)

This can be performed by taking the tile discarded by any player and combining it with two identical tiles in your hand to form three tiles of a kind. The player has to announce "Pong" and reveal the tiles to the other players, before selecting and discarding one tile in the hand. Note that a Pong immediately skips the next draw to the player after the one who performs a Pong. In some house rules (i.e. "Call pong must pong" rule), players are not allowed to retract their "Pong" call if they do indeed have 2 copies of the tile they announced "Pong" on. Otherwise, the player is required to show everyone that he has less than 2 copies of the Pong-ed tile, and player must declare when he subsequently drawn the Pong-ed tile. If player did not declare, it would be considered zhahu if player subsequently declare winning the game with 2 or more of that tiles on hand, or luan xiang if both of that tiles are subsequently discarded.

Kong (槓 Gàng)

This can be performed by taking the tile discarded by any player and combining it with three identical tiles in your hand to get four tiles of a kind. The player has to announce "Kong" and reveal the tiles to the other players to receive an Instant Payment. The player has to perform a Replacement Draw, before selecting and discarding one tile in the hand. Note that a Kong immediately skips the next draw to the player after the player who performs a Kong.

Another type of "Kong" is when a player has already declared "Pong" on a tile, and drew the 4th copy of the tile himself. Note that this type of "Kong" can only be performed during your own draw, and not in the same turn which you declare "Pong" or "Chi".

Pong/Kong over Chow

A single discarded tile may be used by the other three players to perform a Chow, Pong / Kong or to win the hand. The game addresses this situation by setting a Priority Order of moves in decreasing priority as follows:

1. Winning (Highest Priority)

2. Pong / Kong

3. Chow (Lowest Priority)

When there is a contest between Pong / Kong and Chow for a discarded tile, the Pong / Kong overrules and the turn skips to the player performing the Pong / Kong. The player who wanted to perform the Chow can either wait for the final tile (if any) or explore other combinations instead. A player who wants to overrule a Chow with a Pong should announce "Pong" immediately after the player declares his intention to Chow.

Winning

A player wins the Hand by either drawing the winning tile or taking a discarded tile as the final tile required to complete the 14-tile winning combination. Note that a player can complete a winning hand by picking a winning tile discarded by any player.

The player has to reveal the remaining concealed tiles for inspection and the Hand finishes. The score of the winning combination is calculated, payments are made and the players get ready for the next Hand.

Draw

A draw occurs when there are 15 tiles left in the Dead Wall. However, if any player has managed to form a Kong some time in that hand, the Hand is deemed to have finished and the players move on to play the next Hand.

Instant payments

An immediate payment occurs for certain Player Moves. This is independent of winning or losing the Hand. This is through either obtaining a combination of Bonus tiles (咬 Yǎo) or Kong (槓 Gàng).

The combinations of Bonus tiles earning the Instant Payment are:

1. Obtaining the Cat (貓 Māo) and the Mouse (老鼠 Láo Shŭ)

2. Obtaining the Rooster (公雞 Gōng Jī) and the Centipede (蜈蚣 Wú Gōng)

3. Obtaining all four Animal Bonus tiles

4. Obtaining both Flower Bonus tiles with numbers matching your playing order of the hand

5. Obtaining either sets of 4 Flower Bonus tiles

6. In modern house rules, people often play "Animal Special", where all 4 players are randomly assigned each of the 4 animals. If a player obtains his own animal, he will receive instant payment. This can stack with the other instant payments above.

Scoring points

Points (台) are scored from the difficulty of gathering the winning hand. If monetary rewards (and losses) are involved, it is common that playing parties will agree upon a monetary value awarded to a one-point winning hand. Subsequently, for each additional point scored, this value is accordingly doubled.

There is a typical maximum scoring limit of five (or six) points, though this has to be agreed among players. This point limit (simply known as the limit), and will be used to describe the points awarded by certain tile-combinations from now on. In other words, a certain tile combination that awards the limit means that it scores the maximum number of points, as agreed upon before the game.

For example, assume that players agree on a value of S$1 (5/1 rate) for a one-point winning hand. A two-point winning hand thus has a value of S$2, a three-point hand with a value of $4, up to a limit of $16 for a five-point winning hand. 3/6, 5/1 and 1/2 represent the hand value for a 0-point hand for those stakes. However, 10/20 and 20/40 cents represent the hand value for a 1-pont hand for those stakes.

Furthermore, the party who is guilty of discarding the tile which another party then takes to complete a winning hand has to pay double the agreed payout. Another situation where the winning player receives double the agreed payout is when he draws the winning tile by himself/herself i.e. Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō).

In some playing circles, there are special hands (e.g. 13 wonders) whereby all players pay double that of the limit, regardless if the hand was won on a Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) tile or not.

In many playing circles, winner who Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) receives additional payment (e.g. $2, $5, $10 for 3/6, 5/1 and 1/2 rate respectively) from each player.

The following table summarizes the payouts, based on an assumed base payout of S$1 for a one-point winning hand (i.e. 5/1 rate).

Points (台) scored	Losing players each pay	Guilty player pays	Winning player gains
1	S$1	S$2	S$4
2	S$2	S$4	S$8
3	S$4	S$8	S$16
4	S$8	S$16	S$32
5 (Limit)	S$16	S$32	S$64
Special Hands	S$32	S$32	S$96

In the event that the winning player draws the winning tile by himself/herself, Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō), all the players are to pay double of the agreed payout:

Points (台) scored	All players each pay	Winning player gains
1	S$2	S$6
2	S$4	S$12
3	S$8	S$24
4	S$16	S$48
5 (Limit)	S$32	S$96

Another common mahjong payout involves 'shooter pays all' whereby the person who discards the winning and kong tile will have to compensate for the rest of the players. Discarder would also have to compensate payments following from kong (e.g. Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) on replacement of gong, bite, self drawn exposed kong, concealed kong, complete animal or flower group). However for this rule, certain rules like 'Fresh Tile Mahjong Scenario (包生)' and '包满台' etc do not come in effect as the loser will have to pay for everyone when he/she discards the winning or kong tile anyway.

Points (台) scored	Shooter pays
1	S$4
2	S$8
3	S$16
4	S$32
5 (Limit)	S$64
Special Hands	S$96

Kongs

A player who declares a kong (杠 gàng) gets an instant payout approximately equivalent of 1.5 points (e.g. +$2, $3, $5 for 3/6, 5/1 and 1/2 rate respectively) for a melded kong (明杠 míng gàng), or 3 points (e.g. +$4, $6, $10 for 3/6, 5/1 and1/2 rate respectively) for a concealed kong (暗杠 àn gàng ). Apart from that, kongs do not contribute to a player's score when determining the value of a hand.

Triplet of any Dragon Tile (元 yuán)

Having a triplet of any Dragon Tile (元 yuán) scores 1 point. This triplet can be obtained by Pong (碰pèng), Kong (杠;槓gàng), or simply having these 3 tiles in your hidden hand.

or or

Winds (风fēng)

Having a triplet of the seat wind or the prevailing wind scores 1 point. This triplet can be obtained by Pung (碰pèng), Kong (杠gàng ), or simply having these three tiles in your hidden hand.

or or or

If the Prevailing Wind (圈风quān-fēng) happens to coincide with your Seat Wind (门风mén-fēng), and you manage to obtain a triplet of that wind, you score 2 points. For example, if the prevailing wind is East and a player whose seat wind is East, a triplet of East by the player will score 2 points upon Mahjong.

