Taiwanese Mahjong Rule Book

Classic 16-tile Taiwanese Mahjong as documented by authoritative sources. Winning hand = 5 sets + 1 pair (17 tiles). Dealer (East) starts with 17 tiles and discards one.

Standard uses tai (台) units, not points. Each scoring pattern awards tai; final payment = base + (perTai × totalTai) with a dealer multiplier on top.

• Standard — patterns award tai (台). Typical winning hand is 1–8 tai.
• House / Advanced — patterns award points (pts) and a base is always added. Typical winning hand is 20–150+ pts.

Units are not interchangeable. A 3-tai Standard win is not the same as a 30-point House win.

• No points base — payment is tai-only. House adds 5 pts base to every win.
• No Orphans hands — must win with 5 sets + 1 pair.
• No Jade / Ruby / Diamond hands — those are special-hand additions.
• No chasing-tile penalties, no draw pot, no immediate flower-set payments during play.
• No chicken hand bonus — a 0-tai win pays the minimum with no top-up.
• Consecutive-dealer bonus uses 2n+1 formula, not the dice-on-wall 3/5/7/9/11/13 schedule.
• Passing rule (過水) and dead-hand rule (相公) are enforced.

Key Combinations

The aim of Taiwanese Mahjong is to be the first player to complete a winning hand of 17 tiles by forming valid combinations of 5 sets of 3 tiles and 1 Pair / Eyes.

Each player begins with 16 tiles (East/Dealer gets 17) and draws one tile per turn to build their hand. A winning hand typically consists of 5 sets (Pongs, Gongs or Sheungs) and 1 Pair / Eyes.

The winner earns points based on the value and type of combinations in their hand.

Players can win either by drawing the final tile themselves (Self-Pick) or by claiming a tile discarded by another player.

Mahjong > Gong > Pong > Sheung

• Pong or Gong takes priority over Sheung
• Mahjong takes priority over everything

Calling by Pairs

Player has 2 pairs and is waiting to make a Pong with either pair. They need 1 of the 2 tiles to Mahjong.

True Single Wait

Player is waiting for only 1 tile to Mahjong and no other tile can replace the winning tile. This is a "True Single Wait".

A pair (Eyes) made of ONLY 8s, 5s, or 2s of any suit earns bonus points.

A complete run from 1–9 consisting of 3 Sheungs: 123, 456 & 789. A player can claim points for both a Mixed Dragon and a Pure Dragon.

Open Gong (for each Open Gong)

If your ONLY exposed tiles happen to be a Pong set and you Self-draw the 4th tile to complete it, the exposed Pong becomes a fully concealed one.

Concealed Gong (for each Concealed Gong)

A concealed Gong is not shown to the other players. A Player must show any "Concealed" Gongs at the end of the current game.

A player draws a tile from the Wall and adds it to an existing exposed Pong to make a Gong. In the same round, another player can claim this Gong tile for Mahjong; the player who exposed the Gong pays an additional 10 pts. 10

A player makes a Gong, draws from the Flower Wall to make another Gong, draws again and Mahjongs. 30

A Special Hand made up of 7 pairs and 1 Pong. Fully concealed. All tiles must be drawn except the Mahjong tile (discard or self-drawn). The 17th tile can be matched to any single tile to make a pair or any pair to make the Pong.

Calculate like any other winning hand, then add 40 points for Nico Nico.

Fully concealed hand: 1 & 9 of ALL Suits, 1 of each Wind and Dragon, a Pong or Sheung, PLUS 1 Honour Tile for the Pair. All tiles self-drawn except the Mahjong tile.

80 pts

No Closing Allowed. Fully concealed: 3 sheungs/sequences, one per suit, where each sheung is made of 3 tiles at least 2 numbers apart (non-consecutive). Plus 1 of each Wind and Dragon and 1 extra orphan for the Pair. Winning tile can be any orphan.

