End game scenarios

Normally, the game ends after the dealer loses in South 4 (for hanchans) or East 4 (tonpuusen). However, depending on the rules, the game might not end then and there. In addition, a game can end early if a player runs out of points.

Game ends before any hand rotation.

Rule overview

A game can end under the following circumstances (though it can vary by ruleset):

• It is all last (East 4 for tonpuusen, South 4 in hanchan), the dealer did not renchan, and at least one player is above the goal score.
  • If no player is above the goal score, the game continues for a maximum of one wind round, known as enchousen. If someone reaches the goal score by winning then, the game ends immediately. After South 4 / West 4 ends, the game ends even if nobody reached the target score.
• If someone falls below 0 points, the game ends immediately.

If a ruleset does not use a goal score, the game ends after all last.

Oorasu

Oorasu 「オーラス」, or "all last", is the term used for the last round of the game, barring renchan. This is South 4 for hanchans, and East 4 for East-only rounds. Once the dealer fails to renchan, and the top player has reached the goal score, the game ends.

Agari yame

Agari yame 「アガリ止め or 和了り止め」 (lit. "ending at agari") is a rule variation that may prevent a renchan from happening if the dealer wins a hand (agari) during all last, immediately ending the hanchan. If agari yame is not allowed, a dealer must always start a new renchan if they win in all last, even if they are in first place. (This is the case in WRC rules, EMA rules, and in most professional mahjong leagues in Japan.)

If agari yame is allowed, there are three main variables that the rule can have:

• The dealer's minimum placement. In many cases, agari yame is only allowed if the dealer is in first place. However, depending on the rule set it may be allowed if the dealer is at least in second place, at least in thrid place, or in any placement.
• Whether the dealer has a choice to end the hanchan or it is mandatory. This may also depend on the dealer's placement.
• If tenpai renchan is allowed: whether the hanchan may also be ended when a dealer is in tenpai at ryuukyoku. This is called tenpai yame 「テンパイ止め or 聴牌止め」.

Notably, in most online clients such as Tenhou.net and Mahjong Soul, agari yame and tenpai yame occur automatically if the dealer is in first place, and do not occur if the dealer is not in first place.

Goal Score

The goal score, or target score, is the minimum score that the top player must have in order to end the game. It is set before the game starts. Usually, players start with 25,000 points with a goal score of 30,000 points - but this can change depending on the ruleset. Some rules do not have a goal score.

Enchousen

If first place's points are below the goal score by all last, the game starts an enchousen 「延長戦」, or an extra "sudden death" round. During enchousen, when a player wins a hand and scores above the goal score, the game ends. However, ryuukyoku cannot end the game.

Most, if not all, rulesets with a goal score only allow a maximum of one wind round's worth of enchousen. If the game goes on past West 4 (hanchan) or South 4 (tonpuusen), the game ends, even though no one reached the goal score. While a few house rules may allow indefinite enchousen, by default, assume that it lasts only 1 wind round maximum.

Tobi

Tobi 「トビ」 is a rule that ends the game once a player falls below 0 points. Some game settings disable tobi, thus allowing the game to continue even when a player goes negative. Tobi is often disabled for televised matches, which do not desire a premature ending to the game.