If there is a triplet of both the Seat Wind (门风mén-fēng) and the Prevailing Wind (圈风quān-fēng), you score 2 points. For example, if the Prevailing Wind (圈风quān-fēng) is East and a player whose Seat Wind (门风mén-fēng) is South, a triplet of East and a triplet of South by the player will score 2 points (1 point for each triplet) upon Mahjong.

Animal Tiles

Each animal tile obtained scores 1 point. One extra point (for a total of 5) is awarded if all 4 animals are collected.

Instant payment

It is commonly accepted that there will be a one-time payout by all playing parties to the party who collects either

a) Both the cat tile and the mouse tile.

b) Both the chicken tile and the centipede tile.

The above two events are known as yǎo-dào (咬到). Literally it means 'Bitten' in English.

c) All the four animal tiles. This generally also earns double of the agreed one-time payout.

d) If “Animal Special” House Rule is in play, you will get instant payment for drawing your own designated animal.

If a player opens their tiles in the beginning of the game and sees the combination of (a) and/or (b) and/or (c) and/or (d), he is considered to have 暗咬. Note that it is not considered 暗咬 if the any of the combinations were achieved after replenishment of tiles (补花bǔ-huā) happened.

The instant payout is approximately equivalent of 1.5 points (e.g. +$2, $3, $5 for 3/6, 5/1 and 1/2 rate respectively) for a 咬到 event, or 3 points (e.g. +$4, $6, $10 for 3/6, 5/1 and1/2 rate respectively) for 暗咬. The payout above is cumulative. This means that if a player collects set (c), he will have to be compensated for set (a), set (b) and set (c).

If player A collects set (c), he will be rewarded with an instant payout. In the event that he wins that same instance of the game as well, he will have scored 5 points by virtue of having 4 animal tiles, on top of any other points that he scores with his winning hand. Collecting set (c) will earn a payout of $3+$3+$6.

if a player collects set (c) by 暗咬, he will receive a payout of $3*2 + $3*2 + $6. However, not all house rules award the same amount to a player who collects set (c) immediately at the start of the game.

Flower tile matching the Seat Wind (正花)

Each flower tile that matches a player's seat wind scores one point (正花zhèng-huā). Other flower tiles won't score any point. (偏花piān-huā)

1. East player:
2. South player:
3. West player:
4. North player:

Instant payment

It is commonly accepted that there will be a one-time payout by all playing parties to the party who collects both flowers (red and blue) that match the player's Seat Wind. This is a 'Bitten' (咬到yǎo-dào) event. This payout is equivalent to obtaining a set of cat-and-mouse tile, or chicken-and-centipede tile. Refer to the discussion above. This will earn the payout agreed for a 'Bitten' (咬到 yǎo-dào) event. The double payout scheme applies when the collection of both flowers occurs before the 'Replacement Tile' (补花 bǔ-huā) event. Refer to the discussion above. This will earn the payout agreed for an 'Concealed Kong' (暗杠 àn-gàng) event.

If Player A were to collect both flowers that match Player B's Seat Wind, Player A will receive instant payment from Player B, equivalent to 1/3 of a 'Kong' payment.

Complete flower group (一台花)

A complete group of 4 flower tiles of the same colour scores a total of 2 points, 1 for the flower tile that matches the player's seat wind, and 1 for collecting all four.

or

Instant payment

It is commonly accepted that there will be a one-time payout by all playing parties to the party who collects the complete set of flowers of the same colour. This is a 'Concealed Kong' (暗杠 àn-gàng) event.

In some house rules, a player who collects a full set of flowers (1234) but in different colours (also known as "Japanese Flowers" or "Sakura") will also receive instant payment, equivalent to a "Kong" payment. Furthermore, some hosts allow players to receive this payment, followed by the complete set of flowers of the same colour afterwards.

Two complete flower groups (花胡)

Any player who collects 2 complete groups of 4 flower tiles (8 in total) either by 'Self-Pick' (自摸zì-mō) or by 'robbing', has achieved a '8 Flower Tile-set' (花胡huā-hù) that scores the limit. Because of its rarity, this combination scores the maximum number of points. In classic Singaporean Mahjong rules, collecting 7 flowers scores 5 points, but the player still has to complete his hand. This rule has now become a house rule in modern rules.

(i) All Flowers & Seasons (八仙过海)

Any player who collects 2 complete groups of 4 flower tiles (8 in total) all by himself i.e. 'Self-Pick' (自摸 zì-mō) is called 'All Flowers & Seasons' or 'Eight Immortals' (八仙过海bā-xiān-guò-hǎi), a type of '8 Flower Tile-set' (花胡huā-hù). The combination of hidden cards held by the player does not matter at all, and the game is considered to have been won and game is ended as a win for the player.

However, some players are notably particular regarding the above point. If any player collects the complete '8 Flower Tile-set', he wins the game, but he should never reveal his hidden cards to anyone. This follows from the fact that the player has not won the game by virtue of his hidden cards, which should be the case. If the player with the complete set of flowers display his hidden hand to the rest, and it is not a hand that fulfills any winning combination, he is considered to have cheated, or 'Fake Hand' (诈胡 zhà-hú) and must instead compensate the rest of the parties. The point to note is that the player who collects the complete '8 Flower Tile-set' should immediately close his hidden cards and declare himself to have won the game.

Instant payment

The player who completes the flower set has triggered 3 events, on top of winning the game. He has gathered

1. Both flowers (red and blue) which corresponds to his seat wind. This is a 'Bitten' (咬到 yǎo-dào) event.
2. A complete set of red flowers
3. A complete set of blue flowers.

All 3 events above are liable for one-time compensation by the rest of the playing parties, if the event themselves are not compensated already. This is on top of the payout given to the winning party by winning the game.

(ii) Robbing the Eighth (七抢一)

If a player has already drawn 7 flower tiles, and any of the other three players draws the last flower tile, the player with the 7 tiles is considered to have won the game by "robbing" the last flower tile as a discard of the player that draws the last flower tile. This is called 'Robbing the Eighth' (七抢一 qī-qiǎng-yī).This is considered a sufficient condition for a '8 Flower Tile-set' (花胡huā-hù) event.

The player who drew the last flower tile, and thus causing the player with 7 flower tiles to win the game, will thus be the 'guilty' party, and is subjected to the same payout scheme described in Table 1.1. This a special hand, so the 'guilty' player has to pay the limit, as if the hand was won on a Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) tile. As this is considered highly unfair to the 'guilty' party, house rules allow this special hand payment to be shared among all 3 players, but this has to be agreed beforehand.

It is extremely important that, in the event that a player amasses 7 flower tiles, this player must declare that he/she demands an inspection of everyone's hidden hand at the end of the game and describe the 'Pao' (包 bāo) condition in this scenario which is described below. In the event if the eighth flower did not appear in the course of the game, and the game ends in either a stalemate or a win by another player, the player who amasses the 7 flower tiles must immediately declare that he/she will conduct an inspection of everyone's hidden hand, so to prevent anyone from dismantling their tiles away. After this declaration, the rest of the playing parties should reveal their hidden hand to the declaring player. If he/she discovers that one of the parties has been keeping the eighth flower within his hidden hand, he/she is considered to have won the game with a '8 Flower Tile-set' (花胡huā-hù), even if the game has already ended. The 'guilty' party can either be made to pay for everyone's losses (known as 'Pao' (包bāo)), or pay as if the game was won mid-way, as it should be. This will depend on the agreement between all playing parties. Any party who does not heed the declaration of card inspection and proceeds to dismantle the tiles upon the ending of the game (so that it will be impossible for the declaring player to inspect his cards) will also be deemed to be guilty of holding on the eight flower tile in secret, and the declaring player is considered to have won the game with a '8 Flower Tile-set' (花胡huā-hù).

