Babcock's Rules for Mah-Jongg/Chapter 8
There are no printed and generally adopted rules for 麻雀 in Chinese or in any other language, and the game is played in various ways in different sections of China. There are, however, certain generally accepted rules and customs which are observed by all Chinese players.
The game of MAH-JONGG, the rules for which are outlined in the preceding pages, embraces a number of these Chinese methods of play, but for the benefit of those who desire to study all the complicated Chinese formalities and customs of the Chinese game 麻雀, those features of 麻雀 are given below that differ from the author's game of MAH-JONGG.
Drawing for Seats: In 麻雀 the Chinese play by Rounds, and unless otherwise stipulated, it is understood that four complete rounds are to be played. At the start of the game the players draw for positions at the table and these positions cannot be changed until after the completion of the four rounds.
In determining the players' positions at the table, the Mingg (Fig. 10) and the Four Wind Discs (Fig. 10) come into use. These and the two dice are used as follows:
The Mingg for Seats: First, the four discs are mixed and placed face down in a row on the table, as in Fig. 35, the one nearest the center of the table being No. 1, next No. 2,
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next No. 3, and the one nearest the corner of the table No. 4. The four players then take temporary positions, one on each side of the table, and any one of the four players then throws the two dice to determine the seat in front of which the Mingg shall be placed. If the total of the two dice is
| 5 or 9, the Mingg is placed before the player who threw the dice. |
| 2, 6, or 10, the Mingg is placed before the player at his right. |
| 3, 7, or 11, the Mingg is placed before the player opposite him. |
| 4, 8, or 12, the Mingg is placed before the player at his left. |
This seat in front of which the Mingg is placed then becomes the seat of the Preliminary East.
The player who first threw the dice, again throws the two dice to determine how the discs shall be drawn. If on this throw the two dice total
| 5 or 9, he himself takes Disc No. 1. |
| 2, 6, or 10, the player at his right takes Disc No. 1. |
| 3, 7, or 11, the player opposite him takes Disc No. 1. |
| 4, 8, or 12, the player at his left takes Disc No. 1. |
After the player indicated by the dice has taken Disc No. 1, Discs No. 2, 3, and 4 are taken one by each player in turn (counter-clockwise).
Now, each player looks at his Disc to see what he has drawn. The player who has drawn the East Disc takes the seat of Preliminary East as indicated by the Mingg. The player who has drawn the South Disc takes the seat to the right of the Mingg, the one who has drawn the West Disc takes the seat opposite the Mingg, and the one who has drawn the North Disc takes the seat at the left of the Mingg.
The Mingg for Play: Now the four walls are set up and shoved forward to form a hollow square.
Then the player who is Preliminary East and who has the Mingg in front of him throws the two dice to determine who shall start the play as the first East Wind. If the two dice total
| 5 or 9, he, himself, becomes East Wind. |
| 2, 6, or 10, the player at his right becomes East Wind. |
| 3, 7, or 11, the player opposite him becomes East Wind. |
| 4, 8, or 12, the player at his left becomes East Wind. |
The Mingg and the four Discs are then placed in front of this player, who has become East Wind and who starts the play. East Wind then throws the two dice to determine how the Wall shall be opened, as described on Page 8, and the Draw takes place and play begins.
Playing by Rounds: The Mingg always passes as East passes, and is kept exposed to view for the guidance of all players to indicate which player is East and what round is being played. The Discs are used to keep track of the number of rounds.
At the beginning of the first round the first East places the East Disc on top of the Mingg. As East passes, this Disc is passed with the Mingg to the succeeding East, the original East retaining the other three Discs. After each of the four players has completed his turn (or turns) as East, marking the completion of the first round, known as the East Wind Round, the Mingg is in the possession of the player who was originally North. This player then retains the East Wind Disc and passes the Mingg to the player on his right, who was originally East. This latter player, who still retains three Discs, should then place the South Disc on the Mingg and the play proceeds as before.
The second round is known as the South Wind Round. Upon the completion of this round, the player who was originally North retains the South Disc and the original East Wind places the West Disc on the Mingg and starts the West Wind Round.
