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Tibet rules: Difference between revisions
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'''Tibet rules''' are a family of variations of mahjong designed for teaching the game to players who are completely new to mahjong. By starting with a very simple set of rules and objective | '''Tibet rules''' are a family of variations of mahjong designed for teaching the game to players who are completely new to mahjong. By starting with a very simple set of rules and objective, new players are able to jump immediately into playing and building their understanding of how mahjong works. Gradually, complexity is introduced in game size until they are ready to take on the full game. | ||
== Teaching the basics == | == Teaching the basics == | ||
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During play, you will normally only have four tiles in your hand. On your turn, you will draw a face-down tile into your hand. If that tile creates a completed hand, you say ''tsumo'', reveal your hand, and claim the win. Otherwise, you choose one tile from your hand to discard face up. This tile can be the tile you just drew, or one that was previously in your hand. After you discard, if that tile would complete another player's hand, they can claim it to win. In that case, they should say ''ron'', and reveal their hand to show how the discard would complete it. If nobody declares ''ron'', then the next player takes their turn; in mahjong, turns are taken in a counter-clockwise order, moving to the right. The hand continues with each player making a draw, then a discard, and continuing until someone wins, or all tiles have been drawn. In the latter case, the hand just ends in a draw with no winner. | During play, you will normally only have four tiles in your hand. On your turn, you will draw a face-down tile into your hand. If that tile creates a completed hand, you say ''tsumo'', reveal your hand, and claim the win. Otherwise, you choose one tile from your hand to discard face up. This tile can be the tile you just drew, or one that was previously in your hand. After you discard, if that tile would complete another player's hand, they can claim it to win. In that case, they should say ''ron'', and reveal their hand to show how the discard would complete it. If nobody declares ''ron'', then the next player takes their turn; in mahjong, turns are taken in a counter-clockwise order, moving to the right. The hand continues with each player making a draw, then a discard, and continuing until someone wins, or all tiles have been drawn. In the latter case, the hand just ends in a draw with no winner. | ||
It's worth emphasizing one more time how you win a hand. If you win by drawing your own winning tile, you say ''tsumo''. If you win by seeing an opponent's discard, you say ''ron''. Pay attention to when your hand is ready to accept a winning tile; this state is called ''[[tenpai]]''. Before you hit ''tenpai'', you're dependent on your own draws to advance your hand; when you are in ''tenpai'', you can now use other | It's worth emphasizing one more time how you win a hand. If you win by drawing your own winning tile, you say ''tsumo''. If you win by seeing an opponent's discard, you say ''ron''. Pay attention to when your hand is ready to accept a winning tile; this state is called ''[[tenpai]]''. Before you hit ''tenpai'', you're dependent on your own draws to advance your hand; when you are in ''tenpai'', you can now use the other players' discards to finish things up. | ||
Examples of ''tenpai'' hands: | Examples of ''tenpai'' hands: | ||
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* Since we have so few tiles, we're not going to bother with the rituals of wall-building quite yet. To start each hand, just shuffle up all the tiles face-down in the center of the table, and draw straight from the pool. | * Since we have so few tiles, we're not going to bother with the rituals of wall-building quite yet. To start each hand, just shuffle up all the tiles face-down in the center of the table, and draw straight from the pool. | ||
* For the time being, having all four of the same tile in hand does not hold any special significance. Quads or ''kan'' will be introduced much later, after the end of the standard Tibet rules path. | |||
* Only the most recent discard can be used to call on a win. You can't go back to a discard from previous turns to win! | * Only the most recent discard can be used to call on a win. You can't go back to a discard from previous turns to win! | ||
