Babcock's Rules for Mah-Jongg/Chapter 6

by Joseph Park Babcock

 

VI

Examples for Scoring in MAH-JONGG

The exposed part of each hand is shown at the left and the concealed part at the right.

Exposed

Concealed

Fig. 16

Fig. 16. The above is a complete hand and scores:

For Winning the Hand (MAH-JONGG)	20	points
For three fours of dots, exposed	2	points
For three nines of bamboo, concealed	8	points
[1]For filling in only possible place to win	2	points
	32	points

Exposed

Concealed

Fig. 17

Fig. 17. The above is a complete hand and scores as follows:

For Winning the Hand (MAH-JONGG)	20	points
For three ones of dots, exposed	4	points
For three West Winds, exposed	4	points
For three sevens of characters, concealed	4	points
	32	points

If the last tile obtained to complete the hand was drawn and was the two of characters, add two to the score for drawing the winning title and another two for winning by filling in the only possible place to win. This would make the total score 36 points.

If the player holding this hand is West, the total score is doubled for three of the player’s own Wind. The total score of the hand is then 64 points, or 72 points if the last tile obtained was drawn and was the two of characters.

Exposed

Concealed

Fig. 18

Fig. 18. The above is a complete hand which was completed by Punging the third Green Dragon, and it scores as below. (Note that there are fifteen tiles in the hand, the player having drawn a loose tile, making one extra tile for his set of fours of a kind.)

For Winning the Hand (MAH-JONGG)	20	points
For four eights of dots, exposed	8	points
For three Green Dragons, exposed	4	points
For three East Winds, concealed	8	points
For two White Dragons, concealed	2	points
	42	points
This total score is doubled for the three Green Dragons =	84	points

If this hand is held by East, the score is doubled again for three of the player's own Wind, making a total score of 168 points. In this case, as East always plays for double stakes, he would receive counters to the value of 336 points from each of the other players.

Exposed

Concealed

Fig. 19

Fig. 19. The above is a complete hand and scores as below: (Note that the four Red Dragons have been placed on the table with one of them face down, which indicates that they have been Drawn and not Punged. They therefore score as a concealed combination of four of a kind. See Page 18. There are sixteen tiles in all, one extra tile for each set of fours.)

For Winning the Hand (MAH-JONGG)	20	points
For three sixes of characters, exposed	2	points
For four South Winds, exposed	16	points
For four Red Dragons, concealed	32	points
For three twos of characters, concealed	4	points
Assuming the hand was completed by drawing the two of characters as a loose tile after declaring a set of fours	10	points
No Runs, concealed or exposed	10	points
	94	points
This total score is doubled for 3 (or 4) Red Dragons =	188	points
This score is doubled again because the hand is all one suit (characters), except for the Honor Tiles =	376	points

If this hand (Fig. 19) is held by South, the score is doubled again for 3 (or 4) of the player's own Wind, making a total score of 752 points. As the game is usually played with a limit of 300 points, South would be paid for a score of 300 only, and would receive counters to the value of 300 points from North and West and 600 points from East.

Exposed

Concealed

Fig. 20

Fig. 20. The above is a complete hand and scores as follows:

For Winning the Hand (MAH-JONGG)	20	points
For three sixes of dots, concealed	4	points
	24	points
This score is doubled three times because the hand is all of one suit (dots) = 24×2×2×2 =	192	points

N. B.—There are four sixes of dots and four fours of dots in this hand, but they have not been declared and do not score as fours, as they have been used to form other combinations in the hand. Nor can the three fours of dots in the concealed portion of the hand be scored as "three of a kind," as they have been used in separate combinations to form the complete hand.

Exposed

Concealed

Fig. 21

Fig. 21. The above is a complete hand.

If we assume that the winning tile which completed the hand was the five of characters, this was evidently Chowed or Punged for MAH-JONGG, and the hand scores as follows:

For Winning the Hand (MAH-JONGG)	20	points
For No Score other than Game	10	points
	30	points

The same score holds even if four eights of characters are in sight on the table (either among the discards or in other players' hands) and the five of characters is the only available tile to win on, as in any case the sequence of the six and seven of characters is considered as open at both ends, and cannot be scored as open on only one end. This is not considered as filling in the only possible place to win.

If, however, the winning tile was the seven of bamboo, the player has a score of 2 for filling in the only possible place to win (a Run open at only one end). His total score is then only 22 instead of 30 points. 22 is the minimum score.

If the winning tile was the six of characters, the player scores 2 for filling in the only possible place to win (a Run in the middle), and his total score is 22.

If the winning tile was the two of dots (which must have been Drawn as it is part of a concealed combination and not exposed), the player scores 2 for drawing the winning tile and his total score is 22.

If the winning tile was the three of dots, the player scores 2 for drawing the winning tile and 2 for winning by filling in the only possible way to win (a Run in the middle). The total score is then 24.

If the winning tile was the two of bamboo, the player scores 2 for drawing the winning tile. The total score is then 22. This is not filling in the only place, as the 5 of bamboo would also complete the hand.

Only when there is no score at all other than that for going Game (MAH-JONGG) can the winning player secure this bonus of 10 points and count a total score of 30.