Upon the completion of the fourth and last Round, which is known as the North Wind Round, the player who was originally North is in possession of all four discs and the player who was originally East has none.
If it is desired to continue play, positions at the table must be decided again by the dice. The player who won the last hand, throws the dice, and seats are again chosen in the same manner as at the beginning of play. At this time, should any player object to his seat, as determined by the dice, owing to the fact that he is preceded by the same player sitting on his left as during the first four rounds (or for any other reason), he may call for a second or even a third draw for seats. In no case, however, may he call for more than the third draw.
At the beginning of the play no player has the privilege of calling for another draw, but all must abide by the seats as first determined by the dice and draw.
Wind of the Round: The Chinese sometimes play the Wind of the Round as a special Wind, any three (or four) of which entitle any player to double his score. For example, if during the South Wind Round, East, West, or North hold three (or four) South Winds, he is entitled to double his total score once for holding the Wind of the Round. If on the South Wind Round, South holds three (or four) South Winds, he would be entitled to double his total score twice, once for three (or four) of his own Wind and once because it is the Wind of the Round.
Draw Game: The procedure for a Draw Game in 麻雀 is given below. It is different from the procedure in MAH-JONGG.
Should the game proceed with no hand completed and no sets of fours declared, both loose tiles still being unused, until there are only 14 tiles (7 pairs) left in the wall, none of these last 14 tiles can be drawn, but the game is declared a draw and no scores count. In counting these fourteen tiles, the two loose tiles on the end of the wall are included in the fourteen. In this case, East does not pass, but the same player continues as East.
At the beginning of each hand, it is usual to leave a little space between these last fourteen tiles and the rest of the Wall, in order to separate this Dead Portion of the Wall from the last tile that can be drawn. (See the arrow in Fig. 12.)
For every set of fours that is declared, necessitating always the drawing of a loose tile, two tiles (one pair) are moved from the Live Portion of the wall to the Dead Portion, i. e., the dividing line moves two tiles (one pair) nearer to the point of play. If all the tiles are drawn from the Live Portion of the Wall up to this dividing line, with no player having completed his hand, the game is declared a Draw and no scores count. Where the game has been declared a Draw, after one or more sets of fours has been declared, East is not retained, but passes to the next player to the right.
In Fig. 15, one set of fours has already been declared and one loose tile drawn; according to the Chinese method of play there should be fifteen tiles in the Dead Portion of the Wall, including the one loose tile which still remains. If two sets of fours have been declared, there should be sixteen tiles in the Dead Portion of the wall, including two loose tiles; if three sets of fours have been declared, there should be seventeen tiles in the Dead Portion of the wall, including one loose tile; etc.
A player may not declare a set of fours, nor draw a loose tile after the last tile from the Live Portion of the wall has been drawn. He may, however, declare a set of fours after the next to the last tile from the Live Portion of the wall has been drawn; in which case, the next tile becomes a part of the Dead Portion of the wall, and cannot be drawn, and the loose tile which is drawn after the set of fours becomes his last chance to win.
To Complete a Hand by Filling in the Only Possible Place to Win: In 麻雀, the Chinese score this differently from the method of scoring in MAH-JONGG. Their score is as follows:
| To Complete the Hand by Obtaining the second to a Pair | 2 points |
| To Complete the Hand by Filling a Run in the Middle | 2 points |
| To Complete the Hand by Filling a Run open on only one end | 2 points |
This difference is best illustrated by scoring below the hand shown in Fig. 21, by the Chinese Method of scoring and comparing this with the scoring according to the Standard Score Sheet for MAH-JONGG as given on Pages 46–47.
In Fig. 21, if the winning tile which completed the hand was the five of characters, the hand scores 10 extra for "No Score other than Game" and the total score is 30 points.
If, however, the winning tile was the seven of Bamboo, the player has a score of 2 for filling a Run open on 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 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 a 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 a Run in the middle. The total score is then 24.
