Taiwanese Mahjong is a popular variation of Mahjong that is known for its unique rules and fast-paced gameplay. Played with 16 tiles instead of the standard 13, it offers players more complex strategies and hand-building opportunities. One of the key features of Taiwanese Mahjong is that players must complete five sets (Pongs, Chows, or Kongs) and a pair to win, making the game more challenging and requiring careful planning.
Tiles to Play Taiwanese Mahjong With
Taiwanese Mahjong can use any standard mahjong with 8 flowers for a total of 144 tiles in the set.
Basic Rules of Taiwanese 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 Taiwanese Mahjong
Like most variants of mahjong, Hefei 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. 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. After each game, the next person to the right (counterclockwise) becomes the dealer. 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.
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 18 tiles long and 2 tiles high (36 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.
The 16 tiles to the right of the breaking point is known as Dead Wall. The Dead Wall is reserved as replacement tiles for Kongs and Flowers and Seasons, if they are used. A “moving” dead wall in which 16 tiles are maintained at all times (Replacement tiles are taken from this dead wall, in which an equal amount should be added from the end of the live wall).
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 16 tiles. As the dealer, you should grab a 17th 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 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 dead wall. This is necessary for you to have enough tiles to complete a winning hand.
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 Taiwanese mahjong is to have all of your tiles arranged into five 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 dead 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.
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. If you can figure out what other players need, you should try to avoid discarding those tiles.
Ting, Calling A Ready Hand
Ting is a mechanic similar to Riichi in Japanese Mahjong with a few major differences. If a player has a ready hand open or closed which can win with just one more tile, then they have the option to declare ting. To call ting, the player must call it right before they discard a tile. From this point onward they are essentially playing on autopilot, and they cannot change their hand in any way. The player picks up a tile on his turn, and if it is not his winning tile, he must discard it. The only exception to this is that the player can turn any closed triplet into a closed kong, providing it does not change the tile(s) they are waiting on to win.
Advantages of calling ting:
- Ting is one tai, increasing the value of the hand.
- Ting can pressure other players into folding, therefore reducing the likelihood that someone else might win
Disadvantages of calling ting:
- It alerts the other players that the player is just one more tile away from winning
- It means the player cannot advance the hand any further if they draw the right tiles.
- The player is forced to deal dangerous tiles if they cannot win with them.
While the disadvantages of ting can seem worse than the advantages, the additional tai is generally more valuable, and it is usually more beneficial for the player to call ting than to not, unless they have a hand which would be worth a lot regardless, or another player may have a high-value hand which would be bad to deal into.
Choosing to Avoid the Last Tile
One may choose not to pick the last tile. The match will still end with nobody winning, and dealer retains their seat and +1 consecutive “streak”.
Winning in Taiwanese Mahjong
A player can declare mahjong or hu when they have completed five sets and one pair.
Only One Winner
In cases where a discard results in multiple players going out, the closest person (counter-clockwise from the person who discarded the winning tile) is awarded with the win.
Points and Payouts in Taiwanese Mahjong
In Taiwanese Mahjong, scoring is calculated in points (tai), where various hand combinations and special conditions during the game add points to a player's total. Some special hands can significantly increase the number of points earned.
Initial Points
There are no initial points in Taiwanese Mahjong
Dealer Bonuses and Penalty
The dealer, starting out, gains or loses 1 tai if they win or lose, respectively. On wins or cases where nobody wins, the dealer retains their dealer status and wins/loses 2 additional tai per streak count. For instance, a dealer who won twice but loses afterwards will need to pay 1 + (2*2) = 5 tai to the winner.
Self-Draw Payouts
When a player goes out on a self-draw, every loser pays the winner equal to the amount of tai of the winner’s hand. If the dealer is not east, that dealer will need to pay additional tai equal to dealership (1 tai) plus any consecutive streaks they have.