As described above, the winning party should not disclose his hidden hand, in the event of a '8 Flower Tile-set' (花胡 huā-hù), if it does not fulfill the criteria of any winning combinations. If he does, some players may consider this to be cheating, or 'Fake Hand' (诈胡 zhà-hú), and the winning-turned-losing party must compensate the rest of the playing parties.

All Triplets Hand

All Triplets (对对胡/碰碰胡)

A 'Triplets Hand' (对对胡 duì-duì-hú or 碰碰胡 pèng-pèng-hù) scores 2 points.

The above is an example of a hand that satisfies a 碰碰胡 pèng-pèng-hù combination that scores two points, that is, any 4 triplets and any pair of tiles (eyes) to fulfill this combination. It does not matter if your hand of tiles is a mixture of Exposed Pong (碰 pèng) tiles and triplets held within your hidden hand.

In some playing circles, winner with Triplets Hand receives additional payment (e.g. $5 in 5/1 or $10 in 1/2) from each player if won by Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) or from the discarder ($15 in 5/1 or $30 in 1/2).

Hidden Treasure (四暗刻/坎坎胡)

However a special condition arises when this combination is held entirely within the winning party's hidden hand. That is, the winning party fulfills this combination with a Self-Pick (自摸 zì-mō), and has no exposed 'Pong' (碰 pèng) tiles or 'Exposed Kong' (明杠 mìng-gàng). In other words, the winning party drew and obtained every tile in this combination himself. This hand is refer to as 'Hidden Treasure' (四暗刻 sì-àn-kè or 坎坎胡 kǎn-kǎn-hù) is extremely rare and it is generally awarded the limit.

Note 1: To achieve the winning combination of Hidden Treasure, the winning party can only perform 'Concealed Kong' (暗杠 àn-gàng) if he has 4-of-a-kind of a particular tile. He cannot perform an 'Exposed Kong' (明杠 mìng-gàng) on any discarded tile from the rest of the players. If he does, the winning hand can only be considered as a 'Triplets Hand'. However, some house rules do not even allow hands with 'Concealed Kong' to claim the winning combination of 'Hidden Treasure'.

Note 2: To achieve a winning combination of Hidden Treasure, the winning party must complete the game with a 'Self-Pick' (自摸 zì-mō). It is immaterial whether he/she has already 4 hidden triplets, and is awaiting one single tile to complete the eye, or otherwise. In some house rules, it is sufficient to have 4 hidden triplets and go mahjong with a single tile, and still be able to qualify for this hand by virtue that all the 4 triplets are hidden in the hand.

Note 3: In some archaic house rules, players are required to open their 4 hidden triplets one-by-one slowly, stacking 1 tile of each triplet on the other 2 tiles. Otherwise, the hand will be treated as a normal "All Triplets" hand.

Suits

Half Flush (混一色 or 半色)

A 'Half Flush Hand' (混一色 hún-yī-sè or 半色bàn-sè) scores 2 points.

The above are examples of combinations which fulfill the 'Half Flush' criteria. This combination simply requires

1) a pure set of tiles from one single suit either from the 'Character' (万子), 'Dots' (筒子) or 'Bamboo' (索子) tile sets, plus

2) any set of tiles from the 'Winds Tiles' (四风牌 sì fēng pái) or 'Dragon Tiles' (三元牌 sān yuán pái) suit.

The 2 points from 'Half Flush' can be stacked with other hands such as 'Greater Sequence Hand', 'Lesser Sequence Hand', 'All Triplets Hand' or 'Mixed Terminals'.

Full Flush (清一色)

If the set of tiles are entirely from one single suit only , then this combination is known as Full Flush Hand (清一色 qīng-yī-sè). This combination is awarded 4 points.

Again, special conditions can arise from this.

(i) Full Flush Greater Sequence Hand (清一色平胡)

If the set of tiles are entirely from one single suit, and it also fulfill the Sequence Hand, then this special combination is known as Full Flush Sequence Hand (清一色平胡). Due to its extreme difficulty, in addition to the probabilistic difficulty of not drawing any animal or flower tiles, it is generally awarded 8 points. 4 points for a full flush and 4 points for the sequence hand.

Most playing circles consider this a special hand, whereby all players pay double that of the limit, regardless if the hand was won on a Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) tile or not.

Full Flush Lesser Sequence Hand (清一色小平胡), in which the winning party has drawn flowers or animals, wins a total of 5 points, 1 for the Lesser Sequence Hand (小平胡) combination and 4 for Full Flush Hand (清一色) combination.

(ii) Full Flush All Triplets Hand (清一色碰碰胡)

Another special condition can arise from having a hand of all triplets and a pair of eyes, either from the wàn-zǐ (万子), tòng-zǐ (筒子) or suò-zǐ (索子) tile sets. This Full Flush Triplets Hand (清一色碰碰胡) will score 6 points (2 for an All Triplets Hand (碰碰胡) combination, and 4 for a Full Flush Hand (清一色) combination), or the limit.

Nine Gates (九连宝灯)

(iii) Another special condition can arise from amassing the 13 tiles as shown below, either from the Character (万子wàn-zǐ), the Dots (筒子tòng-zǐ) or the Bamboo (索子 suò-zǐ) tile sets.

Notice that these 13 tiles do not constitute a winning hand. However, any player, by virtue of having these 13 tiles, can simply win the game with any discarded tile from that same suit. As long as a player amasses these 13 tiles without performing 'pung' or 'chow' (which waits for all 9 tiles of the same suit), and wins the game with any tile of the same suit, he will have completed this rare 'Nine Gates Hand' (九连宝灯jǐu-lián-bǎo-dēng), which awards the limit. This is considered a special hand in some house rules, whereby all players pay double that of the limit, regardless if the hand was won on a Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) tile or not.

If a player is not waiting for all 9 tiles of the same suit and wants to complete the 'Nine Gates Hand', he has to complete the shape by Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō).

Mixed Terminals (混么九/混老头)

A Mixed Terminals Hand (混么九hún-yāo-jǐu/混老头hún-lǎo-tou), or commonly known as dà-pái-yī-jǐu (大牌一九) scores 4 points (2 for triplets and 2 for mixed terminals).

This is a mixture of

1. ones or nines (thus, terminals) from either of the wàn-zǐ (万子), tòng-zǐ (筒子) or suò-zǐ (索子)

or

2. either of the Winds tiles (风 fēng) or Dragon tiles (元 yuán).

Some house rules require the 'Mixed Terminals Hand' to contain both ones and nines, otherwise it is just an "All Triplets" hand.

Pure Terminals (清么九/清老头)

The 'Pure Terminals Hand' (清么九qīng-yāo-jǐu/清老头qīng- lǎo-tou) is made up entirely of ones or nines from either of the wàn-zǐ (风子), tòng-zǐ (筒子) or suò zi (索子) tile sets. This condition is also known as 一九yī-jǐu. Due to its extreme rarity, this is awarded the limit. Most playing circles consider this a special hand, whereby all players pay double that of the limit, regardless if the hand was won on a Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) tile or not.

