HOW TO PLAY
7. Mahjong Hands
Winning mahjong hands vary widely across family house rules and regional styles of play. Here I’m sharing some of the most common winning combinations, as well as more complex ones to strive for. The “extraordinary hands” are incredibly difficult for the average player to put together, but the payout is worth it, along with the bragging rights.
Common Mahjong Hands
These hands are the “easiest” ways to complete a hand, and are thought of a “fast and cheap” win. But they get the job done! Some house rules don’t even allow players to win with a “chicken hand,” instead setting the bar higher in terms of level of difficulty. In my family, where we count points and play for money, chicken hands are encouraged almost as a defensive strategy, to prevent someone else from winning big.
*Images shown are just ONE example of that type of win.
“CHICKEN HAND” (gai-ful)
A mix of sets and runs.
Score: 40 / 80
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This is typically the “easiest” type of hand to put together because there are many varieties of sets and runs that a Player can collect. There is ‘nothing special’ about the way you won. A Player who keeps their options open with flexible cards is seen as taking the ‘fast route to winning’ - think fast & cheap.
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Winner collects 80 points from the person who discarded the winning tile, and 40 points from the other two players. If the winner picked up the winning tile themself, everyone pays 80.
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FROM EXAMPLE IMAGE ABOVE:
-Run of Characters
-Set of “1 of Bamboo” (+4 points)
-Run of Bamboo
-Set of “8 of Circles” (+2 points)
-Eyes: pair of “2 of Bamboo”30 (base score) + 4 + 2 = 36
36 rounds up to 40.
Score: 40 / 80
-Players pay 40 points to the winner.
-Player who discarded the winning tile pays 80 to winner.
-If winner picked up the winning tile themself, everyone pays 80.
ALL SETS
All three of a kind (pungs).
Score: 2x your base score (1 fan)
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All tiles are matched up in sets of three of a kind, plus a pair of any suit, with no winds or dragons. For 2x points, at least one set would have been revealed during the hand. If all sets were concealed until the end, that’s an extra 2x points.
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The winner gets to double their base score, and collect that amount from the other players. The player who discarded the winning tile pays double. If the winner picked up the winning time themself, everyone pays double.
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FROM EXAMPLE IMAGE ABOVE:
-Set of “3 of Bamboo” (+2 points)
-Set of “7 of Characters” (+2 points)
-Set of “5 of Circles” (+2 points)
-Set of “8 of Bamboo” (+2 points)
-Eyes: pair of “6 of Characters”Score: 80 / 160
30 (base score) + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 38
38 rounds to...40
Doubled to 80 because the hand is all SETS
-Players pay 80 to the winner
-Person who discarded the winning tile pays 160
-If the winner picked up the winning tile themself, everyone pays 160
“PEACEFUL” ALL RUNS
All sequences of three in a row.
Score: 60 / 120
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Collecting runs are not worth any points (using the logic that they are easier to put together), but a hand of ALL runs becomes a reason to celebrate.
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Since there are technically no points gathered from runs, the winner is rewarded with a double of the base score! (+30)
The player who discards the winning tile pays 120 to the winner. Everyone else pays 60. Everyone pays 120 if the winner picked up the winning tile themself.
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FROM EXAMPLE IMAGE ABOVE:
Run of Circles (7,8,9)
Run of Bamboo (5,6,7)
Run of Characters (2,3,4)
Run of Circles (1,2,3)
Eyes: pair of “2 of Bamboo”
Score: 60 / 120
30 (base) + 0 (no sets)
30 rounds to...30
Doubled to 60 because the hand is all runs.
Players pay 60 to the winner, but Player who discarded the winning tile pays 120. Everyone pays 120 if winner picked up the winning tile themself.
Special Mahjong Hands
These hands are more advanced and require more skill and luck (such as another player not paying attention!) to complete. This section also introduces rewards for the way a player wins, or in other words how they come by their final tile.
ROBBING A KONG
Winning by stealing the fourth tile of an opponent’s open set
Score: 2x your base score
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Situation: You are waiting for a certain tile to complete your hand, but three of the four tiles have already been exposed via an opponent’s set (an exposed pung).
If that Player with the three tiles happens to pick up the fourth one and starts to place it alongside the others (to make it an exposed Kong), you are allowed to claim it as your own in order to win, thereby robbing the Kong.