Scoring Payout Tables for Taiwanese Mahjong
| English Name | Chinese Character | Taiwanese Name | Description | Tai | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dealer | 莊家 | Zhuāng jiā | The dealer, whether winning or losing, adds 1 Tai to their score. | 1 | Seat-based |
| Consecutive Dealer | 連莊 | Lián zhuāng | If the dealer wins or if the game ends in a draw, it's called consecutive dealer (連莊). | 1 | Seat-based |
| Dealer Continuation | 拉莊 | Lā zhuāng | If the dealer wins or the game ends in a draw, consecutive dealer results in an additional 1 Tai. | 1 | Seat-based |
| Concealed Hand | 門清 | Mén qīng | Winning without having called chi, pon, or exposed kongs. | 1 | Going Out |
| Ready | 聽牌 | Tīng pái | Called a Ready Hand | 1 | Going Out |
| No Flowers | 無花 | Wú huā | Hand contains no flower tiles. | 1 | Special |
| Flower Tile | 花牌 | Huā | One point per flower tile. | 1 | Special |
| Pung Of Winds | 風牌 | Fēng pái | Hand contains a triplet of wind honor tiles. | 1 | Pung-based |
| Pung of Dragons | 三元牌 | Sān yuán pái | Hand contains a triplet of dragon honor tiles. | 1 | Pung-based |
| No Honors | 無字 | Wú zì | Hand contains no honor tiles. | 1 | Suit-based |
| Self-draw | 自摸 | Zì mō | Winning by drawing the winning tile yourself. | 1 | Going Out |
| Robbing The Kong | 搶槓 | Qiǎng gàng | Going out on a tile that was used to promote a kong. | 1 | Going Out |
| Last Tile Win (Discard) | 河底撈魚 (lit. Catching fish from the bottom of the river) | Hé dǐ lāo yú | Going out on the last discard. | 1 | Going Out |
| Last Tile Win (Self-Draw) | 海底撈月 (lit. Plucking the moon from the sea) | Hǎi dǐ lāo yuè | Going out on the last tile of the wall by self-drawing. Can combine with Self-Draw. | 1 | Going Out |
| Melded Kong | 明槓 | Míng gàng | Hand contains one open quad. | 1 | Kong Based |
| Concealed Kong | 暗槓 | An gàng | Hand contains a concealed quad. | 2 | Kong Based |
| Single Wait | 獨聽 | Du ting | Going out on a single wait. | 2 | Going Out |
| Closed Wait | 間聽 | Jiān tīng | Going out on a closed wait. | 2 | Going Out |
| Two Concealed Pungs | 兩暗刻 | Liǎng àn kè | Hand contains two concealed triplets. | 2 | Pung-based |
| No Honors Or Flowers | 無字無花 | Wú zì wú huā | Hand contains no flower tiles or honor tiles. | 3 | Suit-based |
| Fully Concealed Hand | 門清不求 | Mén qīng bù qiú | Going out on a self-draw, fully concealed hand. Cannot be combined with " Concealed Hand" or "Self-draw" | 3 | Going Out |
| All Sequences | 小平和 | Xiǎo píng hú | Hand contains all sequences, flower tiles, and/or a pair of honor tiles. | 3 | Chow-based |
| Three Concealed Triplets | 三暗刻 | Sān àn kè | Hand contains three concealed triplets. | 5 | Pung-based |
| Win Within 5-10 Discards | 速和 | Sù hé | Going out when there are more than 5 but less than 10 discards on the table. | 5 | Going Out |
| Full Straight (Open) | 外龍 | Wài lóng | Hand contains three sequences from 1-9 of the same suit with at least one sequence open. | 5 | Chow-based |
| Little Three Winds | 小三風 | Xiǎo sān fēng | Hand contains two triplets and a pair of wind tiles. | 5 | Honor-based |
| Half Flush | 混一色 | Hùn yī sè | Hand is composed of one suit and honor tiles. | 10 | Suit-based |
| All Triplets | 對對胡 | Duì duì hú | Hand contains all triplets. | 10 | Pung-based |
| Full Straight (Closed) | 內龍 | Nèi lóng | Hand contains three sequences from 1-9 of the same suit with all sequences closed. | 10 | Chow-based |
| All Sequences | 大平和 | Dà píng hú | Hand contains all sequences and no honor tiles or flower tiles. | 10 | Chow-based |
| All Revealed | 全求人 | Quán qiú rén | Going out with all open sets. The pair can be won by discard or self-draw. | 10 | Going Out |
| Win Within 5 Discards | 速和 | Sù hé | Going out when there are 5 or fewer discards on the table. | 10 | Going Out |
| Little Three Dragons | 小三元 | Xiao sān yuán | Two triplets and a pair composed of dragon tiles. | 10 | Honor-based |
| Immediate Ready Hand | 聽牌 | Biao ting | Player has a ready hand with the initially dealt hand. The ready hand must be announced and cannot be changed thereafter. | 10 | Going Out |
| Big Three Winds | 三風 | Sān fēng | Three triplets composed of wind tiles. | 10 | Honor-based |
| Four Concealed Triplets | 四暗刻 | Sì àn kè | Hand contains four concealed triplets. Quads count as a concealed triplet. | 10 | Pung-based |
| 7 Flowers And Robbing | 七搶一 | Qī qiǎng yī | Having seven flowers and robbing the eighth. No other scoring is counted. | 20 | Special |
| All Flowers | 八仙過海 | Bā xiān guò hǎi (Lit. 8 Immortals Crossing the Sea) | Having eight flower tiles. No other scoring is counted. | 30 | Special |
| Little Four Winds | 小四喜 | Xiǎo sì xǐ | Having three triplets and a pair composed of wind tiles. | 30 | Honor-based |
| Big Three Dragons | 大三元 | Dà sān yuán | Having three triplets composed of dragon tiles. | 30 | Honor-based |
| Seven Pairs And A Pung | 七對 | Qī duì | Hand contains seven pairs and one triplet. Identical pairs are okay. | 30 | Special |
| Big Four Winds | 大四喜 | Dà sì xǐ | Hand contains four triplets composed of wind tiles. | 40 | Honor-based |
| Full Flush | 清一色 | Ching yi sher | Hand is composed of one suit. | 40 | Suit-based |
| Blessing Of Heaven | 天胡 | Tiān hú | Going out as the dealer on the initially dealt hand. | 40 | Going Out |
| Blessing Of Earth | 地胡 | Dì hú | Going out as a non-dealer on the dealer's first discard. | 40 | Going Out |
| Five Concealed Pungs | 五暗刻 | Wǔ àn kè | Hand contains five concealed triplets. Quads count as a concealed triplet. | 40 | Pung-based |