* If the person with the first turn (the dealer) won the hand, they get to stay as dealer for the next hand. Otherwise, the first player moves | * Each player should organize their discards in front of themselves in a row, making sure that the order of their discards is maintained. (Later, when there are more tiles, each row should be six tiles long, starting a new one below the previous one with the following discard.) | ||
* If the person with the first turn (the dealer) won the hand, they get to stay as dealer for the next hand. Otherwise, the role of the first player moves counter-clockwise, to the player on the previous dealer's right. | |||
* For experienced teachers: don't introduce, enforce, or worry about ''[[furiten]]''. Focus on helping players get to any kind of ''tenpai''. At the end of each hand, review everyone's hands. If a player is in ''tenpai'', see if they can name what they're waiting on. If they're not in ''tenpai'', see if they know what tiles would have helped them get there. (There is no way to be even further than ''[[iishanten]]'' with four tiles in a single suit.) If the players are struggling with seeing how to progress their hands, then play with open hands, and only allow self-drawn ''tsumo'' wins. But don't jump in too quickly -- it's important for players to explore the space for themselves and experience the decision-making challenges of mahjong first-hand. | * For experienced teachers: don't introduce, enforce, or worry about ''[[furiten]]''. Focus on helping players get to any kind of ''tenpai''. At the end of each hand, review everyone's hands. If a player is in ''tenpai'', see if they can name what they're waiting on. If they're not in ''tenpai'', see if they know what tiles would have helped them get there. (There is no way to be even further than ''[[iishanten]]'' with four tiles in a single suit.) If the players are struggling with seeing how to progress their hands, then play with open hands, and only allow self-drawn ''tsumo'' wins. But don't jump in too quickly -- it's important for players to explore the space for themselves and experience the decision-making challenges of mahjong first-hand. | ||
* Similarly, do not introduce [[scoring]], [[riichi]], or [[naki|tile calls]] yet. | * Similarly, do not introduce [[scoring]], [[riichi]], or [[naki|tile calls]] yet. | ||
== Increasing complexity == | == Increasing complexity == | ||
Once the players are comfortable with four-tile mahjong hands, increase the base hand size to seven tiles. Under these rules, the goal is to create a winning hand of eight tiles: two sets (each either a sequence or triplet) and one pair. Since we're still working with a single suit, there are some tricky ''tenpai'' patterns that can result. | |||
Once the players are comfortable with four-tile mahjong hands, increase the base hand size to seven tiles. | |||
Examples of ''tenpai'' hands: | Examples of ''tenpai'' hands: | ||
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* {{machi|pattern = 2345777p |tilewaits = 256p}} (a complex combination wait: with a 777 triplet, the remaining 2345 is the dual single pattern. But with a 77 pair and 234 sequence, the remaining 57 can be completed by filling in the 6.) | * {{machi|pattern = 2345777p |tilewaits = 256p}} (a complex combination wait: with a 777 triplet, the remaining 2345 is the dual single pattern. But with a 77 pair and 234 sequence, the remaining 57 can be completed by filling in the 6.) | ||
Once players are comfortable with playing with seven-tile hands, the next step to take is to introduce a second numeric suit: the bamboo tiles. Note that the 1 is indicated by a bird (usually a peafowl or sparrow depending on design), and the 8's bamboo are arranged in an M/W pattern. | '''Side Note''': If you are teaching a full table of four players, then with seven-tile hands, there will only be eight tiles left over after each player draws their starting hand (36 - 4 * 7 = 8). This lack of tiles can create a somewhat unsatisfactory game experience, so you may want to introduce the bamboo tiles from next step at the same time you move up to seven-tile hands. | ||
Once players are comfortable with playing with seven-tile hands, the next step to take is to introduce a second numeric suit: the bamboo tiles. Like the circles, the bamboo tiles are numbered from 1 to 9, with four copies of each tile. Note that the 1 is indicated by a bird (usually a peafowl or sparrow depending on design), and the 8's bamboo are arranged in an M/W pattern. | |||