Exposed

Concealed

Fig. 22

Fig. 22. The above is an incomplete hand (13 tiles plus two extra for two sets of fours). This hand is ready to go out and may be completed for MAH-JONGG by Punging or Drawing one of three tiles, the two, five, or eight of characters. If the player completes the hand by Punging or Chowing one of these tiles, the hand scores as follows:

For Winning the Hand (MAH-JONGG)	20	points
For four nines of dots, exposed	16	points
For four ones of characters, concealed	32	points
	68	points

If the winning tile was Drawn instead of Punged, or Chowed, add 2, making the score 70 points.

If, however, the player was unable to complete the hand before another player declared MAH-JONGG, the hand scores as follows:

For four nines of dots, exposed	16	points
For four ones of characters, concealed	32	points
	48	points

Exposed

Concealed

Fig. 23

Fig. 23. The above is an incomplete hand (13 tiles), which as yet is not ready to go out. When another player declares for MAH-JONGG this hand scores as follows:

For three nines of bamboo, exposed	4	points
For three White Dragons, concealed	8	points
For three South Winds, concealed	8	points
	20	points
This score is doubled for three White Dragons =	40	points
This score is doubled again because the hand is all one suit (bamboo) except for the Honor Tiles =	80	points
If the player who holds this hand is South, this total score is doubled again for three of the player's own Wind =	160	points

Exposed

Concealed

Fig. 24

Fig. 24. The above is an incomplete hand (13 tiles), which is ready to go out, lacking only the five or eight of dots to complete the hand for MAH-JONGG. When another player declares for MAH-JONGG this hand scores as follows:

For three sixes of dots, concealed	4	points
For three fours of dots, concealed	4	points
	8	points
This score is doubled three times because the hand is entirely of one suit (dots) =8×2×2×2 =	64	points

N. B.—This hand is similar to the one in Fig. 20, but in the hand shown in Fig. 20 the three fours of dots in the concealed portion of the hand could not be scored, as they were grouped in separate combinations to form the complete hand. In Fig. 24, however, as the hand is incomplete, the tiles not already exposed may be re-grouped and the three fours counted as a scoring combination.

Also note that there are four sixes of dots in the concealed portion of the hand, but that they may be scored only as a concealed combination of three of a kind, counting four points. If prior to one of the opponents having declared for MAH-JONGG, these had been declared as a set of fours, laid on the table and a loose tile drawn, they could have been scored as a concealed combination of four of a kind, counting sixteen points. In this case it was good play to sacrifice the 12 points, for by not declaring them as a set of fours the sixes could be grouped in other combinations and the hand had a better chance of being completed for MAH-JONGG.

Exposed

Concealed

Fig. 25

Fig. 25. The above is an incomplete hand (13 tiles), which is ready to go out. This hand may be completed by obtaining one of five tiles, the three, five, six, eight, or nine of bamboo.

If the player completes the hand by Punging (or Chowing) the 3, 6, or 9, the hand scores as follows:

For Winning the Hand (MAH-JONGG)	20	points
For three fives of dots, exposed	2	points
	22	points

If the player completes the hand by Punging the 5 or 8, the hand scores as follows:

For Winning the Hand (MAH-JONGG)	20	points
For three fives of dots, exposed	2	points
For three fours of bamboo, concealed	4	points
	26	points

If the winning tile was Drawn instead of Punged or Chowed, add 2 to the above scores.

If, however, the player was unable to complete the hand before another player declared MAH-JONGG the hand scores as follows:

For three fives of dots, exposed	2	points
For three fours of bamboo, concealed	4	points
	6	points

In hands like this it is often difficult for the beginner to see all the ways possible to complete the hand and opportunities for MAH-JONGG are missed. It is particularly important that such hands be studied carefully so that the player knows just what tiles are required to complete his hand. This hand illustrates the advantage of a long sequence of the same suit in the concealed portion of the hand prior to MAH-JONGG.

The possibilities of MAH-JONGG will be realized to some extent from the score on the following page (Page 52). This is the maximum hand obtainable according to the Standard Score Sheet. In practice there is always a limit, which, while regularly understood to be 300 points, may be changed before beginning play by agreement.

Fig. 26

Fig. 26. This figure shows the maximum hand possible, scoring by the Standard Score Sheet. It is a complete hand of fourteen tiles, and is held by East, being the original fourteen tiles drawn by him at beginning of game ("The Hand from Heaven").

If there were no limit, this hand would score as follows:

For Winning the Hand (MAH-JONGG)	20	points
Three Green Dragons, concealed	8
Three Red Dragons, concealed	8
Three White Dragons, concealed	8
Three East Winds, concealed	8
No Runs	10
Total score before doubling	62
Doubling once for three Green Dragons	124
Doubling once for three Red Dragons	248
Doubling once for three White Dragons	496
Doubling once for three East Winds	992
Doubling three times for all Winds and Dragons	1,984
	3,968
	7,936
Doubling three times for "Hand from Heaven"	15,872
	31,744
	63,488
Each other player plays East double, or	126,976
East receives a total from S, W, and N of	380,928

1. In this case the hand must have been won by Punging the North Wind for MAH-JONGG; otherwise, the pair of North Winds would be shown as in the concealed portion of the hand.

   If this hand is held by North, add two to the score for a pair of the player's own Wind, making a total score of 34 points (but the score is not doubled for less than three of a player's own Wind).