Changsha Mahjong (长沙麻将), also known as 258 Mahjong, is a popular variation of Mahjong originating from Changsha in the Hunan Province of China. Known for its simplicity, fast-paced gameplay, and high probability of winning, it offers unique features such as special immediate scoring hands like "Four Joys" (Si Xi (四喜)) and "Six Six Straight" (Liu Liu Shun - (六六顺)), and "Missing One Suit" (缺一色, *Que Yi Se*). The addition of "Shooting Birds" at the end of the game further enhances the excitement for higher scoring hands and uniqueness of the game.
This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to play Changsha Mahjong, including the tiles used, basic rules, setup procedures, special terms, winning hands, and the scoring system. Whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your skills, this guide will help you grasp the core concepts of Changsha Mahjong.
Tiles to Play Changsha Mahjong With
Changsha Mahjong can use any standard mahjong set since the game uses only 108 tiles. The whole suit tiles (bamboo, characters, circles) numbered from 1 to 9, with 4 tiles of each. No other tiles (e.g., wind tiles, dragon tiles, or flowers) are used so make sure you remove all the winds, dragons, flower tiles, and Joker tiles till you only have 108 tiles. Two dice are also required.
Basic Rules of Changsha Mahjong
The primary goal of all mahjong variants is to form a winning hand by creating specific tile combinations, which include sets and pairs, and to score points based on the type of hand achieved.
Every turn goes the same way:
- Draw a tile from the wall or by take the tile that somebody just discarded
- Try to make a winning hand! The goal is to arrange your tiles into four sets of three and one pair. If you can't, go to step 3.
- Discard a tile in the center of the table, officially ending your turn.
- Immediately after a tile is discarded, someone else can take it to form a meld or to complete their winning hand. If nobody takes the discarded tile, that tile is out of play for the rest of the game and the next player draws from the wall.
By default, the next player is the player to the right (counterclockwise). Even if it is not your turn yet, this is not a time to sit idle. Although the next person is the player to the right by default, there are certain circumstances that allow somebody to jump ahead to call a discarded tile. Also, even if you are unable to call the tile, it is important for you to know what is thrown and what is out of play, so that you are not waiting for it in vain later on.
How to Setup Changsha Mahjong
Like most variants of mahjong, Changsha mahjong is intended for four players. Rules and customs for dealing the tiles out vary from version to version and table to table.
Determining The Dealer
The next step is to determine the dealer. The dealer is determined randomly for the first game or agreed upon by players. One fair method is at the start of the first game, shuffle one each of the wind tiles face-down, then have each player turn one up and take the respective seat. In subsequent games, the dealer is either the previous winner or determined based on specific conditions. The round wind always starts at East. After each hand, the dealer changes. After 4 hands, one complete rotation of dealers, the round wind changes in order of East, South, West, and North. If you would like to roll dice instead to determine your seat positions, feel free to do so.
In subsequent games the dealer is determined in one of the following orders:
- The winner of the previous game becomes the new dealer.
- In the case of a draw, the player that draws the last tile becomes the dealer.
- If multiple players win simultaneously, the dealer is determined randomly among the winners based on consensus
Setting up the Wall
The next step is shuffling the tiles and building the wall. Turn the tiles face side down and give them a good shuffle or “wash”.
Then, each player should build their segment of the wall, which should be 13 tiles long and 2 tiles high (26 tiles total) except the dealer's wall which should 14 tiles long and 2 tiles high (28 tiles total). Maneuver the wall segments to form a closed square.
Breaking the Wall
Once the dealer has been selected, the dealer rolls the dice to determine the starting wall. Let’s say you are the dealer and you roll a seven.
Starting with your own wall, count the walls in front of each player, moving counterclockwise around the table: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. You should now be pointing at the wall of the player to your left.
The next step is to determine where to break the wall.
Use the same number from determining the starting wall. Starting on the end of the wall segment closest to you, count out seven tiles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Pick up that seventh tile (since you rolled a seven) because it counts from the indicated player's right to his left (not players but tiles this time) the total sum of the rolls. The tiles immediately after become the draw wall.