{{ #mjt:123456789s }} | {{ #mjt:123456789s }} | ||
Pairs, sequences, and triplets cannot be made by "mixing" suits -- each set or pair can only be made from a single suit. However, the hand as a whole can have sets or the pair in multiple suits. In practice, despite there being more possibilities for hands, this will be easier than the single-suited, seven-tile hand game. A second suit means that it's less likely for complex group patterns, | Pairs, sequences, and triplets cannot be made by "mixing" suits -- each set or pair can only be made from a single suit. However, the hand as a whole can have sets or the pair in multiple suits. In practice, despite there being more possibilities for hands, this will be easier than the single-suited, seven-tile hand game. A second suit means that it's less likely for there to be complex group patterns, and it's easier to figure out which of your tiles will end up in each set or pair of the completed hand. Since there are two sets and only one pair, there's also a clearer distinction between each type of hand element. For these reasons, it is possible to start teaching with two suits and seven-tile hands, instead of starting with the one-suit, four-tile hand introduction. | ||
Regardless, once players are comfortable at this level, the next step is to increase the hand size to ten tiles. A completed hand will have eleven tiles, consisting of three sets | Regardless, once players are comfortable at this level, the next step is to increase the hand size to ten tiles. A completed hand will have eleven tiles, consisting of three sets and one pair. | ||
== Approaching the | == Approaching the full-sized game == | ||
There are multiple | There are multiple options for what to add in order to bring players up to full-sized mahjong. Some of the rules in this section will start to break away from the "Tibet Rules" sphere, and towards playing Riichi Mahjong. | ||
=== Thirteen-tile hands and the characters suit === | === Thirteen-tile hands and the characters suit === | ||
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=== Dragon tiles and calling for triplets (pon) === | === Dragon tiles and calling for triplets (pon) === | ||
As an alternative to introducing the characters suit to players, you can instead introduce them to the dragons first | As an alternative to introducing the characters suit to players, you can instead introduce them to the dragons first. Dragons are one half of the honors tile type, which do not have numeric values. There are three types of dragon, identified by their unique faces. Understanding the meaning of these tiles is not important, you can just treat them as symbols. Due to this fact, introducing them before the characters suit can push back the need for outside reference cards and keep the flow of learning moving forward. | ||
{{ #mjt:567z }} | {{ #mjt:567z }} | ||
The main thing to note for these tiles is that they can only form triplets and pairs. One tile of each type '''does not''' make a set; it's as invalid as trying to make a sequence by mixing up tiles of different numeric suits. | |||
'''Side note''': Since there are only twelve tiles added with the dragons, you still might want to hold off on going from ten-tile hands to the full thirteen until the characters numeric suit is introduced. | |||
Due to the dragon tiles' inability to form sequences, it's difficult to make use of these tiles just by drawing them on your own. It'd be nice to be able to use other players' discards to advance your own hand, right? This makes for a great opportunity to teach players a new type of call: ''pon''. After another player discards a tile that would complete a triplet, you may call ''pon''. Reveal the pair matching the discard from your hand, and set them to the side. The tile you claimed should be placed with those two tiles, rotated depending on which player you called it from. (The reasons why we do this will become important in the full Riichi rules.) | |||
{| class="wikitable" width=480px | {| class="wikitable" width=480px | ||
|- | |- | ||
| align=center| | | align=center| from left || align=center| from across || align=center| from right | ||
|- | |- | ||
| align=center| {{#mjt:1'11p}} || align=center| {{#mjt:11'1p}} || align=center| {{#mjt:111'p}} | | align=center| {{#mjt:1'11p}} || align=center| {{#mjt:11'1p}} || align=center| {{#mjt:111'p}} | ||
