Takame and yasume

Takame 「高目」 and yasume 「安目」 involve tenpai hands, where the different multiple waiting tiles produces different value based on yaku and/or dora. This deals with the situation, where one group of waiting tiles may produce a hand of lower value than the other group of waiting tiles. Takame refers to the tile wait(s) producing the greater hand value, while yasume wins with the tile(s) of a lesser value. Often, the situation determines whether a hand produces specific yaku or not. A classic example involves atozuke, where the lesser valued tile prevents a hand from winning while the preferred tile does.

Conditions

This condition may be nullified with hands of mangan or greater. This is simply due to the ranges of han required to produce mangan or greater. For example, a haneman hand is worth 6 or 7 han. So, the need to increase a hand's value from 6 han to 7 han becomes irrelevant, as the points awarded is the exact same. Of course, the condition is invoked again when the value differs from 7 han to 8 han.

In relation of tile waits, this condition potentially affects any hand with multiple tile waits. Any hand implementing only a penchan, kanchan or tanki wait usually cannot be affected, since there is only one type of winning tile. Other wait patterns, including a combination of multiple single waits such as nobetan, may lead to yasume and takame. Certain multiple waits, such as the kokushi musou 13-sided wait, and the chuuren poutou 9-sided wait, are inherently immune to this, while others may depend on the precise circumstances of the hand. For instance, a ryanmen wait that would potentially complete an iipeikou will only have takame and yasume if the hand is closed.

Cases involving choosing riichi or using damaten provide interesting scenarios. Using damaten, players retain the ability to be selective of particular tiles to win. A player can simply decline yasume tile(s), in order to wait for the takame tile(s). Those who call riichi may not have that option, as using the same tactic of declining winning tiles renders the hand in furiten. Such a decision may prove to be risky or rewarding.

Examples

• Atozuke

Takame: Yasume:

This is a special case, where only one tile can produce a valid win, while the other does not. Unless a circumstantial yaku like haitei or houtei is available, this hand has no yaku with 1s.

• Dora-based

Waiting for:

This is just a regular pinfu hand waiting on one of two tile types. If one of them is dora, then the hand prefers to win off of that dora tile. However, at times, it may just end up accepting the non-dora winning tile.

• Pinfu and tanyao potential

Takame: Yasume:

In this case, the hand is waiting on three tiles. Two waits will result in pinfu (1m and 4m). Two waits will result in tanyao (3m and 4m). Winning with 4m maximizes hand value.

• Sanshoku

Takame: Yasume:

In this case, the hand is waiting on two tiles. One tile will result in sanshoku. The other does not.

Yakuman involved

• Suuankou

Takame: Yasume:

This produces a wide takame and yasume situation. Tsumo with the takame tiles produces yakuman, while winning on the yasume produces 1-han hands.

• Daisangen

Takame: Yasume:

Tenpai hand waiting to produce either daisangen (takame) or shousangen (yasume).

• Chuuren poutou - Example

Takame: Yasume:

Only one tile can produce the yakuman, chuuren poutou, while the other waits produce only chinitsu.

Other scoring conditions

Two other situations can occur where a hand scores differently depending on how it is won, not counting yaku specifically tied to the method of winning: mentsumo, chankan, rinshan, haitei, and houtei.

The first is when akadora are in use and a hand is waiting on a tile featuring such a tile. In this case, the hand potentially scores higher if it wins with a dora tile than with a non-dora tile.

The second situation involves the sanankou and suuankou yaku. These yaku cannot be scored if the third or fourth koutsu is completed with a ron. As a result, the hand may score higher if won on a tsumo.

These scoring aspects may additionally be combined with each other and with yasume and takame:

Waiting for:

In this case, if the hand wins with a 5-pin or with 6-man, it will qualify for tanyao, but not if it wins with 9m. The winning 5-pin could be red, giving an additional dora tile. Then there is consideration for sanankou. With a ronned 6-man or 9-man, it will qualify for sanankou. With a 6-man or a 5-pin by tsumo, it also contains sanankou. If the winning tile is 6m or 9m, then then 666m ankou existed in the hand already, and if a 5p is drawn for a tsumo, then the 555p ankou can be used instead. In any case, the least desired winning tile may be the 9-man, assuming none of the winning tiles are dora.