The wall is basically like a long deck of cards wrapping around the table in a square. The draw wall is like the top of the deck where the tiles will be dealt from and where the players will draw tiles from during gameplay.
Dealing the Hand
The next step is dealing the tiles starting with the dealer. Starting from the draw wall, deal yourself four tiles (2 stacks). Whoever is sitting in front of the draw wall should help out with this. Continuing to the right (counterclockwise), deal each player four tiles in the same manner. Repeat this for one more round until all players have a total of 12 tiles. After grabbing 12 tiles, each player grabs 1 more tile for a total of 13 tiles. As the dealer, you should grab a 14th tile from the draw wall as your first draw, because you will be the first to discard.
Getting a Tile
The main way to get a tile is to draw it from the draw wall.
You can also get a tile when somebody discards it if it completes a a valid combination of three or four tiles, also known as a meld, or a winning hand. The called tile must be displayed face up with the completed meld. This open meld cannot be altered for the rest of the game. The discarded tile must be called immediately or else the tile becomes dead and will remain in the discarded tile area for the rest of the game.
Calling Tiles
A pung is a three-of-a-kind.
If you need the discarded tile to complete a pung, you have to say “pung,” grab it, and display the completed pung face up next to your flowers. Pungs are powerful because you can seize it even if it isn’t your turn, and everyone before you will lose their turn.
A kong is a four-of-a-kind.
Kong is like a special type of pung for a four-of-a-kind, and can also be grabbed even if it’s not your turn. However, you have to also grab an extra tile replacement tile. This is necessary for you to have enough tiles to complete a winning hand.
In Changsha Mahjong when declaring a Kong, you can choose one of two options: (1) roll dice to determine from which wall to draw your replacement tile or (2) draw one tile from the end of the wall without rolling dice.
A chow is a three-tile straight of the same suit.
Unlike pung and kang, you can only chow when it’s your turn. This makes chows harder to get since you can only get it from the person right before you. The only exception to this is if the chow would result in you winning.
Generally you cannot claim a discarded tile to form a pair. The only exception is if you are waiting for one more tile to win. You might be waiting to complete a pung, a chow, or an eye in order to win. No matter what you’re waiting for, you can seize it if somebody discards it, anytime. Winning using a discarded tile is called mahjong or hu.
FAQ: What Happens If Two People Want to Call a Discarded Tile?
In general, priority is given based on what the tile is being called for: winning takes precedence over pungs/kongs and pungs/kong takes precedence over chows. If more than one player needs the discarded tile for mahjong, it goes to whoever is closer in turn after the person who discarded the tile.
Arranging Your Tiles
Remember, the goal of mahjong is to have all of your tiles arranged into four melds and one pair, except in Changsha Mahjong, which must be formed with tiles numbered 2, 5, or 8 for most hands. There are special hands in which the deviate from the 258 pair rule. After getting a tile, you should arrange your tiles and attempt to incorporate your new tile into your hand.
As discussed above, kong is a four-of-a-kind, which may be formed from a discarded tile. Related to kong is a concealed kong when you have four-of-a-kind that’s hidden in your own hand, which means that you drew it yourself and did not complete it using a discarded tile. In this case, because it’s concealed, the you need to reveal the kong to acquire a replacement tile to have complete hand. But because it is a four-tile set, you must declare it and get a tile from either the end of the wall or where the dice roll determines. Turn the outside tiles facedown to mark it as a concealed kong. Just like with open meld, your secret tiles will be out of play the rest of the game with no changes permitted.
Another related concept is open melded kong. Open melded kong are generally locked in and cannot be changed. If you created a pong from a discarded tile, and later on, somebody throws the fourth matching tile, you will not be able to kong the discarded tile, because your pong was already open. However, there is a special exception: if it’s your turn and the tile that you draw from the wall happens to be the fourth matching tile, then you can add it to your completed pong. Declare the open melded kong and set the matching tile on top of the middle tile of the pong. Since this is now a four-tile meld, you must draw a replacement tile from end of the wall or where the dice roll determines.
Discarding a Tile
Generally you want to discard tiles that do not go with any of the other tiles in your hand to help you form appropriate sets. In Changsha Mahjong, be careful and avoid discarding key tiles 2s, 5s, and 8s if you can help it. If you can figure out what other players need, you should try to avoid discarding those tiles.
