Naki strategy

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The option to call tiles is a discretionary play which warrants a least a little observation and evaluation. With any given hand, a player must decide to call tiles or not.

Assessing calls

Like any decision in the game, opening your hand has advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages

• Allows your hand to complete faster. Sequences can be completed with twice the amount of tiles (your draws, and left opponent's discards). Triplets can be completed with four times the amount of tiles (your draws, anyone else's discards).
• Can enable or confirm yaku that would otherwise be unavailable. For instance, yakuhai are hard to complete without calling pon.
• Can allow you to complete a hand you otherwise wouldn't have completed at all. E.g. if you have 12-man, and the last 3-man is discarded, you must either call or not complete the sequence.
• It is hard for opponents to know whether an open hand is complete or not.

Disadvantages

• Prevents certain yaku, most importantly riichi.
  • Lowers the value of other yaku, such as sanshoku and ittsu.
• Reduces the amount of tiles you can discard, making it harder to defend.
• Reveals the called tiles to your opponents, possibly allowing them to deduce the value/contents/yaku of that hand.

Keishiki tenpai

Main article: Keishiki tenpai