If the winning tile was the two of bamboo, in 麻雀, the player scores 2 for drawing the winning tile and 2 for winning by obtaining the second to a pair. The total score is then 24. If the two of bamboo had been obtained from the board to complete the hand instead of Drawn from the Wall, note that the player would have had the option of exposing a two of bamboo from his hand to form his final pair on the table, which would give him a score of 22, or of exposing the 3 and 4 of bamboo from his hand to form a Run (2, 3, 4 of bamboo) on the table. The player, in this case, should Pung for the Run and not for the Pair, as then his hand would contain no score other than game and he would be entitled to the bonus of 10 points.
Another illustration of this point is where a player is ready to go out with an incomplete hand, as in Fig. 36.
In 麻雀, if the player obtains the seven of characters from the board to complete this hand, he should expose the five and six of characters, with the seven, to complete a
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Run open at both ends. This will give him a hand with no score other than Game, which scores 30 points. If he exposes the 8 and 9 of characters, with the 7, he has completed a Run open at only one end, which counts 2, making his total score only 22 points. In MAH-JONGG, according to the Standard Score Sheet, in either case the player would score 30 points on this hand, as the hand was not filled in the only possible place to win and, therefore, contains no score other than Game.
But in 麻雀, if the player draws the seven of characters from the Wall, he should expose the eight and nine of characters with the seven, which gives him a total score of 24 points (2 for drawing the winning tile and 2 for completing a Run open at only one end). In this case, if he exposes the five and six of characters with the seven, his total score is only 22 points. According to the Standard Score Sheet, in either case this hand would score 22, as there was more than one way to go out, and an extra 2 points cannot be scored for filling in the only possible place to win.
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Fig. 37. The above is an incomplete hand which is ready to go out. The one or four of characters will complete this hand. If the hand is completed by Punging the winning tile from the board, according to the Standard Score Sheet for MAH-JONGG this hand would score 30 points (i. e., 20 for game and 10 extra for no score other than game).
But in 麻雀, this would score 2 for winning by completing the second to a pair, making the total score 22 points.
The Chinese refer to completing the second to a pair as 麻雀—their general term for obtaining a complete hand is to "Hu" or "Wu." They also refer to obtaining four of a kind as a "Kang" rather than as a Pung.
The above are all differences which tend to make the game more complex and add nothing to the interest or to the skilful features of the play.
Hand Entirely of One Suit or Hand All of One Suit Except for Honor Tiles: In 麻雀 these hands are never doubled three times or once respectively unless they are winning hands which have been completed for Game. This discourages attempts for large scores with one-suit hands and is an important difference between 麻雀 and MAH-JONGG.
Dead Hand: A Dead Hand, that is, a hand containing more or less than the correct number of tiles, can never be completed for Game.
The Chinese play that if the Dead Hand contains less than the correct number of tiles, the scoring combinations contained in the hand may be counted in settling the scores after another player has completed his hand.[1]
If the hand contains more than the correct number of tiles, the scoring combinations contained in the hand may not be counted. Where it has previously been agreed to impose a more severe penalty for a hand holding more than the correct number of tiles, play is stopped as soon as the Dead Hand is discovered, and the player holding the Dead Hand must pay each other player the Limit, East paying or receiving double.
Hand entirely of Honor Tiles (All Winds and/or Dragons—No Suit): In 麻雀 the Chinese do not double three times for this hand, as they score the Limit on such a hand regardless of the scoring combinations contained therein.
In 麻雀 the Chinese in all parts of China generally recognize as Limit Hands a complete hand containing three sets of three (or four) Dragons, and also the following complete hands listed under Optional Scores:
The Four Wind Hand.
Winning Hand Containing No Tiles other than Ones, Nines, and Honor Tiles.
Winning Hand containing four concealed combinations of three of a kind.
The other hands listed under Optional Scores are played only in certain sections of China.
Incorrect Win: In 麻雀, if a player incorrectly declares his hand to be complete ("Hu" or "Wu") and thereby causes one or more of the other players to expose or destroy his hand, he is penalized and is required to pay each of the other players the amount of the penalty, which has been previously agreed upon. This penalty is fixed sometimes at 100 points, sometimes at one-half the Limit, sometimes at the full Limit. East receives double the amount of the penalty from the player who is penalized, but if East himself is penalized, he must pay double the amount of the penalty to each other player.
