HOW TO PLAY
8. Glossary
eyes: the pair of two identical tiles, revealed at the end of a hand. ex: “I’m looking for an eye” = trying to match up the pair in order to win
full house: the maximum payout in one hand (ie. 500 / 1000). Score has 4 doubles or more. example: all one suit, all sets, a set of dragons & self pick-up win.
hand: The goal of each hand is to be the first player to put together all of their tiles into sequences of sets and/or runs, plus a matched pair to win. Tiles are shuffled and re-stacked into four walls for each new hand.
off the back: if a player opens a set of 4 (“kong”), they must draw a tile from the end of the stack to have enough tiles to complete a hand
open set: a set of tiles that is revealed during the hand
round: A round of mahjong is completed when each player has had a turn at being the Banker (East seat). There are four rounds in one complete game.
runs: A collection of 3 consecutive tiles of one suit (“shung” or “chow”)
sets: A collection of 3 (“pung”) or 4 (“kong”) identical tiles
starting banker: the first player who acts as banker, determined by the first dice roll of the game. This player will then start every wind round of the game.
value tile: any of the dragon tiles OR
any of the wind tiles that match a player’s wind position
wind disc: used to keep track of what round is being played, and passed from banker to banker
wind position: a player’s combination of wind round + wind seat to determine what winds are worth more points to that player in that hand
FAQ
Where can I find a mahjong set?
Your local Chinatown! Or better yet, ask your family members if anyone has an extra set lying around (and if they want to play with you). Of course, there are also online retailers or eBay/Craigslist. Also check out this post for a list of small businesses in Chinatowns around the United States where mahjong sets have been spotted for sale.
Why are all of these rules so different than mine?
Everything on this site represents the way my family plays mahjong: my Cantonese Chinese grandparents in Dunedin, New Zealand, brought to California by my parents 30+ years ago. Rules for playing mahjong vary broadly. Would you like to share a house rule, or ask a clarifying question? Write to me using the contact form!
Do we have to keep score?
Nope! Some people simply keep track of how many hands each player has won, without the complications of points or payouts. And many people don’t keep score at all. But in my family, keeping score raises the stakes, which makes it more fun!
What’s the best way to learn mahjong?
Definitely through PLAYING with other people, and as often as possible!