Valid non-consecutive sheungs: 1·4·9, 2·5·8, 3·6·9, 1·5·9, 1·3·5. A regular chow (1·2·3) is not valid here.

60 pts

If all four identical tiles are discarded in the same round, this is "Chasing a Tile". The player who started the chase pays:

• Dragon or Wind Tiles = 5 pts to each player
• Suit Tiles = 10 pts to each player

Closing (Calling) occurs when a player turns all concealed tiles face down, indicating they are waiting for tile(s) to complete their hand. Worth an additional 5 points.

Once closed:

• Cannot look at tiles until Mahjong or another player wins
• Cannot reverse the decision
• Cannot add to a concealed Pong to make a Gong (must discard)
• Can still collect Mixed or Pure Flower Bouquet points

When and How to Close / Call:

1. Draw a tile from the Wall or Seabed
2. Before discarding, turn all concealed tiles face down

A player may only Close / Call when it is their turn — not before or after.

A player may claim a discarded tile even if another player has drawn from the Wall — provided they haven't crossed it over the ruler or inserted it into their hand.

If missed, the player cannot claim the same tile if discarded again in the same round.

1-3 players may declare Mahjong from the same discard. All are winners; each paid by the discarder. Score in order starting with the player to the right of the discarder.

If no one wins: each player places 5 points under the wind marker, forming a 20-point pool for the next Self-Draw winner. East Seat moves to the next seat.

Penalty: 25 points to each player. The round is null and void. Dealer keeps their East Seat.

Must continue playing. Cannot: Declare Mahjong, collect Flower money, or collect Pong/Gong points. Must still pay owed points and continue drawing/discarding.

After winning as Dealer, place a die on the Flower Wall showing consecutive win count. Bonus points:

Determine the East Seat:

1. Take out 1 Wind tile each of East, South, West & North to form a wind stack
2. Last person to join the table rolls all three dice
3. Add up the total — that seat number becomes East Seat
4. Place the East ruler on that seat

Draw from Wind Stack:

1. East Seat player rolls all three dice again
2. Total determines which seat starts drawing
3. Each player draws one tile in anti-clockwise order

Assign Seats:

Players sit according to their Wind tile: East, South, West, North. East Wind player sits where the ruler is.

Punctuality and Respect

• Be on time. Arriving late keeps everyone waiting.
• Focus on the game. Keep mobile phones aside.

Shuffling ("Twittering") & Building the Wall

• Everyone participates enthusiastically in mixing tiles
• Push your section toward the center so all four walls connect neatly

Breaking the Wall and Dealing

1. East Seat rolls dice to determine which wall is broken
2. Player in front of that wall breaks it to create the Start and Flower Wall
3. Drawing: Dealer (East) takes first 4 tiles, then South, West, North
4. Continue until all have 16 tiles, then East takes their 17th

Dealer Responsibilities

• Take 17th tile, expose Flowers immediately, replace from Flower Wall
• Call out "Cheng" to signal next player
• Flower replacement order: East, South, West, North

Discarding and Claiming

• Discarded tiles go randomly in the center (Seabed), not in rows
• Always draw before you discard
• Place tiles gently — avoid aggressive discarding
• Pay attention; repeatedly asking "What was discarded?" is impolite
• The right to claim depends on speed — "Window of Opportunity"

Exposed and Winning Tiles

• Never place a claimed tile directly into your hand
• Place it in front, bring forward matching tiles, and display together
• When declaring Mahjong, place winning tile horizontally over your set
• Keep concealed and exposed sets clearly separated for scoring

Flow of Luck

• Cannot claim a tile you previously passed on in the same round
• If you miss your winning tile, wait until next round
• Leave the table only between hands, not during play
• When Dealer is on a winning streak, it's impolite to leave

Courtesy and Conduct

Be kind and patient with beginners. Encouraging them helps grow the community.

Remember: Mahjong reveals true character. Play with grace, win with humility and lose with charm.