Japanese mahjong: Difference between revisions

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There are two requirements to win a hand:
There are two requirements to win a hand:
*A hand needs a "winning shape". With a few exceptions, players must make a hand with that contains [[tile group]]s (either [[Shuntsu|sequences]], 1-2-3; or [[koutsu|triplets]], 3-3-3) and one pair (3-3). This is similar to how gin rummy is played. In mahjong, you need 4 tile groups + 1 pair to win.
*A hand needs a "winning shape". With a few exceptions, players must make a hand with that contains [[tile group]]s (either [[Shuntsu|sequences]], 1-2-3; or [[koutsu|triplets]], 3-3-3) and one pair (3-3). This is similar to how gin rummy is played. In mahjong, you need 4 tile groups + 1 pair to win.
*A hand must have at least one [[yaku]]. Yaku can be compared to "poker hands" - they are patterns/criteria that score points. For example, a "pair" in poker means having two of the same number. [[Toitoi]] ("All Triplets") is when the hand consists entirely of triplets (that is, having 4 triplets in total). In general, yaku that that are harder to get scores more [[han]], which translates to more points.
*A hand must have at least one [[yaku]]. Yaku can be compared to "poker hands" - they are patterns/criteria that score points. For example, [[toitoi|All Triplets]] ("toitoi") is when the hand consists entirely of triplets. In general, yaku that that are harder to get scores more [[han]], which translates to more points.


Mahjong is a zero-sum game - whenever a player gains points, the other players lose a total of that many points. Therefore, [[tile efficiency|developing hands quickly]] and [[defense|minimizing point losses]] are important aspects to the games. Sometimes, it is best to [[betaori|give up winning]] in order to prevent paying for others' hands.
Mahjong is a zero-sum game - whenever a player gains points, the other players lose a total of that many points. Therefore, [[tile efficiency|developing hands quickly]] and [[defense|minimizing point losses]] are important aspects to the games. Sometimes, it is best to [[betaori|give up winning]] in order to prevent paying for others' hands.
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