The player who got robbed also has to pay you double because they were forced to throw out the winning tile.
MAHJONG FROM A KONG
Drawing the fourth tile in a set (kong) for the win
Score: 2x your base score
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Situation: You have a set of three concealed in your hand. You draw the fourth tile of this set from the wall (closed set), and at the same time it completes your entire hand for mahjong.
MAHJONG FROM A BONUS TILE
Drawing a winning tile off the back of the wall
Score: 2x your base score
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Situation: You just completed a set of four (kong), and so you need a bonus tile, which you take from off of the very back of the wall. If this tile completes your hand, you win! Even crazier: If you draw the winning tile off of two consecutive bonus tiles from kongs, then 2 doubles (4x points) are awarded.
Another nickname for winning this way: “Winning from the roof”
PURITY HAND
A complete hand consisting of all one suit.
Score: 6x your base score
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Composed of Sets, Runs or Kongs of ONE suit only (eg. all circles). No winds or dragons. 6x your base score = 3 doubles.
Extraordinary Mahjong Hands
These hands are extraordinary and highly improbable winning hands! I first learned of some of these special hands when my parents were clearing out their garage and discovered a typed-written document by my grandfather. Some of these hands were familiar to them, and some of them they had never even heard of! In speaking with others who play the game, as well as cross-checking online forums and resources, there are even more types of extraordinary hands out there (also with poetic names) based on regional styles of play and how the game has evolved.
Score: Hands in this section score you either three (“sam fan”) or four doubles (listed below). A hand with four or more doubles is also known as a full house, or the maximum limit payout for a hand. The number of doubles/fans for a full house should be established at the start of the game. (Some experienced tables go all the way up to 13 doubles for a max limit hand!)
HEADS AND TAILS
Winning with sets of 1s and 9s
Score: Full limit (or 10 fans)
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Winning with all sets (3 or 4 of a kind) of 1s or 9s of any of the three suits, with a pair of either 1s or 9s. (No winds or dragons in the hand).
Also known as: All Terminal Hand
JADE HAND
Winning with all “green” tiles
Score: Full limit
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Winning with ALL GREEN tiles. This may consist of sets or runs of the green bamboo tiles (2, 3, 4, 6, 8) or sets of the Green Dragon. Tiles may be exposed or concealed.
THIRTEEN UNIQUE WONDERS
Winning with one of everything (no sets or runs) + a pair
Score: Full limit
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Winning with a 1 and 9 of each suit, one of each wind tile, and one of each dragon tile, plus a matching pair to any of these tiles. Because there aren’t any traditional sets or runs in this hand, all of these tiles must be picked off the wall except for the winning tile (which may be taken from a discard) to complete the mahjong.
EARTH’S GRACE
Winning on the first tile discarded
Score: Full limit
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This is scored by any player who, on picking up their original 13 tiles, finds that they are calling for mahjong straight away, and on the FIRST discard made by the Banker (east position) completes their hand.
“Heaven’s Blessing” - is when the hand that is dealt to East is already a winning hand!
Either is a truly cosmic, once in a lifetime hand!
PICKING THE MOON FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA
Winning with the 1 of Circles at the end of the game
Score: Full limit
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The 1 of Circles is also known as “the Moon.” A player must be calling for this card to complete their hand, and should they pick up this tile to win when it is the last available chance (leaving 14 from the end), it’s like picking ‘the moon’ from the bottom of the seas.
An incredibly poetic, evocative name!
THREE SMALL DRAGONS
Two sets of dragons, plus a pair of the third dragon.
Score: Three doubles
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Winning with two sets of dragons, plus a pair of the third dragon, either concealed or exposed, with any suit tiles.
THREE BIG DRAGONS
A set of each of the dragons.
Score: Full limit
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Winning with a set of each dragon (red, white & green), either concealed or exposed, with any suit tiles.
FOUR SMALL WINDS
Winning with three sets of winds, plus a pair of the fourth wind
Score: Three doubles
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Winning with three sets (triplets) of winds, plus a pair of the fourth wind. If the remaining three tiles are a set of any suit, you score 1 extra double (since your hand is All Sets).
FOUR BLESSINGS
Sets of each of the four winds.
Score: Full limit
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Winning with sets (3 or 4 of a kind) of each of the Four Winds, and a pair of any suit tiles.
Also known as: Four Big Winds