Beginner's Guide to Dalian Restricted Mahjong

Dalian Restricted Mahjong, Dalian Qionghu Mahjong (大连穷胡麻将), also known as simply as Dalian Mahjong, is a unique variation of Mahjong originating from the Dalian region of Liaoning Province, China. The Qióng hu (穷胡) is often mistranslated as "Poor Win", but in some northern Chinese dialects, 穷 (Qióng) can carry a colloquial meaning of "strict" or "bare-bones" rather than poverty. Given that, we have localized as Dalian Restricted Mahjong or Restricted Mahjong.

Dalian Restricted Mahjong is also known for its distinct "Treasure Tile" (Bǎo Pái (宝牌)). Players who declares "ready" (Ting), they can reveal and use the Treasure Tile as a Wild Card. Additionally if the Treasure Tile matches their winning tile, they can immediately "Rush for Treasure" to win the game without actually having to draw a tile.

Tiles to Play Dalian Restricted Mahjong With

In Dalian Qionghu Mahjong, a complete set of 136 tiles is used. This includes the suits of Bamboo, Dots, and Characters, along with the honor tiles: the four Winds (East, South, West, North) and the three Dragons (Red, Green, and White). Each suit contains four copies of tiles numbered 1 through 9, while the Winds and Dragons also have four of each tile. There is no need to use flowers or season tiles.

Basic Rules of Dalian Qionghu Mahjong

Every turn goes the same way:

1. Draw a tile from the wall or by take the tile that somebody just discarded
2. 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.
3. Discard a tile in the center of the table, officially ending your turn.
4. 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 Dalian Restricted Mahjong

Like most variants of mahjong, Dalian Qionghu 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 in Dalian Qionghu Mahjong is determined randomly for the first round. Once selected, the dealer retains their role if they win the round or if the game ends in a draw (no player wins). If another player wins the round, the dealer position shifts to the next player in counterclockwise order.

Setting up The Wall

To set up the wall in Dalian Qionghu Mahjong, all 136 tiles are shuffled thoroughly to ensure randomness. Each player then takes 34 tiles and stacks them in 17 piles of two tiles each, forming their section of the wall. These sections are placed in front of each player, creating a square or rectangular shape around the center of the table. The tiles in the wall remain face-down, and players will draw from this wall during gameplay. 

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. Fun fact: if you roll a multiple of 4, you will land on the wall in front of you.

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 with the tiles. The process begins at the designated break in the wall. The dealer draws the first set of tiles, followed by the other players in counterclockwise order. Each player takes tiles in sets of four, repeating this process until the dealer has 14 tiles and each other player has 13 tiles. Players keep their tiles face-down and organize them into a concealed hand. The dealer holds an extra tile because they will make the first move by discarding a tile.

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 for 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.

Exception: Given the Restrictive nature of Dalian Restricted Mahjong, you are unable to call a pung of Dragon Tiles (Red, Green, or White). However you are able to call an open pung of Wind Tiles (East, South, West, and North).

A kong is a four-of-a-kind. 

Kong is like a special type of pung, and can also be grabbed even if it’s not your turn. However, you have to also grab an extra tile from the wall. This is necessary for you to have enough tiles to complete a winning hand.

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.

Arranging Your Tiles

Remember, the goal of mahjong is to have all of your tiles arranged into four melds and one pair.  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 identity of the tile is valuable information and should not be displayed. But because it is a four-tile meld, you must declare it and get a tile from the wall. 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 kongs are generally locked in and cannot be changed. If you created a pung 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 pung 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 pung. Declare the open melded kong and set the matching tile on top of the middle tile of the pung. Since this is now a four-tile meld, you must draw a replacement tile from the wall.

Discarding a Tile

Generally, players should aim to discard tiles that are less likely to contribute to a winning hand or tiles that have the lowest potential for forming sets (Chow, Pung, or Kong). Isolated tiles, such as single tiles without adjacent numbers or matching pairs, are often the first choice. For example, if you have a 2 Bamboo without a 1 Bamboo or 3 Bamboo, it may be a good candidate for discarding. Additionally, honor tiles (Winds and Dragons) that cannot form pairs or sets should also be discarded early, especially if you don’t have duplicates of them.

Players should also consider the discards of their opponents. If a particular tile seems to be valuable to an opponent, discarding it could allow them to complete their hand. Conversely, holding onto safe tiles that are unlikely to complete an opponent's set—can reduce the risk of giving them an easy win.

