Scoring with the Hongkong Style Mahjong and the Philippine Variation

Hong Kong Mahjong Scoring and the Philippine Style Variation 

Playing mahjong with Dinah, Alix and Brendan, Dublin, California October 29, 2023  My Winning 7-pairs Hand without a Joker- The last time I had a hand like this was 5 years ago. I started playing mahjong Philippine style when I was only 5 years old. My mother had a mahjong group and they play every weekend. At times one of their players can not make it and my mother allowed me to play as a "sub". I still remember playing in my short pants and have a hard time reaching for the tiles in the center and playing against my teacher and my mom's adult mahjong buddies. However, I never learned how to feel the tiles with my touch except for the jokers and the white dragon and the one circle or dot tiles. Here are some scoring with the Hong Kong style ( 13 tiles-no joker) versus Philippine style ( 16 tiles with 2 to 3 jokers( wild tiles).     Hong Kong Mahjong Scoring

In addition to the scoring system above, there are also the following special hands which are difficult to compose but rewards the player with maximum payout!

1. Seven Pairs - 16 points + components  Hand containing any seven pairs.  2. Hidden Treasure - 64 points  Four Pungs, any pair, all concealed, and win by Self-Drawn.  3. Three Great Scholars - 64 points  Pung or Kong with all three dragons, any chow, pung or Kong, and any pair. May all be melded.  4. Little Four Winds - 64 points  Pung or Kong of three Winds, a pair of fourth wind, any other set completing the hand. May be all melded.  5. Big Four Winds - 64 points  Pung or Kong of each Wind, and any pair. May all be melded.  6. All Honors - 64 points  Four Pungs or Kongs and a pair of Dragons and Winds. May all be melded.  7. All Terminals - 64 points  Four Pungs or Kongs and a pair of 1's or 9's. May all be melded.  8. Nine Gates - 64 points  Three 1's, a sequence of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and three 9's, all of the same suit, and any other tile of the same suit completing the hand. The hand must be concealed (the winning tile can be a discard). No Kongs are allowed. The Philippine style we called it the Escalera ( stair case). The pairs could be of other suits.  9. Thirteen Orphans - 64 points  One of each Dragon and Wind, 1 and 9 of each suite and 14th tile forming a pair with any of these. The hand must be concealed (the winning tile can be a discard). The Philippines style we called it Devil's hand.  10. All Kongs - 64 points  Any four Kongs + any Pair.  11. Jade Dragon - 64 points  Jade Dragon: Pung or Kong of Bamboos and a Pung or Kong of Green Dragon.  12. Ruby Dragon - 64 points  Ruby Dragon: Pung or Kong of Characters only and Pung of Red Dragon.  13. Pearl Dragon - 64 points  Pearl Dragon: Pung or Kongs of Dots only and Pung or Kong of White Dragon.  14. Heavenly Hands - 64 points East declares "Out" with the dealt hand (after supplement tiles, if any) 15. Earthly Hands - 64 points Non-dealer goes out on dealer's first discard (supplement tiles are allowed) Philippine style that I learned when I was a Child. A hand with same suits is called PURE.( $4x) A winning hand with one suit with either a dragon or wind Pung is called PLACIS ($3x).  The one who declares mahjong gets to score fan (points). These fan are based on the contents of the winning hand. Once the fan is calculated, it is then converted into a payment amount based upon a payment table called "fan-laak" table. The losing players will in turn pay the winning player based upon this payment table.  Below is the payment table: Fan Points By discard Self drawn 0 1 1+1+2=4 chips n/a 1 2 2+2+4=8 chips 4+4+4=12 chips 2 4 4+4+8=16 chips 8+8+8=24 chips 3 8 8+8+16=32 chips 16+16+16=48 chips 4, 5, 6 16 16+16+32=64 chips 32+32+32=96 chips 7, 8, 9 32 32+32+64=128 chips 64+64+64=192 chips 10+ 64 64+64+128=256 chips 128+128+128=384 chips If a player makes a faulty declaration of out - the deal is abandoned and the offender shall each of the other players 100% of the Limit (i.e., full laak, which in the rules described here is 64 points). If the faulty declaration was made in context of a claimed tile, the discarded gets double the amount. The deal normally passes after a faulty declaration of out. Personal Note: Mahjong could be addicted and can be a gambling activity or as source of income activity. When I was still residing in Fair Oaks, my home-care aide who was a Filipina-American played regularly mahjong for money in a friends house nearby. Sometimes she informed me she loses $60 for a 4-5 hour session. But, it is her only recreation, so she plays every week. The host charges each player a fee ( flat) and a commission for every winning hand. The host provides food and drinks. So the more players, the higher income for the host for every session. The bets could ranged from $1 to $5 per game plus additional fee for special hands mentioned in my article above.