OVERVIEW:  Overview of the calculations ⇒ Calculating the basic score ⇒ Doubling ⇒ Doubling for all players ⇒ Doubling for the player who goes Mah-Jong  ⇒ Doubling and special hands

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Playing aid

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In the following explanation, “winner” will be used to refer to the player who has called “Mah-Jong!” and won the session. However, points are also awarded to the other participants and it is possible one of these may end up better off than the so-called winner.

Overview of the calculations

If the winner has gone out with a special hand then his score is the score of that special hand, with possibly extra points from any bonus tiles. Otherwise calculating his score is a two stage process, as it is for the other players.

Calculating the basic score

The basic score is determined from:

• The various sets of pungs and kongs
• Certain pairs of honour tiles
• Flower and Season tiles
• Points given for going Mah-Jong  (and if the last tile comes from the wall)

Doubling

The basic score is then doubled for each doubling condition that can be found to apply to the hand. Some of these doubling conditions only apply to the winner.

The limit

The final score can never be more than the limit, which is normally set to 1,000 points. Most of the special hands score the limit and some half the limit.

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Calculating the basic score

Chows

 

No points are scored for chows
(exposed or concealed)

 

Pungs

	Exposed	Concealed
Minor tiles	2  points	4  points
Major tiles	4  points	8  points

 

Kongs

The scores for kongs are four times the pung equivalent.

	Exposed	Concealed
Minor tiles	8  points	16  points
Major tiles	16  points	32  points

 

Pairs of honour tiles

2 points are scored for a pair of Dragons, for a pair of the prevailing Wind (usually East Wind) or for a pair of the player’s own Wind. This applies to all players.
If the Wind pair is both the prevailing Wind and the own Wind, then 4 points are scored.

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Flowers and Seasons

4 points for each Flower or Season.

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For going Mah-Jong

20 points are given for going Mah-Jong.
Another 2 points are given if the winning tile was drawn from the live wall (not the kong box).

Also see questions on Scoring – Basic score

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Doubling

Once the basic scores have been worked out, each player’s score is doubled for each of the following conditions up to a maximum of 1,000 points.

Doubling for all players

Pung or kong of the player’s own Wind

Pung or kong of the prevailing Wind  (usually East Wind)

Pung or kong of Dragons

Having your own Flower
(1 = East Wind, 2 = South Wind, 3 = West Wind, 4 = North Wind)

Having your own Season
(1 = East Wind, 2 = South Wind, 3 = West Wind, 4 = North Wind)

Holding a complete set of Flowers (a bouquet)
(double twice – includes own Flower double)

Holding a complete set of Seasons
(double twice – includes own Season double)

Original call – when a player is fishing after his first discard (and does not alter his hand)

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Doubling for the player who goes Mah-Jong

The player who goes Mah-Jong may claim these additional doubles:

No chows

All tiles are from the same suit with Dragons and/or Winds

All tiles are 1s and/or 9s with some Dragons and/or Winds  (All tiles are majors)

All tiles are concealed and are from one or more suits with Dragons and/or Winds

An exposed pair
A pair that was claimed by a “Mah-Jong!” is exposed and so spoils an otherwise concealed hand.

Going Mah-Jong with a loose tile  (i.e. a tile from the kong box)

Going Mah-Jong with the last available tile from the wall 

Going Mah-Jong with the final discard

Going Mah-Jong by robbing the kong

Going Mah-Jong with the original call – when a player is fishing after his first discard
(and does not alter his hand)

Also see questions on Scoring – Doubling

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Doubling and special hands

Doubling doesn’t apply to special hands (except in the particular case of “Purity”, which gives three doublesn – and sometimes, exceptionally, four), but it can apply to any additional bonus tiles.
The value of these is added to that of the special hand, up to the limit of 1,000 points.
If the player has one or more bonus tiles which qualify for doubling then the doubling is applied just to the value of the bonus tiles. This rule even applies to “Purity”.

Example of doubling as applied to a special hand

This special hand of All pair honours and two Flower tiles scores 516 points for North Wind. 500 points is for the special hand. The two bonus tiles score 8 points, which is doubled to 16 points because North Wind has his Own Flower tile – no. 4.

When doubling can be applied
The doubling rule for special hands only applies when you have a hand which doesn’t score the maximum of 1,000 points. If you are fishing, and someone else goes Mah-Jong, it will always apply.
In these cases, the value of the Flowers and Seasons can potentially be doubled for each of the following:

• Your own Flower
• Your own Season
• A bouquet of Flowers
• A bouquet of Seasons

Going Mah-Jong with the final discard tile
The authors of the BMJA rules have allowed another doubling (of the bonus tile score) if a player goes Mah-Jong with the final discard tile.

For example:
A player calls Mah-Jong – with the final discard tile – for the special hand of Triple knitting.
He also has 2 bonus tiles, one for his own Wind (which gives 1 double).
His score would be 4 + 4 = 8 x 2 x 2 = 32 + 500 = 532

Next ⇒

 

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