The Mahjong Rules Cheat Sheet
Mahjong is a fascinating game with a rich history and complex rules. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player, having a cheat sheet can be incredibly helpful. Here’s a comprehensive guide to the essential rules of Mahjong, optimized for search engine visibility.
1. Understanding the Tiles
Mahjong is played with 144 tiles, which are divided into several categories:
Suits: Bamboo, Characters, and Dots, each numbered 1-9.
Honor Tiles: Winds (East, South, West, North) and Dragons (Red, Green, White).
Bonus Tiles: Flowers and Seasons, which are optional in some versions.
2. Setting Up the Game
Building the Wall: Each player builds a wall of 18 stacks, two tiles high.
Dealing the Tiles: Players roll dice to determine the dealer, who then deals 13 tiles to each player (14 to themselves).
3. Basic Gameplay
Drawing and Discarding: Players draw a tile from the wall or the discard pile and then discard one tile.
Forming Melds: Players aim to form melds (sets of three or four tiles) and a pair (two identical tiles).
Pong: Three identical tiles.
Chow: A sequence of three consecutive tiles in the same suit.
Kong: Four identical tiles.
4. Winning the Game
Mahjong: The goal is to form a complete hand of four melds and a pair.
Declaring Mahjong: When a player completes their hand, they declare “Mahjong” and reveal their tiles.
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| Sunset Walk Amoungst Floral Tiles |
5. Scoring
Points: Points are awarded based on the complexity of the hand, with higher points for rare combinations.
Bonus Points: Additional points for flowers, seasons, and specific melds.
6. Special Rules
Kong: When forming a Kong, draw an extra tile from the wall.
Robbing the Kong: A player can win by taking the fourth tile of another player’s Kong to complete their hand.
7. Common Variations
Hong Kong Mahjong: Focuses on speed and simplicity.
Japanese Riichi: Includes the concept of declaring “Riichi” for an extra point.
American Mahjong: Uses a unique card of winning hands published annually.