All Honours (字一色)

The All Honours Hand (字一色 zì-yī-sè) is made up entirely of tiles from either the Winds tiles (风 fēng) or Dragon tiles (元 yuán) tiles. This condition is also known as 大字 dà-zì. Due to its extreme rarity, this is considered a special hand, whereby all players pay double that of the limit, regardless if the hand was won on a Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) tile or not.

Greater Sequence Hand (平胡)

A Greater Sequence Hand (平胡 píng-hú) scores 4 points. In addition, the winning player has to be waiting for at least 2 different tiles to complete a sequence in order to win. In some playing circles, winner with Greater Sequence Hand receives custom rate payment of $10/$20 for 5/1 or $20/$40 for 1/2, and the custom rate doubles up accordingly for a 5 point Greater Sequence Hand (e.g. additional point from Fully Concealed Hand, Robbing the Gong, Winning on last available tile).

A 'Greater Sequence Hand' is one where a player obtains a winning hand of 4 sets of sequences (順子 shùn zǐ) and 1 pair of tiles, all from either the Character (万子 wàn-zǐ), Dots (筒子 tòng-zǐ) or Bamboo (索子 sùo-zǐ) tile sets. (However, special allowance is given to the nature of the pair of tiles. These pair of tiles can be from the Character tiles, Dots tiles or the Bamboo tiles, or any Winds (风 fēng) which is neither the Prevailing Wind (圈风 quān-fēng) nor the Seat Wind (门风 mén-fēng) of the winning player.

The act of forming a melded sequence is called 'Chow' (吃 chī).

A 'Greater Sequence Hand' is considered difficult to amass because winning with this hand requires that (i) the player does not draw any animal or flower tiles. (ii) The player cannot win on a discarded tile by another player, if that discarded tile is an in-between tile (嵌张 qiàn zhāng), edge tile (边张 biān zhāng), or only one tile required to complete the pair (单钓 dān diào), i.e. All Single Wait (一飞 yī fēi / 单听 dān tīng) is not acceptable for this hand. Note: 2-Sided Wait or more is acceptable for this hand in Singapore. For example, 6, 7, 8 & 9 of the Dots tiles, waiting for 6 & 9 of the Dots tiles to win by forming a pair.

Example: A player has the seven of the Dots tiles and the nine of the Dots tiles, he requires the eight of the Dots tiles to complete the winning hand. He cannot declare his combination of tiles to be a 'Greater Sequence Hand' if another player discards the eight of the Dots tiles (or even performing a "Jia Kang" on the eight of the Dots tiles". That is, the four point awarded to the Sequence Hand does not count. He can, however, still win the game by virtue of other points he has already scored, by drawing animals for example. But, if he manages to draws the eight of the Dots tiles by himself (自摸 zì-mō), his winning combination is considered to be a 'Greater Sequence Hand'.

The point here to note is that, a player waiting for either an in-between tile, edge tile (an eight and a nine, waiting for a seven) or a single tile to complete the required pair can only claim a 'Sequence Hand' if he Self-Pick (自摸 zì-mō) that particular tile. If he is waiting for any two tiles (a two and a three, waiting for either a one or a four) to complete the winning hand, he can claim these tiles from any party who discards it.

A special situation exists where a player cannot claim a 'Sequence Hand' even if he Self-Pick (自摸 zì-mō) the last required tile. This situation happens when a player melded all 4 sequences required by discards from other player, and is left with a single tile. In this event it is clear that he is awaiting that single tile to complete his hand, therefore it cannot be considered a 'Greater Sequence Hand'.

If a player manages to amass a combination of cards that adheres to the requirements set above, but has drawn flowers and/or animal tiles, then he can only claim a 'Lesser Sequence Hand' (小平胡 xiǎo-píng-hù / 臭平胡 chòu-píng-hù), which awards only 1 point, on top of any points awarded to him by the flower and/or animal tiles.

In some house rules, players who allow their Xia Jia to complete 3 sequences by "Chow" for a 'Sequence Hand' is obliged to bao Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) if the player successfully completes 'Sequence Hand' by self-draw (i.e. "Pinghu feed 3× bao zimo" house rule). This obligation is lifted the moment the 'Greater Sequence Hand' players draw a bonus tile.

Winning on Replacement Tile (花上,杠上)

A special event known as 'Winning on Replacement Tile For Flower' (花上 huā-shàng) scores one point.

This event happens when a party, who is waiting for a tile to complete his winning hand (also known as the 'Ready Hand' (听牌 tīng-pái)), draws a flower and/or animal. This will require him to replace the drawn flower and/or animal by drawing a 'Replacement Tile For Flower' (补花 bǔ-huā) from the end of the wall. In the event that the tile drawn to replace the flower and/or animal is the tile needed to complete his winning hand, he is considered to score a 'Winning on Replacement Tile For Flower' (花上 huā-shàng). This event itself is worth one point, as mentioned above, in addition to any points scored by the combination of his winning hand. Unless stated otherwise by house rules, 'Winning on Replacement Tile For Flower' is deemed a sufficient condition for a winning hand.

There exists a special event in which a player draws two flower and/or animal tiles in a row, and upon the second consecutive 'Replacement Tile For Flower' (补花bǔ-huā), he draws the tile which he requires to complete his winning hand. This event is known as 'Flower on Flower' (花上花 huā-shàng-huā). Some house rules may choose to consider each consecutive 'Replacement Tile For Flower' (补花 bǔ-huā ), leading up to a final 'Winning on Replacement Tile For Flower' (花上 huā-shàng), to contribute one additional point each. For example, Player A draws 3 consecutive flower and/or animal tiles before finally obtaining the tile required for a winning hand on the third 'Replacement Tile For Flower' (补花 bǔ-huā), he will have gotten 3 additional points for 3 consecutive 'Replacement Tile For Flower' (补花 bǔ-huā) followed by a 'Winning on Replacement Tile For Flower' (花上 huā-shàng). The point scored for the above special events will have to be agreed upon before the game.

In any of the above huā-shàng (花上) event, it is immaterial whether the drawn flower matches the seat number of the player's.

Another special event known as 'Winning on Replacement Tile For Kong' (杠上 gàng-shàng) scores one point.

This event happens when a party, who is waiting for a tile to complete his winning hand (also known as the 'Ready Hand' (听牌 tīng-pái)), either

1) draws a tile which complete a 4-of-a-kind in his hidden hand, in which he can perform an 'Concealed Kong' (暗杠 àn-gàng), or

2) has a 3-of-a-kind in his hidden hand, and any other player discards the last tile of that kind, in which he can perform a 'Exposed Kong' (明杠 mìng-gàng), or

3) has a Pong (碰 pèng) triplet exposed, and draws the last tile of that kind himself, in which he can perform a 'Jia Kong' (加杠 jia-gàng)

Any of the above 3 events will require him to replace the Kong (杠 gàng) by performing a by drawing a 'Replacement Tile For Kong' (补杠 bǔ-gàng). In the event that the tile drawn to replace the 'Kong' (杠 gàng) is the tile needed to complete his winning hand, he is considered to score a 'Winning on Replacement Tile For Kong' (杠上 gàng-shàng). This will event itself is worth one point, as mentioned above, in addition to any points scored by the combination of his winning hand. Unless stated otherwise by house rules, 'Winning on Replacement Tile For Kong' is deemed a sufficient condition for a winning hand.

