Shaanxi Mahjong (陕西麻将) is a straightforward Mahjong variant played in north-central China. Shaanxi should not to be confused with Shanxi, which is west of the Taihang Mountains, even though it sounds similar. Shaanxi Mahjong is known for its unique feature of a Instant Payments for Kongs and Pre-Round Antes (Pao Zi (下注)) which raises the stake of the game and makes it more intense and exciting.
Tiles to Play Shaanxi Mahjong With
Shaanxi Mahjong uses 136 tiles so it is played with a standard set of 144 tiles (Characters/Cracks, Bamboo/Bams, Dots, Dragons, Winds, and Flowers), similar to most variants of Chinese Mahjong. You will remove the 4 Flowers and the 4 Seasons tiles. An American set (152 tiles) can be used, but the eight joker tiles should also be removed.
Basic Rules of Shaanxi Mahjong
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 Shaanxi Mahjong
Like most variants of mahjong, Shaanxi 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
To determine the dealer in Shaanxi Mahjong, players begin by rolling the dice. Each player takes turns rolling, and the player with the highest total becomes the dealer for the first round. The dealer holds a significant advantage, as their score is doubled if they win the round. In subsequent rounds, if the dealer wins or the game results in a draw, the same player remains the dealer. If another player wins, the dealer position passes to the next player in a counterclockwise direction.
Setting up The Wall
To set up the wall in Shaanxi Mahjong, players start by shuffling all 136 tiles face down thoroughly. Once shuffled, each player builds a wall in front of themselves by stacking the tiles into two layers, with each layer consisting of 17 tiles side by side, creating a wall that is 34 tiles long. The four walls are then pushed together to form a square, surrounding the play area.
Breaking The Wall
Once the dealer has been selected, the dealer rolls the dice to determine the starting wall. The total rolled on the dice indicates which player’s wall will be broken and where the break will occur. Starting from the dealer and counting counterclockwise, the player whose wall corresponds to the dice total is selected. Then, within that player's wall, the dealer counts the number of tiles from the right side equal to the dice total. At the designated position, the wall is "broken," and the tiles to the left of the break become the starting point for drawing tiles.
Dealing the Hand
The next step after breaking the wall is dealing the hand. In Shaanxi Mahjong, the dealer starts the process of distributing tiles to all players. Tiles are dealt in sets of four at a time, moving counterclockwise around the table. The dealer takes the first four tiles from the broken wall, followed by the next player to the right, and so on, until each player has been dealt 12 tiles. After the initial rounds of dealing, the dealer takes two additional tiles, one from the top and one from the bottom of the wall, bringing their total to 14 tiles. The other players each draw one more tile, bringing their total to 13 tiles.
Once the hands are dealt, the game begins with the dealer discarding the first tile.
Pre-Round Ante (Pao Zi (炮子))
Unique to Shaanxi Mahjong, Pao Zi or localized as Pre-Round Ante allows players to ante multipliers to their final score before the start of each round, adding an exciting layer of strategy and risk to the game. Before the dealer plays the first tile, each player has the option to declare how many Pao Zi or Multipliers they wish to ante, with choices ranging from 0 to 4. These ante remain in effect for the duration of the round and directly influence the final scores of all players, either increasing their winnings or amplifying their losses based on the outcome.
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.
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.
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. 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 sets 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
A tile is discarded when a player completes their turn, choosing one tile from their hand to place face-up in the center of the table. Discards are typically tiles the player considers less useful for completing their hand or ones they believe will not benefit their opponents.
Arranging your Called and Discard Tiles
Called tiles, such as sets formed through Pung, Chow, or Kong, should be placed face-up in front of your hand, clearly separated from your concealed tiles. Discarded tiles are placed face-up in the center of the table in front of the player who discards them. These tiles are typically discard haphazardly.
Winning in Shaanxi Mahjong
To win in Shaanxi Mahjong, a player must complete a valid hand that consists of four sets (Pungs, Chows, or Kongs) and one pair. If multiple players can win on a single discarded tile, the player closest to the discarder in counterclockwise order has priority.
There are 4 special hands that fall outside out of the 4 sets and one pair rule to complete a valid hand. Those are:
- Thirteen Wonders (十三幺): A hand that consists of one of each 1 and 9 of Characters, Dots, Bamboos, plus East, South, West, North, Red (中), Green (发), White (白) and any one additional tile of these can form the pair.
- Seven Pairs (七对): Seven distinct pairs, no. four-of-a-kind pairs.
- All Unrelated (全不靠): A hand consisting of single tiles of three suits of the following number combinations: 1-4-7, 2-5-8, or 3-6-9, plus any combination of East, South, West, North, Red, Green, White, to form 14 tiles in total. Some examples of invalid combination would be 1-3 of Bamboos but a 1-4 of characters and 3-6 of bamboos would be considered valid. Another example would be that a 1-5 would not be valid because they could be related eventually. Even if it was a accompanied as 1-4-5-8 because 4 and 5 are related.
- Combo Dragon (组合龙): A hand consisting of a set of 1-4-7, 2-5-8, and 3-6-9 in each of the three suits with no honors or winds. The remaining set and pair must follow standard rules.