Arranging Your Discards and Called Tiles
Discards can either be arranged on the floor in front of their respective discarded in rows of six, placed from left to right or in an unorganized pile. However prior to the start of the game, all players should agree on whether the discards should be neatly arranged or placed in an unorganized pile.
Your called tiles should be put to your right side.
The Last Tile of The Wall - The Bottom of the Ocean
When only one tile is left in the wall, the last tile is referred to as "The Tile at the Bottom of the Ocean" (Hai Di Pai 海底牌). A last player to draw may choose to draw or pass to the next player. If a player draws the tile and cannot win, they must discard the The Tile at the Bottom of the Ocean and allow other players a chance to claim it. Of course if all four players pass on the last tile, or if no one can win when someone draws the seabed tile, the hand ends in a draw.
If the final tile was drawn as a kong replacement tile, "The Tile at the Bottom of the Ocean" rules do not apply. Other tiles than the last (kong replacement) drawn tile may be discarded AND the Fishing the
It may be the case that the final tile was drawn as a kong replacement tile. In that case, the seabed rules don’t apply for this hand.
The 258 Generals
A special element of Changsha Mahjong are the "258 Generals" (258 Jiang 将) which refers to a rule in where the pair in a winning hand must be formed by tiles numbered 2, 5, or 8 from the suits of Characters, Dots, or Bamboo. The 2, 5 and 8 tiles are considered as “generals” hence "258 Generals". Unless the winning hand is consider a Big Winning Hand.
Winning in Changsha Mahjong
A winning hand consists of 14 tiles, which will almost always be four sets plus one pair. A crucial condition for the player is that the winning hand must contain a pair of 2s, 5s, or 8s. Otherwise you can with with an alternate winning configurations such as seven pairs or an instant win condition.
Note: Multiple Players can win off the same tile.
In Changsha Mahjong, the dealer is determined in one of the following orders in subsequent games:
- The winner of the previous game becomes the new dealer.
- In the case of a draw, the player that draws the last tile becomes the dealer.
- If multiple players win simultaneously, the dealer is determined randomly among the winners based on consensus
Capturing the Bird (Zha Niao 扎鸟)
In Changsha Mahjong (长沙麻将), the term "扎鸟" (Zha Niao) refers to a bonus mechanism where players draw additional tiles after winning to potentially double their points. While "Hitting the Bird" is a direct translation for Zha Niao, we have affectionately renamed it to "Capturing the Bird" to play on the English idiom "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
After a player wins, they draw two additional tiles, the "birds" The tiles corresponds to players based on numbers (1-9) drawn:
- 1, 5, or 9: Dealer
- 2 or 6: Player to the right
- 3 or 7: Opposite player
- 4 or 8: Player to the left
If the bird tile corresponds to the winner or the discarder, points are doubled. If two bird tiles correspond to the winner and/or discarder, points are tripled. In the case of self-draws, there is no discarder so the bird tiles must correspond to the winner in order to double or triple. Bird tiles are not drawn for Starting Hand Instant Win Conditions.
Payout and Payout Table for Changsha Mahjong
The payout in Changsha Mahjong is relatively simplified. The formula to calculate points is as following:
Total Payout = ((Big Win or Small Win) x (Capturing the Bird Multiplier x2 or x3)
| Type of Win | Non-Dealer Pays/Receives | Dealer Pays/Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Small Win | 1 | 2 |
| Big Win | 6 | 7 |
Starting Hand Instant Win Conditions
Instant Payouts are an optional rule and remember to agree on it prior to starting. If Starting Hand instant Win conditions are achieved, you may choose to reveal the valid combination and claim your win however the game will continue afterwards and the tiles are not reshuffled. Bird Multiplier Bonuses are not drawn for Starting Hand Instant Win Conditions.