Insurance Penalties: Among Chinese players it is customary to require each player to insure each of the others against certain large scores which may occur as a result of risky discards. Where this Insurance Method is used, the insurance penalty is exacted in the following instances, only:
1. Where a player has exposed (including concealed combinations of four of a kind which have been declared) two combinations of three (or four) Dragons, and another player discards one of the third kind of Dragons, which allows the first player to complete his hand (with three sets of Dragons which double his score three times), the discarding player must pay the entire amount due to the winner from the other two losers, in addition to his own losses. The other two players are thus insured against the heavy loss due to this risky discard on the part of the discarding player.
If the Dragon discarded is Punged by the first player, but this player does not complete his hand until on a later play, the discarder of the Dragon must still pay one-half of the total amount due to the winner from the other two losers, in addition to his own losses. The other half is borne by the other two losers.
If the Dragon discarded is Punged by the first player, but he never succeeds in completing his hand for "Wu," no penalty attaches to the discarder.
2. Where a player has exposed (including concealed combinations of four of a kind which have been declared) three or more combinations of one suit, and another player discards one of this same suit which allows the first player to complete his hand with a hand entirely of one suit (doubling score three times), the discarding player must pay the entire amount due to the winner from the other two losers, in addition to his own losses.
If the tile discarded is Punged or Chowed by the first player, who does not complete his hand at once, but on a later play by drawing from the wall the winning tile of the same suit (giving him a hand entirely of one suit which doubles his score three times), the discarding player must still pay one-half of the amount due to the winner from the other two losers, in addition to his own losses. The other half is borne by the other two losers.
If, however, the first player did not draw the winning tile from the wall, but finally won on a discard of a tile of the same suit by a third player, the player who made the first of the two discards is still responsible for one-half of the total amount due to the winner. The player who made the final discard is responsible for the other half of the total amount due to the winner, the fourth player paying nothing.
If the tile discarded is Punged or Chowed by the first player, but the first player never succeeds in completing his hand with a hand entirely of one suit, then no penalty attaches to the discarder.
3. Where a player has exposed three or more sets of Winds or three or more combinations containing no tiles other than ones, nines, or Honor Tiles, the other players must insure each other against allowing this player to win on a limit hand, as the result of a discard of any Wind or of any one, nine, or Honor Tile. In other words, the players must insure against a Four Wind Hand and also against a hand containing no tiles other than ones, nines, and Honor Tiles. The procedure in this case is as outlined under paragraph 2 for insuring against a hand entirely of one suit.
Note.—If a player declares a fouth to a set of three already exposed on the table and this fourth tile allows a player to win under the circumstances outlined above, the player declaring the fourth is liable to the same penalties as if he had discarded this tile. (See Stealing the Fourth to Win, Page 22.)
But if the discarding player himself has a hand which is waiting and which contains combinations of a rank higher than or equal to the hand against which he must insure, the discarding player is not liable for the insurance penalty. For insurance purposes, these high hands are divided into three ranks.
First Rank:
A waiting Hand entirely of One Suit.
A Waiting Hand with three completed sets of Winds, including the player's own, and one or a pair of the fourth Wind. This hand, if completed, would be a Four Wind Hand (see Page 53).
Second Rank:
A Waiting Hand with two completed sets of Winds, not including the player's own, and two pairs of the other two Winds. This is a possible Four Wind Hand, provided the player should later succeed in Punging a third to the pair of his own Wind (see Page 53).
A Waiting Hand with two completed sets of Dragons and a pair of the third Dragon. This is a possible Three Dragon Hand, provided the player should later succeed in Punging the third to the pair of Dragons.
Third Rank:
A Waiting Hand containing no tiles other than ones and nines and/or Honor Tiles.
A Waiting Hand which is merely all of one suit except for Honor Tiles is not exempt from the insurance penalty; nor is such a hand insured against, even though it may contain three doubles.
