Yangzhou Mahjong (扬州麻将) is region variant of Mahjong played in the Yangzhou region of the Jiangsu Province of China that focuses on the minimum point requirements and scoring emphasis based on hand patterns make it comparable to Riichi Mahjong or Mahjong Competition Rules (MCR).
Tiles to Play Yangzhou Mahjong With
In Yangzhou Mahjong, a total of 136 tiles are used. These include tiles from three suits: Dots, Bamboo, and Characters, each containing numbers from 1 to 9 with four copies of each tile. Additionally, there are two sets of honor tiles: the four wind tiles and the three dragon tiles with four copies each. This combination of tiles forms the complete set used in gameplay.
Flowers and Seasons are not used in this variant.
Basic Rules of Standard Yangzhou Style 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 Standard Yangzhou Style Mahjong
Like most variants of mahjong, Yangzhou 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 dealer is determined by rolling the dice. At the start of the game, players take turns rolling two dice, and the player with the highest total becomes the dealer, referred to as the East player. The dealer's position rotates counterclockwise after each round unless the dealer wins, in which case they retain their position for the next round.
Setting up The Wall
The next step is shuffling the tiles and building the wall. Setting up the wall begins by shuffling all 136 tiles face down on the table to ensure a random distribution. Each player then builds a wall by stacking their tiles into a double-layered row, creating a total of 17 stacks (34 tiles) in front of them. Once all four walls are built, they are pushed together to form a square, symbolizing the "wall" surrounding the play area.
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. Tiles are dealt starting from the wall after the dealer rolls the dice to determine the break point. The dealer begins by drawing tiles in sets of four, going counterclockwise around the table. Each player takes four tiles at a time until they have drawn 12 tiles each. The dealer then takes two additional tiles, while the other players each take one more, ensuring the dealer starts with 14 tiles and the other players with 13. This distribution sets up the initial hands, and play begins with the dealer discarding the first 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.
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.
In most Yangzhou Mahjong variants, Chow is not allowed. 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 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 start by discarding isolated tiles that don’t form pairs, sequences, or sets and terminal tiles and honor tiles if they aren’t part of a potential set.
As the game progresses, players pay attention to opponent discards and adjust their strategy to avoid discarding tiles that could complete an opponent’s hand. In the late game, discarding safe tiles, those already discarded by others or unlikely to complete sets becomes a priority.
Arranging your Called and Discard Tiles
Called tiles should be placed face-up in front of you, grouped by type, and arranged in the order they were called. Concealed Kongs remain face-down until declared.
Discarded tiles are placed in an orderly row in front of each player, typically in sets of 6 or 12 tiles per row, to make tracking easier.
Winning in Standard Yangzhou Style Mahjong
Winning is achieved by forming a valid hand that consists of 14 tiles organized into four melds and one pair and includes a minimum of 15 points (fan).
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 100 points or even 500 points, however you can go as high as you like. These points serve as a baseline for calculating wins and losses.
Winning Hand Payout Formula
The payout in Yangzhou Mahjong is relatively simplified. Just add them up and make sure it is at least 15 points. The formula to calculate points is as following:
Total Payout = (Total Points From Wins) x (If won by Discard, multiply by 2)
Points and Payout in Yangzhou Mahjong
Points and payouts are calculated based on the number of fans (points) in the winning hand. The more fan a player accumulates, the higher the payout. Fans are accumulated from both small fan and big fan.
Basic Settlement Rules
|
Winning Condition |
Who Pays? |
|
Self-draw Win |
All three opponents pay the winner based on the total fan in the hand. |
|
Discard Win |
The player who discarded the tile pays the full amount doubled to the winner. |
Compensation Rules (Pao Pai (包牌))
Pao Pai (包牌), or "burdened payment," is a special rule in Yangzhou Mahjong that holds a specific player responsible for covering the entire payout of a high-scoring hand under certain circumstances. This rule is designed to penalize players who significantly contribute to another player's winning hand, especially in cases of rare or high-value combinations.