In Case 2, if Player A discards for Player B to make a 'Exposed Kong', Player A has to pay for all players if Player B were to get a "Bite" or Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) from the replacement tiles.

Instant payment

Note 1: It is common that an instant payout is given to the party who performs a 'Exposed Kong' (明杠mìng-gàng), and the payout follows that of a yǎo-dào (咬到) event. For the performance of an 'Concealed Kong' (暗杠 àn-gàng), it will generally earn double that of the 'Exposed Kong' (明杠 mìng-gàng).

Note 1.1: However, in the event of a 'Robbing the Kong' (抢杠 qiǎng-gàng), the player who performs the 'Kong' (杠 gàng) need not be compensated, and instead will be the 'guilty' party who is considered to have discarded that tile for the player performing a 'Robbing the Kong' (抢杠 qiǎng-gàng). This event is described in the next section.

A special event can also be triggered from a 'Winning on Replacement Tile For Kong' (杠上 gàng-shàng). The sequence of events is as follows

1) Player A has a concealed triplet in his hand, and any other player discard the last of that tile, or

2) Player A has a concealed triplet in his hand, and he draws the last of that tile himself, or

3) Player A has an exposed triplet, and he draws the last of that tile himself

In all 3 scenarios above, he is able to perform a 'Kong' (杠 gàng) and must perform a 'Replacement Tile For Kong' (补杠 bǔ-gàng). In the event that he draws a tile from this 'Replacement Tile For Kong' (补杠 bǔ-gàng), in which he is already holding on to either

4) a concealed triplet of that tile in his hand, or

5) an exposed triplet of that tile,

he is then naturally able to perform another Kong (杠 gàng) and then another 'Replacement Tile For Kong' (补杠 bǔ-gàng). If and only if Player A draws a replacement tile (from this particular second-in-a-row 'Replacement Tile For Kong' (补杠 bǔ-gàng)) which he is able to complete a winning hand, he is considered to have performed a 'Kong on Kong' (杠杠胡 gàng-gàng-hú). Due to the immense probabilistic difficulty of such a feat, it is generally awarded the limit.

Robbing the Kong (抢杠)

Robbing the Kong (抢杠 qiǎng-gàng) scores one point. Unless stated otherwise by house rules, 'Robbing the Kong' is deemed a sufficient condition for a winning hand.

This event occurs when

1) a playing party has a 'Pong' (碰 pèng) triplet exposed,

2) and draws the last tile of that kind himself, and in which he

3) perform an Exposed Kong (明杠 mìng-gàng), and

4) another player, who is waiting for that very last tile of that kind to complete his own winning hand,

5) 'robs' the 'Kong' (杠 gàng) to complete his winning hand.

This exact sequence of events must occur for a 'Robbing the Kong' (抢杠 qiǎng-gàng) event to be triggered. Note that 抢杠 can be for any combination in the hand i.e. it does not have to only be 平胡 or 臭平胡) to win.

However if there are already 3 same tiles that has been 碰pèng by player A and player B is waiting for that particular last tile to form his 平胡 hand and this happened to be an in between tile or corner tile (一万&二万 waiting for 三万 or 七筒&九筒 and waiting for 八筒) , 抢杠 will only give the winning player 1 point upon mahjong as the 平胡 rule is not in effect. However if player B is waiting for 2 tiles to form 平胡, a 抢杠 will give him 5 points (4 for 平胡 and 1 for 抢杠).

Note that the other variant of 'Exposed Kong' (明杠 mìng-gàng) in which a player calls a "Kong' from a discarded tile with a triplet in his hidden hand, does not count as 'Robbing the Kong' (抢杠 qiǎng-gàng). The player who requires that last tile can still declare a win (胡 hù), but will not have deemed to have performed a 'Robbing the Kong' (抢杠 qiǎng-gàng) event.

There is a special condition where 'Robbing the Kong' can be used to rob an 'Concealed Kong' (暗杠 an-gang). The condition is that a particular player is waiting for his last tile to complete the Thirteen Wonders (十三么). This is the only condition where 'Robbing the Kong' can be used to rob an 'Concealed Kong'.

Winning on the Last Available Tile (海底捞月)

'Winning on the Last Available Tile" scores 1 point. This event is also known as hái-dǐ-lāo-yuè (海底捞月), literally "scooping the moon from the ocean bottom". The last available tile is the last 16th un-drawn tile from un-drawn stack.

Note 1: Generally, "Winning on the Last Available Tile' does not stack with 'Replacement Tile For Flower' (补花 bǔ-huā) or 'Replacement Tile For Kong' (补杠 bǔ-gàng), unless house rules state otherwise.

Example 1. Player A draws the last 17th tile, which turns out to be a flower. He turn proceeds to perform a 'Replacement Tile For Flower' (补花 bǔ-huā) by drawing the last 16th tile. In the event that he wins with that last tile, it will not be considered hái-dǐ-lāo-yuè (海底捞月).

Example 2. Player A draws the last 17th tile, which he does not want, and discards it. Player D performs a gàng (杠), and 'Replacement Tile For Kong' (补杠 bǔ-gàng ) by drawing the last 16th tile. If Player D wins on the last tile, it will not be considered hái-dǐ-lāo-yuè (海底捞月).

Example 3. Player A draws the last 18th tile, which turns out to be a flower. He draws a replacement tile, the last 17th tile, and it turns out to be an animal. Finally, he draws the last 16th tile and completes his winning hand. This will not be considered hái-dǐ-lāo-yuè (海底捞月).

However a special event may have been triggered, depending on the agreement of playing parties. Refer to the above discussions on 'Winning on Replacement Tile' (花上,杠上).

Note 2: The game is considered a draw if the 16th last tile is a Bonus Tile. No one-time payout will be required, unless the player has gotten 8 flower tiles for the special hand.

Pure Green Suit (绿一色)

This is a hand that is only played under house rules. Due to its extreme rarity, a 'Pure Green Suit Hand' (绿一色 lǜ-yī-sè) is awarded the limit, instead of just two points for Mixed One Suit, due to the increased difficulty. Some playing circles consider this a special hand, whereby all players pay double that of the limit, regardless if the hand was won on a Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) tile or not. The hand only consist 2,3,4,6 or 8 of the bamboo suit (索子) plus the Green Dragon as a pair or triplet. (Note: As for why it is called Pure Green Suit is that in the early days, all the above tile carvings are painted green.)

Three Lesser Scholars (小三元)

The 'Three Lesser Scholars' (小三元 xiǎo-sān-yuán) scores three points.

Example 1:

Example 2:

Example 3:

Four Lesser Blessings (小四喜)

A 'Four Lesser Blessings' (小四喜 xiǎo-sì-xǐ) scores four points 。Bonus points for a pong/kong of the prevailing wind and/or player wind will not be counted。Stackable with 2 points Half Flush (混一色/半色) and 2 points All Triplets (对对胡/碰碰胡), making the hand at least 6 points worth.

Example 1:

Three Great Scholars (大三元)

A 'Three Great Scholars" (大三元 dà-sān-yuán) scores the limit.

Note 1 : A common rule in Singapore dictates that any player who collects all 3 triplets of the 3 元 tiles, either by having them in your hidden hand, or by performing Pong (碰 pèng) to obtain exposed triplets, can declare himself to have fulfilled the 大三元 combination. The combination of the hidden hands, under this rule, does not matter. Invoking this rule when a player collects all 3 triplets earns that player 5 points (which may not be the 'limit'). Some playing circles consider this a special hand, whereby all players pay double that of the limit, regardless if the hand was won on a Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) tile or not.