Arranging your Called and Discard Tile

When you claim a tile to form a Chow (sequence), Pung (three-of-a-kind), or Kong (four-of-a-kind), these sets must be displayed openly on the table in front of you. Each set should be grouped neatly and placed in clear view for all players. Chows are typically arranged in ascending order, while Pungs and Kongs are stacked or aligned in a way that differentiates them from each other. 

Your discarded tiles can be placed haphazardly.

Declaring a Ready Hand

Declaring Ready can occur a player is one tile away from winning with a valid hand, a Ready Hand (Ting Pai (听牌)). Unlike other variants of Mahjong like Riichi Mahjong, you do not have to have a fully concealed hand. In Dalian Restricted Mahjong, you can Declare Ready in one of two ways, (1) a player will simply announce "Ready" on their turn and discard a tile. From this point onward the player is essentially playing on autopilot, and they cannot change their hand in any way.

The player picks up a tile on their turn, and if it is not his winning tile, they must discard it. The only exception to this is that the player can turn any closed triplet into a closed quad (kong), providing it does not change the validity of their hand.

Also unlike Riichi Mahjong, a player who has Declared Ready can call Hu or Mahjong whenever they please instead of on their first possible opportunity. The player can wait for their winning tiles to be discarded by specific players even if they have already been discarded by somebody else.

The benefit of declaring ready is the activation of the Treasure Tile.

Treasure Tiles (Bǎo Pái (宝牌))

The Treasure Tile is a unique feature in Dalian Qionghu Mahjong that adds an element of excitement to the game. The Treasure Tile acts as a Wild Card. Additionally if the Treasure Tile matches their winning tile, they can immediately "Rush for Treasure" to win the game without actually having to draw a tile.

The Treasure Tile has two functions:

• Act as a wildcard if drawn for Ready Players Only
• Treasure Rush - Upon revealing the treasure tile indicator, it allows for an immediate win if the Treasure tile matches the player’s required winning tile.

Either way, having Treasure Tiles, using Treasure Tiles, and/or activating Treasure Rush add multipliers to your hand's final score and payout!

Revealing Treasure Tiles

When a player declares Ready, they roll the dice to determine the Treasure Tile's location within the wall. The selected tile is revealed but kept secret from players who have not declared Ting.

Declaring a Ready Hand

A player can declare a Ready Hand (Tīng Pái (听牌)) whenever any one legal tile can complete a valid hand following all restrictions: (1) Having all three suits, (2) one set of triplets, (3) at least one terminal tile, (4) one open meld (chow, pong, or exposed kong), and (5) must retain at least four tiles in hand

Once a player declares Ready (Tīng Pái (听牌)), they can no longer change there hand. They must discard any tiles drawn unless it is their winning tile. 

Revealing the Treasure Tile

Once a player declares a Ready Hand following all restrictions, the Treasure Tile Indicator is chosen by rolling dice and counting tile columns starting from the back of the remaining wall and take the top tile as the Treasure Tile Indicator. If there are less tile columns than the rolled value, roll again until you can reveal a Treasure Tile Indicator. The Ready player will take the tile and look at it, and If the Ready player can "Rush for Treasure" (win with the tile), reveal it. Otherwise, place it facedown to the side. If any point, the Ready player can win on a drawn or discarded Treasure Tile, reveal the Treasure Tile indicator.

If other players declare Ready, allow the other Ready players to secretly look at the Treasure Tile indicator and return it face down. The other Ready player will take the tile and look at it, and If the Ready player can "Rush for Treasure" (win with the tile), reveal it. Otherwise, place it facedown to the side. If any point, the other Ready player can win on a drawn or discarded Treasure Tile, reveal the Treasure Tile indicator. 

The sequential counterpart of the Treasure Tile (based on suit, Dragon, or Wind order) become the Treasure Tile for that round. The Treasure Tile is indicated by treasure indicator tile which will mark the next tile in the suit as the Treasure Tile. For example, if the face up tile is 3 Bamboo, then 3 and 4 Bamboo are the Wild Card tiles. A 9 tile indicates the 1 tile of the same suit, so 9 Dots would indicate 1 Dot as the Wild Card. Winds are East, then South, then West, then North, and back to East while the Dragons are coincidentally in alphabetical order of Green, then Red, then White, and then back to Green.

Note: You cannot reveal a Treasure Tile if there are 4 or less tiles left. 