When Does Pao Pai Apply
- Full Flush (Qing Yi Se - 清一色): If a player feeds the third open meld of a Full Flush hand (all tiles in the same suit), they must cover the entire payout for that hand when it wins.
- Honor Clean (Zi Yi Se - 字一色): If a player provides the tile that completes the third open meld of an Honor Clean hand (all honor tiles), they are responsible for all payments to the winner.
Points and Payout Table for Standard Yangzhou Style Mahjong
| Hand Type | Fan Count | Hand Description |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Win (Pi Hu, 屁胡) | 1 | A hand with no specific patterns. |
| No Melds (Menqing, 门清) | 1 | Winning without claiming tiles from opponents. |
| Sequence Hand (Ping Hu, 平胡) | 1 | A hand with only sequences; no honor tiles, triplets, or kongs. |
| Edge Wait (Yazi, 丫子) | 1 | Waiting for one specific tile to complete a sequence. |
| Missing One Suit (Que Yi, 缺一) | 1 | A hand lacking tiles from one of the suits (Wan, Tong, or Tiao). |
| Terminal Pair (Yao Tou, 幺头) | 1 | A hand that includes a pair of terminal tiles (1 or 9). |
| No Terminals (Duan Yao, 断幺) | 1 | A hand without any terminal tiles (1 or 9). |
| Matching Sequences (Qi Xiang, 齐相) | 1 | Identical sequences in two suits (e.g., 5-6-7 in both Wan and Tong). |
| Continuous Sequences (Lian Fu, 连副) | 1 | Two consecutive sequences in the same suit (e.g., 3-4-5 and 6-7-8 in Wan). |
| Elder-Younger Sequence (Lao Shao, 老少) | 1 | A sequence of 1-2-3 and 7-8-9 in the same suit. |
| Concealed Triplet (Zi Ge, 子格) | 1 | A concealed triplet formed in hand. |
| Single Wait (Du Diao, 独吊) | 1 | Waiting for a single tile to complete the hand. |
| Dragon Tiles (Zhong, Fa, Bai, 中发白) | 1 | A triplet of any dragon tiles (Red Dragon, Green Dragon, White Dragon). |
| Exposed Kong (Ming Gang, 明杠) | 1 | Declaring a kong with a discard or upgrading from a triplet. |
| Concealed Kong (An Gang, 暗杠) | 2 | Declaring a kong formed entirely in hand. |
| Two Identical Sequences (Yi Ban, 一板) | 10 | A hand with two identical sequences in one suit (e.g., 4-5-6 and 4-5-6 in Wan). |
| Pure Straight (Yi Tiao Long, 一条龙) | 15 | A complete 1-9 straight in one suit. |
| Three Suits, Same Sequences (San Fu Tong, 三副同) | 15 | A hand with three matching sequences across all three suits (e.g., 3-4-5 in Wan, Tong, and Tiao). |
| Mixed Suit (Hun Yi Se, 混一色) | 15 | A hand composed of honor tiles and one suit. |
| Four Identical Sequences (Si Fu Tong, 四副同) | 30 | A hand with four identical sequences, including one repeated in all three suits (e.g., 3-4-5 in multiple suits). |
| Double Two Identical Sequences (Shuang Ban Ban, 双板板) | 30 | A hand with four sets, including two sets of identical sequences. |
| Full Flush (Qing Yi Se, 清一色) | 60 | A hand composed entirely of tiles from one suit. |
| Three Identical Sequences (Tie Ban, 铁板) | 60 | A hand with three identical sequences in one suit. |
| Pure All Triplets (Qing Dui Dui, 清对对) | 75 | A pure suit hand with four sets of triplets or kongs and one pair. |
| Pure Dragon (Qing Long, 清龙) | 75 | A pure suit hand with a 1-9 straight and three additional melds. Does not stack with Full Flush or Pure Straight. |
| All Honors (Feng Qing, 风清) | 240 | A hand composed entirely of honor tiles (East, South, West, North, Zhong, Fa, Bai). |
| Four Identical Sequences (Gang Ban, 钢板) | 480 | A hand with four identical sequences in one suit. |