Note 1.1 : Care must be taken by any player, who invokes the above rule, to conceal their hidden hand while declaring the game to be won. Otherwise, if the hidden hand is incomplete but the entire hand is revealed, certain players consider this to be cheating, because the said party has not won the game by virtue of his entire hand of tiles, as it should be. If such a situation arise, the winning-turned-losing party must compensate the rest of the playing parties.

Four Great Blessings (大四喜)

A 'Four Great Blessings' (大四喜 dà-sì-xǐ) scores the limit

Note 1 : For 'Four Great Blessings', a common rule in Singapore dictates that any player who collects all 4 triplets of the 4 individual Wind (风 fēng) tiles, either by having them in your hidden hand, or by performing 'Pong' (碰 pèng ) to obtain exposed triplets, can declare himself to have fulfilled the 大四喜 combination. The combination of the hidden hand (more specifically, the last required pair of any tile) under this rule, does not matter. Invoking this rule when a player collects all 4 triplets earns the limit. Some playing circles consider this a special hand, whereby all players pay double that of the limit, regardless if the hand was won on a Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) tile or not.

Note 1.1 : Care must be taken by any player, who invokes the above rule, to conceal their hidden hand while declaring the game to be won. Otherwise, if the hidden hand is revealed, certain players consider this to be cheating, because the said party has not won the game by virtue of his entire hand of tiles, as it should be. If such a situation arise, the winning-turned-losing party must compensate the rest of the playing parties.

Thirteen Wonders (十三幺)

• The "Thirteen Wonders" or "Thirteen Orphans" (十三幺 shí-sān-yāo) Hand scores the limit.

+ any tile in the same set

In Singapore, this winning hand is considered to be one of the hardest to accomplish and therefore has priority to win from a tile from any player's discard, superseding players in front of you who could have gamed from that tile. Thirteen Wonders is the only hand that can snatch a 'Concealed Kong' (暗杠 àn-gàng). Due to the immense difficulty in assembling this hand, all players pay double that of the limit, regardless if the hand was won on a Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) tile or not.

In some house rules, Thirteen Wonders can snatch a self-drawn win. This house rule can be too abstract for some to comprehend as it defies the fundamentals of mahjong, so clarify with the host about this house rule.

Furthermore, when a Thirteen Wonders hand is won, some hosts demand a red packet as a 'tip'. Other nice hosts will instead give the winner a red packet, congratulating him for his win.

Notable Popular House Rules in Singapore (i.e. Modern/Forum Style)

Minimum & Maximum Points 台 tái to Game

Some house rules play a minimum of either 1 or 2 points to game and a maximum of either 5 or 6 points. These points may vary from host to host, so it is advisable to check before the start of the game. For a minimum 2 points to game, some hosts will allow you to game on 1 point provided you won on a Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) tile.

KLDDPP (Ka Long Dan Diao Pong Pong)

When playing with the KLDDPP rule, players can get additional payment if they win a 碰碰胡 pèng pèng hù (see "All Triplets"), or if they Self-Pick (自摸zì mō) a hand waiting on 'kalong' 嵌张 qiàn zhāng or 单钓 'dān diào '. These hands must be only waiting on one type of tiles to game. To get additional payment (e.g. $5 per player in 5/1 or $10 per player in 1/2) for 'kalong' or '单钓 dān diào', the winning tile must be separated clearly from the rest of the hand. (However, the '单钓 dān diào' winning hand can potentially face the wrath of "Thirteen Orphans Snatch Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō)" if the house rule is in effect.) These additional payments stack with Self-Pick (自摸zì mō) bonuses. '碰碰胡 pèng pèng hù' can also stack with '单钓 dān diào'. Note: a player can still win an All Sequences hand by Self-Pick (自摸zì mō) even after declaring 'kalong' or'单钓 dān diào'.

Animal Special

All 4 players are randomly assigned each of the 4 animals. If a player obtains his own animal, he will receive instant payment.

"Japanese Flowers" or "Sakura"

Players will get instant payment for having a complete set of Flowers numbered 1 to 4 in any colour combination.

Seven Pairs (七对子 qi dui zi)

This hand requires a player to have 7 pairs, waiting on a 单钓 (dān diào) wait to complete the hand. Generally, this is awarded two points.

Note 1: However, the points awarded for 'Seven Pairs' vary from host to host. For example, this hand may be awarded three points if won on a discard and five points if won by Self-Pick (自摸zì mō).

Note 2: In some house rules, 'Seven Pairs' can only be won by Self-Pick (自摸zì mō), scoring the 'limit'.

Note 3: In some house rules, players are allowed to use four copies of the same tile as two pairs.

Note 4: 'Seven Pairs' being a pair-based hand, does not stack with either 'Greater Sequence' or 'Lesser Sequence' which is sequence-based.

Other notable scenarios

Eighteen Arhats/Four Kongs (十八罗汉 shí bā luó hàn)

This refers to the scenario where the player manages to win after performing 'Kong' (杠 gàng) four times. It results in the player having 18 tiles excluding flower and animal tiles, hence its name. Most playing circles consider this a special hand, whereby all players pay double that of the limit, regardless if the hand was won from a discard or a Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) tile or not.

Some house rules allow the 'Eighteen Arhats' hand to be completed immediately after 4 Kongs, without the player having to win his final single wait.

Heavenly Hand (天胡 tiān hú)

This refers to the scenario where the dealer wins the round on the first turn before any discard is made (i.e. with the tiles given after dealing and flower/animal/kong any and all etc... replacement needed without draw card). Because of its extreme rarity, this criterion is awarded the limit.

Earthly Hand (地胡 dì hú)

This refers to the scenario where a non-dealer wins from the dealer's first discard. Because of its rarity, this criterion is awarded the limit. Most playing circles consider this a special hand, whereby all players pay double that of the limit, even though the hand was not won on a Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) tile. In some house rules, an 'Earthly Hand' must have minimum 1 point to declare a win.

Fully Concealed Hand (门清自摸 mén qīng zì mō)

This refers to the scenario where you do not eat, pong or kong and draw all the tiles yourself, you must also self draw your winning tile. This adds one point to your hand. In some house rules, 'Fully Concealed Hand' is not a sufficient condition to win, and has to be combined with other points.

Note: Singaporeans often shorten this scenario to just 门清 (mén qīng) to actually mean 门清自摸 mén qīng zì mō. It is not to be confused with other variants of Mahjong Rules which 门清 mén qīng does not require one to also self draw the winning tile. They will usually have another rule 不求人 (bu qiu ren) for that scenario where the player also self draw the winning tile, which corresponds to the Singapore's version of 门清自摸 mén qīng' zì mō'.

Paying for all players (包牌 Bāo pái)

To facilitate explanation, we will use Player A, B, C and D.

For traditional non-shooter mode, for example if Player A discarded the winning tile for Player B to win, Player A will need to pay the "guilty player" amount and Player C and D will only need to each pay half that amount. For shooter mode, the "guilty player" who discarded the winning tile is responsible for all winnings. Therefore Player A will also have pay for Player C and D to Player B.

In Singapore Mahjong, a player's winning amount is solely decided with the point value of the hand. A higher point hand will win more. With each point increase, the winning doubles. However, generally a high point hand is often very obvious. Example when a player has already melded (chow, eat, kong) the same suit multiple times, it will be quite likely that such player is going for the Full Flush (清一色) hand. In such cases, the potential of all other players to discard to a high point value hand is increased.