|} | |} | ||
The called set is now locked in; you only need to complete the rest of your hand in order to win. Calling another player's tile also effectively makes it your turn; you then need to choose a tile from your hand to discard. Note that this means that a ''pon'' call can skip over other players' turns. If you claim a triplet from the player across from you, the player to your left does not get their originally-scheduled turn, and after your discard, the next turn will be taken by the player on your right. | The called set is now locked in; you only need to complete the rest of your hand in order to win. Calling another player's tile also effectively makes it your turn, with the tile we called being the tile you 'drew'; you then need to choose a tile from your hand to discard. Note that this means that a ''pon'' call can skip over other players' turns. If you claim a triplet from the player across from you, the player to your left does not get their originally-scheduled turn, and after your discard, the next turn will be taken by the player on your right. | ||
Note as well that ''pon'' can be called to complete any triplet, not just the dragons. Just be careful not to | Note as well that ''pon'' can be called to complete any triplet, not just the dragons. Just be careful not to break apart any elements in your hand such as sequences that end up with you being further away from completing your hand! It's always optional whether or not you decide to make a call. But if you do call, make sure you do it quickly, before the next player draws their next tile. After a player has drawn their tile, it's too late to make a call. | ||
Additionally, ''ron'' takes precedence over ''pon''. Even if the discarded tile would complete a pair or sequence, winning is still more powerful than player just completing a triplet. | |||
== | === Calling for sequences (chii) === | ||
Inevitably, a player will ask, "if we can call ''pon'' to complete a triplet, can we call to complete a sequence?" The answer is yes, using the ''chii'' call. Since sequences are easier to build than triplets, however, ''chii'' can only be called on a discard made by the person to your left. | |||
{| class="wikitable" width=160px | |||
{| class="wikitable" width= | |||
|- | |- | ||
| align=center| | | align=center| from left | ||
|- | |- | ||
| align=center| {{#mjt:3' | | align=center| {{#mjt:3'24s}} | ||
|} | |} | ||
*Riichi: A player | The procedure after making a ''chii'' call is just like with ''pon''. Set aside all three tiles, turning the called tile on the left. Then, discard a tile and turns continue counter-clockwise. In the example above, we've called the 3 discarded by the person on our left to complete a sequence with the 24 that we had in our hand. It's important (for the full Riichi ruleset) that the tile we called be oriented towards the player we called it from, even if the set-aside set looks "out of order". | ||
It is possible for a tile to be claimed by someone wanting to call ''pon'' at the same time as ''chii'' (e.g. a 333 triplet of bamboo in the example). If two players want the same tile, the ''pon'' caller gets priority and their call goes through. Similarly, a player calling ''ron'' gets their win over a player calling ''chii''. (In other words, ''ron'' > ''pon'' > ''chii''.) For that reason, if you want to call ''chii'', it's a good idea to wait a second or two before making your call, just in case someone else wants to make a ''pon'' or ''ron'' call. If you've given enough time for someone else to call, you should be free to claim your tile without needing to take things back. | |||
=== Simplified scoring system === | |||
If your players are feeling competitive, they might ask for a way to keep score. While there's a lot of different ways of setting up a scoring system (and indeed, scoring is one of the main ways in which different variations of mahjong distinguish themselves), a simplified version of the Riichi scoring table will be introduced here: | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|- | |||
!'''Total Han''' !! 0 han !! 1 han !! 2 han !! 3 han !! 4-5 han !! 6+ han | |||
|- | |||
| '''Dealer win, tsumo''' || 2 from all || 5 from all || 10 from all || 20 from all || 40 from all || 60 from all | |||
|- | |||
| '''Dealer win, ron''' || 5 from discarder || 15 from discarder || 30 from discarder || 60 from discarder || 120 from discarder || 180 from discarder | |||
|- | |||
