Mahjong: Comprehensive Guide to Play, Rules, and Scoring

Mahjong is gaining popularity among Vietnamese players, with various playing styles across different regions. Here’s a guide on basic gameplay, from understanding tile types to crafting a winning hand. Perfect for gatherings with friends and family.

Mahjong Explained: Rules and Beginner's Guide

1. Introduction to Mahjong and its Terminology

Mahjong, a strategic and engaging board game, originates from China and has gained popularity worldwide, including our country.

Tile Sets Overview

Mahjong is played with tiles made from materials like bone, ivory, or plastic, comprising 4 suits and one special set, totaling 160 tiles.

Suits Breakdown

The suits are categorized into three types: Characters, Bamboos, and Circles.

Bamboos Suit

Bamboo tiles, marked in blue, range from 1 to 9, with the number one tile uniquely represented by a sparrow image.

Each Bamboo tile set contains four of each number, totaling 36 tiles in the Mahjong set.

Characters Suit

Character tiles feature the traditional Chinese character for 'ten thousand' in red, with numbers 1 through 9 (One to Nine). There are 36 Character tiles in a Mahjong set.

Circles Suit

Circle tiles display numbers from 1 to 9, totaling 36 tiles in the Circles suit.

Winds Suit

The Winds suit, also known as the wind tiles, includes 7 types, each with 4 tiles, making a total of 28 tiles.

Flowers Suit

The Flowers suit consists of four types: Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, and Bamboo.

Seasons Suit

The Seasons suit comprises three types as previously mentioned.

Jokers Suit

Jokers are special tiles that can substitute for other tiles, available in two colors: green and red.

Green Jokers include four types: General, barrel, stripe, and curtain.

General: Replaces any tile, including flower tiles.

Barrel: Substitutes for tiles in the Circles suit.

Stripe: Substitutes for tiles in the Bamboo suit.

Curtain: Replaces tiles in the Characters suit.

Red Jokers include four types: Flower, joy, wealth, and harmony.

Flower: Replaces the Wind direction tiles.

Joy: Substitutes for the Four Seasons tiles.

Wealth: Replaces the Red, Green, and White Dragons.

Harmony: Replaces any tile from the Bamboo, Characters, or Circles suits.

Detailed Mahjong gameplay instructions.

Game rules and how to play.

The game is played by four players, representing the four directions: East, West, South, and North.

To start, roll three dice (two of the same color and one of a different color) to determine seating positions.

The player in the East position acts as the dealer, with others as opponents. The dealer starts with 14 tiles, while opponents each have 13. If the dealer wins a hand, they continue as dealer; otherwise, the next player becomes the dealer.

At the game's start, all tiles are faced down, and players shuffle them with their hands. Then, each player organizes their tiles into pairs, either horizontally or by stacking.

(For instance, form 6 rows of 7, 7, 7, 7, 6, 6 tiles, then stack them into 3 rows, connecting these into 20 pairs. Or, arrange them as 8, 8, 8, 8, 4, 4 rows.)

The dealer (East) rolls dice to determine the starting point for drawing tiles. Tiles are drawn in sequence from dealer to players, two pairs each, then one tile, totaling 13 tiles.

The dealer must draw an extra tile to start the game; drawing two tiles at once is called 'leaping'.

Subsequent players stack the remaining tiles into two ends. The right-hand stack is for normal draws, and the left-hand stack is for drawing when flowers or special tiles come into play. Draw or pick tiles clockwise.

If the player to your left discards a tile, you may form a 'pong' if you have two identical tiles.

If a player has two identical tiles to one discarded by anyone, they can form a 'pong'. For example, Three Ones or Three East Winds.

Unlike Mahjong, card games such as Poker, Rummy, Blackjack, and Big Two utilize a 52-card deck, offering diverse gameplay and rules. Explore how to play these card games for a broader understanding.

2.2. Winning Conditions in Mahjong

Mahjong features several winning conditions, summarized in the following table:

2.3. Penalty Rules in Mahjong

Players may incur penalties or compensations in the following scenarios:

Incurring penalties for playing a frame or flower incorrectly.

Penalties for premature declaration or incorrect challenge.

Nine Gates Penalty: Incurring a penalty for ponging in the same suit, leading to compensation if this results in another player winning.

Twelve Gates Penalty: When Nine Gates Penalty occurs and the player wins off another's discard, compensation is required.

2.4. Scoring System in Mahjong

Scoring is measured in fans, with specific values assigned.

2.5. Priority Rules

Understand the following priorities in Mahjong:

- Using tiles to declare Mahjong.

If two or three players wait for the same tile to win, the player immediately next in turn has the priority. For example, if the East player discards, then the South player has priority over West and North, with West having priority over North, etc.

- Players intending to use a tile for a Pong (set of three identical tiles) or Kong (set of four identical tiles).

- The player next in turn has the priority to use a tile to form a Chow (a straight of three tiles). For instance, only the South player can claim a Chow from an East discard. West or North players wishing to claim a Pong or Kong have priority in those cases.

Discover the enthralling world of Mahjong, a game with Chinese origins that may initially seem unfamiliar but promises to captivate and engage you over time. We've compiled and shared all you need to know about playing Mahjong, offering you a gateway to this intriguing card game.