In the event that a player's hand contains no tile other than one which might make him liable for the insurance penalty, he must, of course, discard one of these tiles, and in this case he is exempt from the penalty—this, whether his hand is Waiting or not. If this tile discarded is the winning tile, scores are settled in the ordinary way.
But if a player has Chowed or Punged and then on the same play finds himself with no tiles in his hand other than one which might make him liable for the insurance penalty, he discards one of these tiles and in this case he is liable for the insurance penalty if this tile discarded is the winning tile.
In case the player against whom the other players must insure is waiting for a certain tile, if this tile is discarded and misses the notice of the player who is waiting for it, then if a similar tile is subsequently discarded, the waiting player cannot take this second discard unless he has had a turn and has drawn from the wall in the interim between the two discards.
When an insurance penalty is paid, all scores of the three losers are cancelled.
Among some Chinese players it is customary to impose another insurance penalty, as follows:
If any player in one hand completes four combinations by Chowing or by Punging from the player on his left, and immediately or later completes his hand, this latter player who gave him four such useful tiles must pay the entire losses of the other two players, in addition to his own. This condition holds, no matter who discards the winning tile or if it is drawn from the wall, and no matter what the score of the winner's hand may be.
New Method: In the New Method which is fast finding favor in certain Chinese communities, East does not pay out nor receive double stakes. The player who discards the tile which allows another player to complete his hand, pays the winner double stakes. No double stakes are paid between any of the three losers. If the winner draws the winning tile from the wall, he receives double stakes from each of the three other players.
In the New Method a player is not liable for the insurance penalty, if he holds any Waiting hand at the time he discards the winning tile.
The New Method of play has a great deal of merit, and is favored by more advanced players, as it puts more of a premium on skill and a penalty on carelessness or lack of foresight in discarding. However, this method is not recommended for beginners.
Other Methods: Where players prefer a game with higher or lower scores it is sometimes decided, prior to the beginning of play, to score more or less than 20 points for Game. 10 points, 30 points, 50 points, and 100 points are occasionally used as a score for game instead of 20 points.
In another method of play, one which is seldom used, East does not pass from one player to the next in rotation (counterclockwise). Instead, the player who wins the hand becomes East for the succeeding hand.
In some localities there is a rule in force that as soon as four sets of four of a kind have been declared, a Draw Game is declared, the East passing to the right. This rule is not generally recognized by the Chinese except in a few sections.
In many places there is an interesting Chinese rule in force with regard to Punging. If a player fails or refuses to Pung a certain discarded tile and another player discards a similar tile, the first player may not Pung this second discard unless he has had a turn and drawn from the wall in the interim between the two discards. This applies to Punging for three or four of a kind and for completion of a hand as well. The player may, however, take this second discard for a Chow, even though he has not drawn from the wall in the interim.
Nine Mummies—New Draw: In some parts of China instead of playing for the Thirteen Orphan Hand (see Page 60), if a player has among his original fourteen tiles nine or more different ones, nines, and Honor Tiles, without a pair of any kind in his hand ("Nine Mummies"), he may, at his option, lay down his hand and demand a new Draw.[2]
East obtains his original fourteen tiles on the Original Draw from the wall and consequently must announce at once his intention to call for a new Draw in this way. The other players may claim this privilege at any time until they make their first discard, but not later.
If a previous arrangement is made, players may receive bonuses on a Nine Mummies hand. If it has been decided to pay a bonus, the bonus is usually 50 points from each player if nine of these single ones, nines, and Honor Tiles are held, and 50 points extra from each player for each additional one, nine, or Honor Tile that is held over and above nine. For example, if a player held twelve of these single tiles among his original fourteen tiles, he could claim 200 points from each player.
Similarly, it is sometimes agreed that where a player among his original fourteen tiles has thirteen tiles which are "not touching" (i. e., where no tiles go to form a pair or an unbroken sequence of two) he may at his option lay down his hand and demand a new Draw. In order to take advantage of this privilege, East must declare at once before discarding, and South, West, and North before making their first discard. Note that any tile of the fourteen may be segregated in order to show a hand with thirteen tiles "not touching."