| Hand | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Four Joys (四喜, Si Xi) |
Small Win | Starting hand contains four identical tiles. |
|
All Pure (板板胡, Ban Ban Hu) |
Small Win | Starting hand contains no 2s, 5s, or 8s. |
|
Voided Suit (缺一色, Que Yi Se) |
Small Win | Starting hand lacks tiles from one of the three suits. |
|
Six Six Straight (六六顺, Liu Liu Shun) |
Small Win | Starting hand contains two identical triplets. |
|
Three Same (三同, San Tong) |
Small Win | Starting hand contains the same number from all three suits, each at least in a pair. |
Most hands created in Changsha Mahjong are Small Wins however there are a few hands that are considered Big Wins and they have the possibility to be combined such as All Triplets and Full Flush which would give you at least 14 points if you were dealer. Small wins do not stack with Big wins. Unlike other types of mahjong, more special hands like All Greens, Sixteen Arhats, and Nine Gates simply do not exist in Changsha Mahjong.
Payout Table for Winning Hands in Changsha Mahjong
| Hand | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Any Hand | Small Win | Four sets plus one pair of Generals (2s, 5s, or 8s). |
|
All Triplets (碰碰胡, Peng Peng Hu) |
Big Win | Hand made entirely of triplets and a pair. Cannot form sequences. Can be open. |
|
All Generals (将将胡, Jiang Jiang Hu) |
Big Win | All tiles are 2s, 5s, or 8s. Can be open. |
|
Full Flush (清一色, Qing Yi Se) |
Big Win | Hand consists of tiles from only one suit. Can be open. |
|
Full Beggar's Hand (全求人, Quan Qiu Ren) |
Big Win | Player has melded sets through Chow or Pong and waits for the last tile to win. Must win by claiming a discard. Can be open. |
|
Seven Pairs (七巧对, Qi Qiao Dui) |
Big Win | Hand composed of seven pairs. Also known as "Seven Pairs." |
|
Last Tile Win / Scooping the Moon from the Bottom of the Ocean (海底捞月, Hai Di Lao Yue) |
Big Win | Winning with the very last tile drawn from the wall. Needs a pair of Generals (2s, 5s, or 8s). Can be open. |
| Last Tile Discard / Fishing from the Bottom of the River (河底撈魚, Hai Di Lao Yue) | Big Win | Winning with the very last tile discarded from the wall. Needs a pair of Generals (2s, 5s, or 8s). Can be open. |
|
After a Kan / Plucking the Flower Blooming on the Mountain Top (杠上开花, Gang Shang Kai Hua) |
Big Win | Winning by drawing a tile immediately after declaring a Kong. Needs a pair of Generals (2s, 5s, or 8s). Can be open. |
|
After a Kan Penalty / Stealing the Flower on the Mountain Top (杠上炮, Gang Shang Pao) |
Big Win | Opponent wins off the discard immediately after you declare a Kong. Needs a pair of Generals (2s, 5s, or 8s). Can be open. |
|
Robbing the Kong (抢杠胡, Qiang Gang Hu) |
Big Win | Winning by claiming a tile that an opponent adds to an existing Pong to make an exposed Kong. Needs a pair of Generals (2s, 5s, or 8s). Can be open. |
| Blessing of Earth (地和, Di Hé) | Big Win | A hand won by any non-dealer on the first tile they draw (which fulfills the self-drawn tile hand), regardless of its contents, and without declaring any open-meld, including closed quads. Needs a pair of Generals (2s, 5s, or 8s). |
| Blessing of Heaven (天和, Tiān Hé) | Big Win | A hand won by the dealer on the very first draw (which considered as a closed self-drawn tile), regardless of its contents. Needs a pair of Generals (2s, 5s, or 8s). |
| Luxurious Seven Pair (豪华七小对, Hao Hua Qi Xiao Dui) | Big Win x 2 | When winning, your hand contains any five pairs of tiles and one set of four identical tiles. |
*Big Win hands do not need a 2, 5, or 8 pair unless specified.
Changsha Mahjong (长沙麻将) offers a rich and engaging experience with its unique rules, fast play, and simplified scoring system. By understanding the tiles, basic gameplay, special terms, and scoring methods, players can enjoy this fast-paced game while employing strategy to maximize their scores. Remember to pay attention to the special rules, clarify any local variations before playing, and use the practical tips provided to enhance your gameplay.