Running Out of Treasure

When 3 Treasure Tiles (Not Treasure Tile Indicators) are visible in the discard pile and/or melded tiles, the first Ready Player can roll the dice again to determine a new Treasure Tile. If there are less tile columns than the rolled value, roll again until you can reveal a Treasure Tile Indicator.

End of the Game

Dalian Qionghu Mahjong specifies that when only four tiles remain in the wall, players can no longer form kongs and exclusively win by self-draws only. When a player draws one of the last four remaining tiles and cannot win, they will simply pass their turn.

If no player wins, the round is declared a draw. The dealership passes counterclockwise and a new round begins.

Restrictions in Dalian Qionghu Mahjong

Ready Hand Restrictions:

• A player can only declare a Ready Hand (Tīng Pái (听牌)) whenever any one legal tile can complete a valid hand following all restrictions: (1) Having all three suits, (2) one set of triplets, (3) at least one terminal tile, (4) one open meld (chow, pong, or exposed kong), and (5) must retain at least four tiles in hand
• A Player cannot change their hand after declaring a Ready Hand

Calling Restriction:

• No Open Pung of Dragons - You cannot call an open pung of Dragon Tiles (Red, Green, or White) under any conditions. However you are able to call a Kong of Dragons.

Winning Conditions Restrictions:

To declare a win, players must meet the following requirements:

• Three Suits Requirement (三门齐, Sān Mén Qí):
  • A winning hand must contain tiles from all three suits (Bamboo, Circles, Characters).
• A Triplet Set (刻子, Kè Zi):
  • The hand must include at least one set of triplets (three identical tiles). A kong (杠子) can substitute for a meld.
• Terminal Tiles (幺九, Yāo Jiǔ):
  • The hand must include at least one terminal tile (1 or 9). Honor tiles can count as terminals.
• Opened Hand (开门, Kāi Mén):
  • Players must have declared a chow (吃), pong (碰), or exposed kong (明杠).
• Special Rules for Honor Tiles:
  • Red Dragon (中), Green Dragon (发), and White Dragon (白) and Wind Tiles can substitute for terminal tiles and be used for triplet sets. Honor Tiles can also form a kong, but only Dragon tiles cannot be used for open pongs. Wind tiles are exempt and can be used for open pongs.
• No Single Tile Remaining (手把一, Shǒu Bǎ Yī):
  • Players must retain at least four tiles in hand.

Treasure Tile Restrictions:

• Only players who have declared ready can view the Treasure Tile (宝牌, Bǎo Pái).

End Game Restrictions:

• The last four tiles in the wall can only be used for self-draw wins (自摸, Zì Mō).
• The last four tiles in the wall cannot be discarded
• The last four tiles in the wall cannot be used to form a kong.
  

Winning in Dalian Restricted Mahjong

Winning in Dalian Qionghu Mahjong requires players to complete a valid hand that consists of four sets (Pungs, Chows, or Kongs) and one pair. However you must meet specific and restricted conditions unique to Dalian Restricted Mahjong:  (1) Having a set in each of the three suits (Characters, Bamboo, and Dots), (2) one set must be triplets, (3) have at least one terminal tile in the hand, (4) one open meld (chow, pong, or exposed kong), and (5) must retain at least four tiles in hand. 

Only one player can win and if multiple players can win on a single discarded tile, the player closest to the discarder in counterclockwise order has priority.

Points and Payout in Dalian Restricted Mahjong

Winning scores are calculated based on the type of win and additional factors like Treasure Tile use, meld types, and whether the player is the dealer. Each type of win contributes to a multiplier, with bonus points for special conditions like Treasure Tile Wins or Self-Draw.

Who Pays?

Win Type	Who Pays?
Self-Draw Wins	All three opponents pay the calculated points.
Win from a discard	Only the discarding player pays the full amount.

Initial Points

Decide in advance how long you’ll play for and what “rate” you’ll use. If you plan to play for several hours, you might, for instance, reshuffle seating every hour or so. Also agree on how many “points” each player starts with—represented by chips or some other marker.

Common values are 500 points or 1000 points, however you can go as high as you like. These points serve as a baseline for calculating wins and losses.

Base Score

The Base Score for Dalian Qionghu Mahjong is 1. 

Winning Hand Payout Formula

The payout in Dalian Restricted Mahjong is relatively simplified. The formula to calculate points is as follows:

Total Payout = Base Score x Multiplier (x Multiplier etc.)