Hands like the above, where it is agreed that a new draw may be demanded, take precedence over other original "waiting hands" except only The Hand from Heaven (see Page 36).
In cases of hands of this sort when a new Draw is demanded, no scores count and East retains his position for the new shuffle and draw, except when East himself demands the new Draw; in this latter case the East passes.
The Limit: 300 points is usually fixed as the Limit, but a Limit of 400, 500, or 600 points is also sometimes played.
A table rule which is frequently played by the Chinese is that when a player wins with a Limit Hand, the three losing players do not settle with each other but their scores are cancelled.
Another interesting rule played by many Chinese is that when a player retains the East by winning nine consecutive times as East, he is entitled to collect the Limit from each of the three other players on his ninth win, regardless of the score in his hand. This, of course, seldom happens.
Settling Scores: Some players find it convenient to settle their scores by paying in counters to the nearest ten points instead of using the small counters with the value of two points. For example, where this is done, 12 points and 14 points would count as 10 points, and 16 points and 18 points as 20 points.
Similarly at the end of play, players find it convenient to figure up their winnings and losses to the nearest hundred points. Where this is done it is customary for each player to put all of his counters in excess of an even hundred points into a pool in the center of the table. Even if a player has no extra counters to put in, he is entitled to a share in the pool. Each player then throws the dice once, and the high throw wins the pool; if two or more players tie, these tying players throw again to decide who wins the pool.
This settlement of small counters under a hundred is the common method of play among American and European players in China. The total of the small counters in the center will be exactly 100, 200, or 300.
MAH-JONGG for Three Players.
MAH-JONGG is a good game for three players, as well as four. In the three-handed game the procedure in general is the same as for the four-handed game, with the following exceptions which should be carefully noted.
The four West Winds are removed from the set, leaving a total of 132 tiles. The wall is built in three rows of 44 tiles each (22 tiles long and two high). These three rows are then shoved forward to form a triangle.
"East" is determined as in the four-handed game. The player to his right is South and to his left North, without regard to the intervening vacant seat at the table. There is no West. Each of the three players is responsible for building and, if so indicated by the dice, opening one side of the wall. East throws the two dice and counts off in a counterclockwise direction, beginning with himself as one, the number indicated by the total of the two dice. Thus, if the two dice total
| 1, 4, 7, 10, East himself retains the dice for the second throw. |
| 2, 5, 8, 11, South takes the dice for the second throw. |
| 3, 6, 9, 12, North takes the dice for the second throw. |
The rest of the procedure is the same as in the four-handed game except that on the original draw East must take his thirteenth and fourteenth tiles on two distinct draws and not on one draw as is done in the four-handed game (see Page 11).
The scoring is the same except that the total number of points won and lost is generally less than in the four-handed game, and it is, therefore, customary to play the three-handed game with a higher Limit, usually 600 points.
MAH-JONGG for Two Players.
MAH-JONGG may also be played by two players.
The entire set of 136 tiles is used and four walls built as in the four-handed game. Each player builds his own wall and the wall to his right.
The two players alternate as East and West. East takes care of all the duties that would be performed by South in the four-handed game in connection with throwing the dice and opening the wall; similarly West takes care of the duties that would be performed by North in this respect.
East is entitled to double his score for three (or four) South Winds, as well as for three (or four) East Winds. West is entitled to double his score for three (or four) North Winds, as well as for three (or four) West Winds.
In the two-handed game it is very much easier to obtain a complete hand than in the ordinary four-handed game. It is usually understood, therefore, that neither player be allowed to declare for MAH-JONGG unless he has a complete hand containing two or more doubling combinations.
The scores are consequently much larger than in the four-handed game and one-suit hands are frequent. The Limit is usually fixed at 300 points.
MAH-JONGG for Five Players.
This is a variation of the game which will hold the attention and interest of a fifth player.
Five rounds are played instead of four, each of the players in turn sitting out for one round while the other four players play as in the ordinary four-handed game.
After every hand, each of the three losers pays the player who is sitting out the base score 20 points, and for every double in the winning hand, these three players must double the number of points to be paid to the fifth player. For example, if South wins with a hand containing two doubles, North and West must each pay the fifth player 80 points and East must pay him 160 points—this in addition to what these three players must pay South—South would pay out nothing—nor does the fifth player pay out anything even to the winner.
