how to play ...
These rules are based on the Taiwanese 16 tile version as explained here. For other versions, refer to the rule collection at Four Winds.
[ players / pieces ]
What you need to start a game of mahjong:
- Four players.
- A set of 144 tiles. Refer to this page for pictures and descriptions. There are 4 of each tile in each of the 4 suits, and 2 of the same flower tiles.
- Rulers/racks (optional).
- Counters or "tai2" for score keeping (sticks, chips, coins, whatever).
- Three dice.
- Spinner, dial, or special die marked with the four wind directions to denote the "prevailing wind of the round."
[ object ]
To form a winning hand before your opponents do, collect as many points as possible, and end up with the highest score after a specific number of rounds are played. Usually professionals will play all four rounds (east/south/west/north), each consisting of at least four games so that the dice makes its way around the table and every player starts a game at least once. I say "at least" because if the player who starts also wins, then he/she will "lian2 zhuang1" and start again. Therefore, a full game of mahjong consists of at least 16 mini games.
[ seating ]
Players sit down. All take turns rolling the 3 dice. The person who gets the highest sum starts the game and is designated the east seat. Other methods include taking the wind tiles out, placing them face down, shuffling, then having each player draw one. East stays in his/her place, South sits to the right of East, and North to the left of East, and West sits across from East.
[ set up ]
Players must decide on several things before beginning to play:
- Number of rounds to play.
- Value of scoring units, e.g. each penny is worth 20 points.
- Starting points, e.g. everyone starts with 30 pennies.
[ building the wall ]
Tiles are placed face down on the table, and players shuffle them by pushing them around the tabletop. Then, each player builds up a "wall" in front of them, consisting of 18 stacks of two tiles, still face down. Walls are pushed toward the middle until they meet, forming either a square or parallelogram in the middle of the table.
[ opening the wall ]
Dealer/East starts the game by rolling the three dice and counting off counter-clockwise beginning with him/herself. The player he stops on will be considered the new "East House" or "dong1 jia1" for this game, and his/her seat will correspond to the 1 flower, South will correspond to the 2 flower, West the 3 flower, and North the 4 flower. To simplify things, we will refer to these players as 1, 2, 3, 4.
The side of the wall in front of player 1 is where the wall will be "opened." Say the dealer rolled an 11. You would count 11 from right to left on the wall, and then place the 11th stack on top of the 10th to indicate that it is the "end of the wall" or "end of the dragon's tail." The dealer takes 2 stacks (4 tiles) beginning from the next stack of tiles (the 12th in this example), and then the person sitting to the dealer's right takes four tiles, and so on, in counterclockwise order, until all players have 16 tiles each.
Once players have their tiles, they should should arrange them in a row and check if they have any flower tiles. If they do, they need to place these in front of their row face up and then "bu3 hua1" or trade flowers by taking a tile from the "dragon's tail" to replace each flower in his hand. The dealer will "bu3" first, then the player on his right, and so on, until all players have traded in their flowers.
[ playing your hand ]
The dealer begins by drawing a tile from the beginning of the wall, not where the "tail" is. If a flower tile is drawn, it must be placed face up on the table and a replacement tile must be drawn from the end of the wall. After drawing a tile, the player must choose one to throw out. Discarded tiles are placed in the middle of the table, surrounded by the wall.
In order to win, you need to end up with five triples or runs of three and one double. An example:
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[ turns ]
The next person to draw is on the right, so that players take turns in counter-clockwise order. If the player before him has thrown out a tile that he can use in a run of three (any 1-2-3, 4-5-6, etc combination), then he can "eat" or "chi" the tile. He has to place the tile he has "eaten" face up in front of his hand surrounded by the two tiles that complete the run. After drawing a tile from the wall, or using the discarded tile of the player before him, he has to throw out a tile.
If anyone throws out a tile that completes a triple you're waiting for (1-1-1, 2-2-2, east-east-east, etc), you must say "peng4!" (pronounced more like "pung") to absorb it. A "peng" takes precedence over a "chi." After you absorb that tile, you must place your triple face up in front of your hand. After you throw out a tile, the person to your right takes a turn. A similar thing occurs with a "gang4" (four of the same tile), except for a "gang4" you must also draw from the end of the wall before discarding.
[ winning ]
See the example above. If you're waiting for one tile and someone throws it out, you say "hu2 le5," which means "I've won." That person has to pay you. If you draw the tile you need from the wall yourself, it is a "zi4 mou1" and everyone pays you. Refer to scoring.