So for example, if you won via Self-Draw as a dealer using the Treasure Tile for the first time. You would take the Base Score (1) multiplied by Self-Draw (2), multiplied by Dealer Win (2), multiplied by Finding Treasure (2), and multiply by having a Ready Hand (2) since you must be Ready in order to have Treasure Tiles. The total would be 1x2x2x2x2 would 8 points from each player.

Note: Hand Payouts are capped at 100 points.

Points and Payout Table in Dalian Qionghu Mahjong

Hand Type	Multiplier	Description
Basic Win (屁胡, Pì Hú)	×1	Winning with a standard hand by completing a basic structure (e.g., pairs, chows, pongs).
Edge Win (夹胡, Jiā Hú)	×2	Winning by waiting on a middle tile (e.g., 2 in 13, or 7 in 68).
Double Float (双飘, Shuāng Piāo)	×8	Winning with a hand consisting entirely of melds (pongs, kongs, or special kongs) and no chows.
Single Float (单飘, Dān Piāo)	×16	Winning with a hand consisting entirely of melds (pongs, kongs, or special kongs) and no chows, but the winning tile is a single wait.
Terminal Tile Win (缺幺胡幺, Quē Yāo Hú Yāo)	×2	Where a player's hand lacks terminal tiles (1s or 9s) or Honors and waiting to win on a terminal tile.
Dealer Win (庄家, Zhūang Jiā)	×2	The dealer wins the hand
Discard Win (点炮, Diǎn Pào)	×4	Winning on a discarded tile
Self-Draw Win (自摸, Zì Mō)	×2	Winning by drawing the final tile from the wall instead of from another player’s discard.
Ready Win (报听, Bào Tīng)	×2	Declaring Ready (ready to win) and successfully completing the hand.
Opened Hand (门清, Mén Qīng)	×2	Other players are unopened (no declared melds), granting an additional multiplier to the winner.
Kong Bloom (杠上开花, Gàng Shàng Kāi Huā)	×2	Winning immediately after forming a kong and drawing the replacement tile from the wall.
Robbing a Kong (抢杠胡, Qiǎng Gàng Hú)	×2	Winning by claiming a tile that another player was about to use to form a kong.
Three Unopened Opponents (三清, Sān Qīng)	×2	All other players remain unopened at the end of the game, granting an additional multiplier. Stackable with Opened Hand.
Single Remaining Tile Win (手把一, Shǒu Bǎ Yī)	×2	Winning with only one tile left in hand, achieved through melds and a single wait.
Last Tile Win (海底捞月, Hǎi Dǐ Lāo Yuè)	×2	Winning with the last tile in the game, drawn from the final tiles in the wall.
Four of a Kind in Hand (四归一, Sì Guī Yī)	×2 per set	Having four identical tiles in hand without using them as a kong but including three as a meld.
Flowing Tears (流泪, Liú Lèi)	×2	Winning by claiming a tile discarded after another player formed a kong.
Dealer Continuation (长毛, Cháng Máo)	×2 Per	Per Round the Dealer Continues, stacks with Dealer Win
Treasure Rush Win (冲宝, Chōng Bǎo)	×2	If the player’s winning tile matches the Treasure Tile, they can immediately declare a win.
Finding Treasure (摸宝, Mō Bǎo)	×2	If the player draws the Treasure Tile, they can immediately declare a win
Hidden Treasure (宝牌, Bǎo Pái)	×2	If the player wins with any Treasure Tiles in hand prior to declaring ready.
Joyous Kong (喜杠, Xǐ Gàng)	×4	Exposed Kong made with Red Dragon (中), Green Dragon (发), or White Dragon (白). Not considered "opened" (开门, Kāi Mén).
Cyclone Kong (旋风杠, Xuán Fēng Gàng)	×4	Add-On or Exposed Kong made with all four wind tiles (East, South, West, North). Not considered "opened."
Big Concealed Kong (大杠, Dà Gàng)	×8	Concealed Kong formed with four identical Red Dragon, Green Dragon, White Dragon tiles, or Wind tiles
Dragon Tile Bonus	×2 Per	If a  Joyous Kong (喜杠, Xǐ Gàng) has been declared, each Dragon Tile counts as ×2
Outside Hand (全帯幺 quán dài yāo)	×4	Winning hand consist of each set and the pair containing 1s, 9s, or honors.
All Terminals and Honors (混幺九, hùn yāo jiŭ)	×8	Winning hand consisting of only terminal and honor tiles
Pure All Terminals (清幺九, qīng yāo jiŭ	×16	Winning hand consisting of only terminal (1s and 9s)

*Note: Hand Payouts are capped at 100 points.