Rationale

Such rule is to prevent and disincentivize players from discarding a highly dangerous tile knowingly aware of a likely high point hand scenario. The general situation is, if a player (for example, Player A), has already melded (chow/pong/kong) tiles that points to a certain kind of winning hand (for example Full Flush 清一色) , another player (for example, Player B) discarded a tile resulting in Player A to Chow/Pong/Kong, advancing further to the Full Flush (清一色) hand. Player B is then responsible if Player A eventually proceeds to win off a Full Flush (清一色) by Player B discard or if Player A Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō).

Paying for all players under shooter mode

Players are already naturally responsible to pay for all winnings if they discarded the winning tile. Therefore, players will only need to take note of being responsible to pay all winnings for Self-Pick (包自摸Bāo-zì-mō) on behalf of all players.

• 12th tile (4th set) rule: When Player A has already melded 9 or more tiles (3 sets), Player B proceeds to discard a tile resulting in the Player A melding the 4th set. Player B is then responsible to pay all the winnings if Player A eventually win a certain hand type by Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō).
• Win on Kong replacement: Player A discards a fresh tile resulting in Player B to Kong. If Player B wins on the Kong replacement tile, Player A will need to pay for all winning.

Paying for all players under non-shooter mode

Players are normally not required to pay for all winnings if they discarded the winning tile. Therefore, players will need to take note of being responsible to pay all winnings for Self-Pick (包自摸Bāo-zì-mō) and upon discard (包输Bāo shū) on behalf of all players.

• 9 or 12 tiles rule: When Player A has already melded 9 tiles (3 sets), Player B proceeds to discard a tile for Player A to immediately win a certain hand type. Player B is then responsible to pay all the winnings. If Player A did not win immediately but only melded (chow/pong/kong) on the discard, leading to 12 tiles (4th) set melded. Player B is then responsible to pay all the winnings if Player A eventually win by Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) or on Player B's discard (包输Bāo shū).

The following is a typical list of hand types where players have to take note of:

Dragon Tile Set Scenario (包三元)

Player A has two Dragon Pongs or Kongs exposed. Player B discards a third Dragon and the Player A is able to Pong/Kong it or complete an eye with it (and thereby winning), forming a third set of Dragons. If Player A wins the game with Player B's discard or his own tile, Player B pays all winnings.

Example:

Player A's exposed melds:

High-risk discard would be:

Wind Tile Set Scenario (包四喜)

Same as Dragon Tile Set Scenario, but requires three exposed Wind sets and completing a fourth with a discard.

Example:

Player A's exposed melds:

High-risk discard would be:

Note: Dragon tiles are also considered high-risk discard:

due to the possibility of a 'All Honours Hand' (字一色).

Point Limit Scenario (包滿貫)

Player A has 4 points exposed in a game with a point limit of 5. Player B discards a Dragon tile, a Prevailing Wind (圈风 quān-fēng) or a Player's Seat Wind (门风 mén-fēng) that is taken by Player A, thereby granting Player A the point limit of 5 points. If Player A wins the game instantly or eventually with Player B's discard or by Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō), Player B pays all winnings. Another unique scenario is where Player A has 3 points exposed. Player B discards the Wind tile that is both the Prevailing Wind and the Player's Seat Wind, that is taken by Player A, thereby granting Player A the point limit of 5 points. If Player A wins the game instantly or eventually with Player B's discard or by Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō), Player B pays all winnings. Example:

The limit is 5 points. Player A already has 4 points on his exposed tiles. His seat wind is South and the prevailing Wind is East.

Player A's exposed tiles:

High-risk discards:

Note: The Point Limit Scenario (包滿貫) is still valid even after Player A has reached the Point Limit. Please see caveat of this rule

Example (continued from above):

Player B discards for Player A to pong, granting Player A 5 points (limit). Player B is now on the 包滿貫 penalty and will be responsible to pay for all winnings on behalf of all players if Player A eventually wins by Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) or a discard by Player B.

Or

Player A draws in one of the remaining bonus tile:

Player B discards for Player A to pong, but Player A still has 5 points (limit). Player B is now on the 包滿貫 penalty and will be responsible to pay for all winnings on behalf of all players if Player A eventually wins by Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) or a discard by Player B.

Overriding of penalty: The very first player that triggered the penalty will be relieved of the penalty once other players subsequently discarded a "highly dangerous tile". Please see caveat of this rule

Example: In a game with 5 points limit, prevailing wind (East). Player A (East) already has 4 points due to the following bonus tiles.

Player A starting hand:

High-risk discards:

Player B proceeds to discard resulting in Player A to pong to have the point limit (5) and thus triggered the penalty. Player C subsequently discards which Player A also pong, but Player A has already reached point limit (5). Player C is now the one who faces the penalty. If later in the game, Player D discards a fresh tile which allows Player C to call 'Kong' and win on the replacement tile, Player D will pay for all players instead.

Full Flush/All Honours/Pure Terminals Scenario (包清一色/包字一色/包清么九/包清老头)

Player A has 3 or 4 sets of the same suit (bamboo, dots, character) or honours or terminals exposed. If Player B discards a tile of the same suit or honours or terminals respectively and Player A uses it to win Full Flush/ All Honours/ Pure Terminals hand, Player B pays all winnings. If Player B discards a tile of the same suit or honours or terminals respectively and Player A forms a 4th set, Player B is liable to pay all winnings if he subsequently discards a tile of the same suit or if Player A Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) and win Full Flush/ All Honours/ Pure Terminals hand.

Example:

Player A's exposed melds:

High-risk discards: Any tile from the same suit as player A's exposed melds.

Pure Terminals Scenario (包清老头)

Player A has 3 or 4 triplets exposed, all of which are of the terminal number one or nine of any suit. If Player B discards a tile of the terminal number one or nine, and Player A uses it to win, Player B pays for all winnings.

If Player B discards a terminal tile and Player A forms a 4th set, Player B is liable to pay all winnings if he subsequently discards a terminal tile for Player A to win or if Player A Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) to win full flush hand.

Example:

Player A's exposed melds:

High-risk discards:

Of course, realistically, the high-risk discards are just since the rest have already appeared in Player A's exposed melds and can't form either the triplet or pair when he goes Mahjong.

Fresh Tile Discard (生牌) Scenarios

Definition of 'Fresh tile' (生牌 shēng-pái)

'Fresh tiles' (生牌 shēng-pái) are tiles that have not been discarded.

However, exposed tiles from 'Chow' (吃 chī) sets are not considered as 'discarded' tiles. For example, if Player C has a 'Chow' (吃 chī) set of one-two-three 'Character' (万子wàn-zǐ) exposed, and none other of these three 'Character' (万子 wàn-zǐ) tiles are not found in the discard pool, then all these three 'Character' (万子wàn-zǐ) tiles are considered to be 'Fresh' (生shēng) tiles.

As for 'Pong' (碰 pèng) sets are not considered as 'Fresh' (生牌 shēng-pái) tile since someone did discard it to allow the set to be melded.

There appears to be variants of the "Definition of Fresh" tile among different players as opposed to the one already mentioned above.

The variants are:

1. Some players define "fresh" as any tile that is not already present in the discard pool.
2. while other player define "fresh" to be any tile that is not already exposed somewhere on the table.