It is evident, therefore, that the player sitting out does nothing but receive counters during one round and pays out nothing, not even to the winner of the hand. This serves to hold the interest of the player while he sits out and is fair to all players as each player sits out for one round in turn.
Progressive MAH-JONGG.
If desired, where there are two or more tables, MAH-JONGG can be played as a progressive game.
Four hands are played at each table. East passes each hand, each player having a turn as East. In the event of a Dead Hand, East also passes.
At the end of four hands the players figure up their counters to find the number of points won or lost and enter these as plus or minus scores on cards provided for the purpose. Care should be taken that the totals of the plus and minus scores at the end of the four hands balance before they are entered on the cards.
The two players having the highest scores then progress to the next table where four more hands are played in the same way. The two players with the lowest scores remain at the same table for another four hands, but are privileged to change their seats.
Before starting play, as soon as each new table is ready, counters are redistributed, 2,000 points to each player.
The players progress in this way from table to table, and at the end of the play the plus and minus scores on each player's card are totaled and the highest net score determines the winner of the progressive competition play.
One Dice Throw.
Some players start a hand by throwing the two dice only once: this throw indicating both the wall to be opened and the tiles to be removed. For example, if a six and one are thrown, making seven, then the seventh pair of tiles in West's wall are removed.
This is a variation of MAH-JONGG played with a set containing eight extra tiles of special design, known as the
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Seasons. They are also sometimes called Flowers, Flower Gardens, or "Goofs." They are in two series of four each, one series marked 1, 2, 3, and 4 in one color, and the other series marked 1, 2, 3, and 4 in another color. Usually one set is marked in green and the other in red. The design of the seasons varies in different sets. For example, in one very popular set of seasons, one series depicts four styles of Chinese architecture and the other series four methods of transportation in China, as shown in the illustration on the preceding page.
If East Wind draws either of the No. 1 Seasons, he is said to have his own Season; similarly, the No. 2 Seasons are South Wind's own Seasons, the No. 3 Seasons are West Wind's own Seasons, and the No. 4 Seasons are North Wind's own Seasons.
The Seasons cannot be Punged or Chowed from the table, but can be obtained only by drawing from the wall. A Season is never discarded, but is always declared immediately by placing it face up with the exposed part of the hand, and a loose tile drawn from the end of the wall to make up the correct number of tiles in the hand. That is, after declaring a Season the procedure is the same as after declaring four of a kind.
After the original draw and prior to East's first discard, East declares any Season or Seasons that he may have in his hand, drawing a loose tile for each Season declared, to make up the correct number of tiles in his hand. South, West, and North then declare in turn any Seasons which they may have in their hands. Each draws in turn a loose tile for each Season declared so as to give each thirteen tiles in his concealed hand. In doing this, East first declares all of his Seasons, replacing them by loose tiles, then South replaces all of his, then, similarly, West and North in their turn.
All Seasons obtained on the original Draw are thus declared before East makes his first discard, including any Seasons which may be Drawn as loose tiles. East then makes his first discard as described under "The Play," on Page 13.
After East has made his first discard and the play has begun, any Season which is drawn should be declared at once as soon as it is drawn. If, after declaring a Season a player draws another Season, as a loose tile, he should declare this at once on the same turn and draw another loose tile to make up the correct number of tiles in his hand.
The Seasons score as follows:
| Each Season Scores | 4 points |
| One of a player's own Season | Double the total score once |
| Both of a player's own Season | Double the total score twice |
| All four Seasons of one color | Double the total score three times |
These Doubles for the Seasons are in addition to any other doubling combinations the hand may contain. These scores and doubles for the Seasons apply to all hands whether they have been completed for MAH-JONGG or not.
Variation of the above rule commonly played by foreigners in Shanghai is that a player doubles once if he has two Seasons of his own number, but does not double for only one season of his own number. This variation does not affect the above value of a series of four.
A player's own number will of course occur in any series