Temporary Locked Discard Rule - Missed Win (Lòu Hú 漏胡)
The Missed Win (Lòu Hú 漏胡) rule is temporary locked discard rule that is similar to Riichi Mahjong's Furiten Rule. A player who is one tile away from winning cannot go out on an opponent's discard, if the player in waiting had previously discarded the same tile . The waiting player may go out on a tile that was previously discarded if the tile is self-drawn. This restriction remains in effect until the player performs a new action such as Pong, chow, Kong, or draws another tile. Once the player has made such an action, the missed-win restriction is lifted.
Note: This applies only to one specific tile that was missed, not to all possible waiting tiles.
End of the Game
Another interesting rule of Shaanxi Mahjong is the concept of a flexible dead wall depending on the number of Kongs that have been declared.
- If there are No Kongs declared, the draw occurs when there are 26 tiles (13 stacks of tiles) remaining
- If there is 1 Kong declared, the draw occurs when there are 14 tiles (7 stacks) remaining
- If there are 2 Kongs declared , the draw occurs when there are 16 tiles (8 stacks) remaining
- If there are 3 or more Kongs declared, the draw occurs when there are 26 tiles (13 stacks of tiles) remaining similar to if there are No Kongs declared
Points and Payout in Shaanxi Mahjong
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 50 points or 100 points, however you can go as high as you like. These points serve as a baseline for calculating wins, losses, and any multipliers (like Pao Zi or Kongs).
Instant Payout Table
Whenever a Kong is declared, the player is paid out instantly. Here is the Instant Payouts used for Kongs.
| Hand | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Concealed Kong (暗杠) | Declaring a concealed kong. All other players pay: Base Score x 2 | 6 |
| Exposed Kong on Discard (Fàng Găng 放杠) | Declaring an exposed kong from a concealed triplet in hand. The discard pays Base Score x 2 | 6 |
| Add-On Kong (Míng Găng ) | Declaring an exposed kong by adding on a self-drawn tile to an exposed pung. All other player pay: Base Score x 1 | 3 |
Base Score
The Base Score for Shaanxi Mahjong is 3. Since there are no additional fans or hans given for unique patterns such as Three Great Scholars or Four Big Winds, each hand regardless of composition is worth the same.
Winning Hand Payout Formula
The payout in Shaanxi Mahjong is relatively simplified. The formula to calculate points is as follows:
Total Payout = Base Score (3) x Type of Win (Claimed Discard or Self-Draw) x Dealer Win Multiplier
So for example, if you won a claimed discard hand as a dealer prior the payout would look like such: Base Score (3) x Claimed Discard (1) x Dealer Win Multipler (2) = 6
Pao Zi Payout Formula
The Pre-Round Ante (Pao Zi) is paid out separately to the winer. The formula to calculate Pao Zi points per losing player is as follows:
Total Payout = (Loser’s own paozi + Winner’s paozi) × (Claimed Discard or Self-Draw) × Base Score (3).
So for example, if you anted 3 Paozi and lost the round to another player with a claimed discard who anted 2 Paozi, the payout would look like such: (Your own Paozi (3) + the Winner's Paozi (2) which sums up to 5) x Claimed Discard (1) x Base Score (3) would result in a payout of 15.
Points and Payout Table for Shaanxi Mahjong
|
Name |
Descriptions |
Multiplier |
|
Claimed Discard Win (放胡, Fàng Hú) |
Winning by claiming a discarded tile to complete a hand. |
x1 |
|
Self-Draw (自摸, Zì Mō) |
Winning by drawing the final tile yourself. |
x2 |
|
Dealer Win (Multiplier) (庄家翻倍, Zhuāng Jiā Fān Bèi) |
If the dealer wins, all payouts are doubled. |
x2 |
|
Robbing the Kong (抢杠, Qiǎng Gàng) |
Winning by claiming a tile when another player attempts to declare a Kong. Treated as a Claimed Win payout. |
x1 |
| Seven Pairs (七对) | Seven distinct pairs, no. four-of-a-kind pairs. | x2 |
| All Unrelated (全不靠) | A hand consisting of single tiles of three suits of the following number combinations: 1-4-7, 2-5-8, or 3-6-9, plus any combination of East, South, West, North, Red, Green, White, to form 14 tiles in total. Some examples of invalid combination would be 1-3 of Bamboos but a 1-4 of characters and 3-6 of bamboos would be considered valid. Another example would be that a 1-5 would not be valid because they could be related eventually. Even if it was a accompanied as 1-4-5-8 because 4 and 5 are related. | x2 |
| Combo Dragon (组合龙) | A hand consisting of a set of 1-4-7, 2-5-8, and 3-6-9 in each of the three suits with no honors or winds. The remaining set and pair must follow standard rules. | x3 |
| Thirteen Wonders (十三幺) | A hand that consists of one of each 1 and 9 of Characters, Dots, Bamboos, plus East, South, West, North, Red (中), Green (发), White (白) and any one additional tile of these can form the pair. | x4 |
|
Pre-Round Ante(炮子, Pào Zi) |
Pre-round ante by players to increase scores. |
Multiplied as per Pao Zi rules: x1 to x4 |