I.e. to say, if a certain tile is present in one of the melded sets of a player but absent from the discard pool, it will be considered "fresh" under the definition of the first variant but not under that of the second variant.

As mentioned, it will be wise to agree upon the rules with all playing parties before the below two scenarios are triggered.

Fresh Tile Discard Kong Scenario (包杠)

There are fewer than 7 tiles remaining in the wall (excluding the last 15 tiles that are meant to be untouched). If Player B discards a 'Fresh' (生牌 shēng-pái) tile (one not previously discarded) and Player A performs any Kong (杠 gàng) with that discarded tile, Player B pays all the associated compensation that Player A should receive. This has no effect on the payout when the game is won. However, if Player A wins by a 'Winning on Replacement Tile For Kong' (杠上 gàng-shàng) from that discard, Player B will be responsible to pay for all players.

Fresh Tile Mahjong Scenario (包生)

There are fewer than 5 tiles remaining in the wall (excluding the last 15 tiles that are meant to be untouched). If Player B discards a 'Fresh' tile and Player A wins the game with that tile, Player B pays all winnings payable to Player A for the points he has scored. That is, if Player A wins with a 5-point Hand, Player B will compensate Player A with S$64. Players C and D will not be involved in any payment within this scenario. The description of 'Fresh' (生 shēng) tiles above applies here.

A simple phrase to help remember the number of the tiles remaining for the 'Fresh' tile discard scenarios is simply "7 tiles Pao Kong,5 Tiles Pao Fresh" (七张包杠,五张包生 qī-zhang-bāo-gàng, wǔ-zhang-bāo-shēng).

Wrong Winning Claim Scenario (诈胡)

A scenario where a player claims he has completed his winning hand but in fact, he has not done so or there is a mistake in his hand. This scenario is called Fake or Trick Hand (诈胡 zhà-hú).

Usually he will be penalised to pay 5 points or the Limit to the other three players. The discarder will get double, whereas the other two players get the normal rate. If it is the offender that wrongly claim the "winning tile" which he drew it himself, i.e.Self-Pick (自摸 zì-mō), then he will pays all the three players double.

Note 1: Usually the penalty for this scenario is 5 points as most players set the Limit to 5 points, but it will be wise to confirm with all playing parties beforehand regarding the penalty when this scenario arises especially when the Limit is more than 5 points.

Note 2: In the shooter pay scenario, a player who has wrongly claimed a winning hand will have to compensate all three players the same amount (e.g. $32 each for 5/1 rate) to mitigate collusion amongst players. If he/she has Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) the wrong winning tile, he/she will have to compensate everyone the winnings equivalent to 5 points Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) rate (e.g. $35, $32 plus $3).

Three Players Winning on the Same Discard (一炮三响)

There are three variations of house rules for this scenario.

1. Only the player immediately to the right of the discarder wins his hand.
2. The discarder must pay the hand value of all 3 players.
3. The discarder pays the limit to all 3 players.

Other Penalties

Short Hand (小相公 xiǎo xiàng gōng)

Short Hand is when the offending player has less than 13 tiles in hand, exposed or concealed (Kong is counted as 3 tiles) .

The penalty will be the offender has forfeited the right to win for the current hand. However, the offender is still allowed to claim Kong for instant payment because unlike Long Hand, Short Hand reduces the chance of Kong with instant payment.

In Shooter Pay style, offender will forfeit the right to win and collect additional payments from gong and bite, and also be liable to pay on behalf of all players if someone else bite, self draw an exposed or concealed gong and win on Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō).

Long Hand (大相公 dà xiàng gōng)

Long Hand is when the offending player (i) has more than 13 tiles in hand, exposed or concealed (Kong is counted as 3 tiles) and/or (ii) has drawn the wrong tile/s from the wall and/or (iii) melded the wrong discarded tile.

When detected by other player, the penalties will be the offender has forfeited the rights to win and to claim any Kong for instant payment for the current hand.

In Shooter Pay style, offender will forfeit the right to win and collect additional payments from gong and bite, and also be liable to pay on behalf of all players if someone else bite, self draw an exposed or concealed gong and win on Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō).

Miscellaenous Rule-breaking (乱象 luan xiang)

Players can also break the rules in other ways, such as: drawing tiles from the wrong wall, accidentally discarding flowers, exposing an entire wall, calling hu on the wrong tile, taking the wrong tiles for a 'Chow', 'Pong' or 'Kong' etc. In Shooter Pay style, offender will forfeit the right to win and collect additional payments from gong and bite, and also be liable to pay on behalf of all players if someone else bite, self draw an exposed or concealed gong and win on Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō).

Missed Discard (过水牌 guò-shuǐ-pái)

To facilitate explanation, the following players seat orientation will be used. Yourself(East), Lower-Leg(South), Opposite-leg(West), Upper-leg(North).

1. You skipped pong on lower/opposite leg player's discard tile, you are temporary prohibited to claim pong when opposite/upper leg discards the very same tile. This penalty is relieved once you draw in a tile.
2. You skipped win on lower/opposite leg player's discard tile, you are temporary prohibited to claim win when opposite/upper leg discards the very same tile. This penalty is relieved once you draw in a tile.
3. You skipped win on lower/opposite leg player's discard tile, you are temporary prohibited to claim win when opposite/upper leg discards a different tile that also completes your hand. This penalty is relieved once you draw in a tile.

Example:

You are holding and waiting for both and . If you skipped win on a lower leg player's discard of you will be temporary prohibited to claim win on opposite/upper leg player's discard of or .

Or

You are holding and waiting for both and . If you skipped win on a lower leg player's discard of you will be temporary prohibited to claim win on opposite/upper leg player's discard of or .

In other words, you are only allowed to win on a different discarded tile only if the previous missed discard was not part of your wait. If however winning on a different tile will result in you having a higher point hand, it is commonly accepted to be allowed to skip win on the discard of a lower value hand and still claim win later on a discard of a higher value hand.

Example:

Claiming a win on will yield a higher point (by 1) hand. Therefore, skipping win of a discard of and then claiming is generally accepted. However it is best to clarify such scenario with all players beforehand.

Note: The missed discard tile rule also applies to the tile you just discarded

The following example illustrates a common scenario when a player is trying to form the Greater Sequence Hand (平胡 píng-hú) but is waiting for an in-between tile (嵌张 qiàn zhāng) or edge tile (边张 biān zhāng). Said player can only win by a Self-Pick (自摸zì-mō) as the Greater Sequence Hand (平胡 píng-hú) requires at least a two-sided wait to win off a discard. The player can "secretly chow" (偷吃 tōu chī) the in-between tile or edge tile and break another formed sequence set to change to a 2-sided or more wait.

Example: You hold waiting only on a single edge tile .

You chow a and discards to change to a 3-sided wait of . You are temporary prohibited to claim win on a discard of , or . This penalty is relieved once you draw in a tile.

In some house rules, you will only be temporary prohibited to claim win on the you just discarded and both will be allowed. It is best to check with all players to clarify how to handle such scenario.

Limitations (限制 Xiànzhì)

You are not allowed to discard the very same tile that you just called meld on. This rule is to prevent players from skipping their turns.

Example:

Pong with already on hand and discard immediately.

Chow with already on hand and discard immediately.

The rule also extends to discarding the other side of a completed sequence.

Chow with already on hand and discard immediately.

See also

• Mahjong
• Scoring in Mahjong

External links

• Rules for Singapore Mahjong and Free Computer Game