| '''Non-dealer win, tsumo''' || 2 dealer / 1 non-dealer || 5 dealer / 3 non-dealer || 10 dealer / 5 dealer || 20 dealer / 10 non-dealer || 40 dealer / 20 non-dealer || 60 dealer / 30 non-dealer | |||
|- | |||
| '''Non-dealer win, ron''' || 3 from discarder || 10 from discarder || 20 from discarder || 40 from discarder || 80 from discarder || 120 from discarder | |||
|} | |||
To unpack the table, on a self-drawn ''tsumo'', each player pays the winner; on a ''ron'', only the discarder pays, and they pay for everyone's contribution. The dealer is individually responsible for twice the amount against each other player, so they ultimately get 1.5x the score of non-dealers on a win. (Note that this isn't exact due to rounding at small ''han'' values.) | |||
The overall value of a hand is determined by its ''han'' tally. Hands earn ''han'' based on the scoring patterns, or ''[[yaku]]'', that they satisfy; scoring patterns reward hands or sets that are consistent or exceptional, and more difficult patterns are worth more ''han''. To score a hand, add up the total ''han'' from all of the patterns satisfied by the hand, then look up its point value from the corresponding column and row. | |||
At the ten-tile hand game with two numeric suits and dragons, start with the following patterns: | |||
* '''Concealed Hand''' (''menzen''): [1 ''han''] Hand has no ''chii'' or ''pon'' calls before winning (but can win on ''ron'' as well as ''tsumo''). | |||
* '''All Simples''' (''[[tanyao]]''): [1 ''han''] Hand has no 1s, 9s, or dragon honors. Or, in other words, the hand only contains numeric tiles between 2 and 8, inclusive. | |||
* '''Dragon Triplet''' (''[[yakuhai]]''): [1 ''han'' each] Hand contains a dragon triplet. Stacks for multiple dragon triplets. | |||
* '''All Triplets''' (''[[toitoihou]]''): [2 ''han''] The hand's sets are only triplets (plus the standard pair). | |||
* '''Full Flush''' (''[[chinitsu]]''): [2 ''han''] The hand's tiles are only from a single suit. | |||
After introducing the characters numeric suit and moving up to the full thirteen-tile hand size, we can add one more pattern: | |||
* '''Half Flush''' (''[[honitsu]]''): [2 ''han''] The hand's tiles are from a single numeric suit, plus any number of dragon (honor) tiles (including as its pair). | |||
** '''Full Flush''' becomes worth [5 ''han''] to reflect its increased difficulty with a third numeric suit. | |||
'''Additional Notes''' | |||
* At this learning stage, there is no requirement to have a ''yaku'' in order to win a hand. However, note that while a hand's value doubles for each ''han'' from 1-''han'' to 4-''han'', the 0-''han'' value is only about 1/3 the 1-''han'' hand value. This should encourage you to try and aim for having at least 1 ''han'' in your hand if you can see an opportunity for it; the full Riichi ruleset also requires that a hand include some kind of scoring pattern so it can be good to be prepared for that additional restriction in the future! | |||
* If two players want to call ''ron'' on the same tile at the same time, priority goes to the person whose turn would come soonest after the discarding player. (Experienced players will recognize this as the [[atamahane|head bump]] rule.) | |||
* Teachers with Riichi Mahjong experience will note that the "Concealed Hand" pattern also allows for ''menzen ron'' wins, and doesn't distinguish them from ''[[menzen tsumo]]''. We also haven't introduced the ''riichi'' call yet. If you think that it will cause more friction for your players to unlearn ''menzen ron'' without ''riichi'', then feel free to substitute this pattern with [[Riichi]] instead (see the later section on this article for implementation tips). While the concept of ''furiten'' is important with ''riichi'', you can hold off on introducing it until it becomes relevant, since it is an advanced rule to understand. | |||
* A single round consists of a set of hands where each player has had a chance to be dealer. (Don't forget that when the dealer wins, they get to stay as dealer.) A game usually lasts for one or two rounds. | |||
== Completing the journey to Riichi Mahjong == | |||
At this point, players have learned all of the standard "Tibet Rules", and with ''chii'' and basic scoring, they're pretty much just playing actual mahjong. In order to get all the way to Riichi Mahjong, there are first a few more 'core' rules to learn that are found in most common variants of mahjong, followed by a number of rules that are specific to the full Riichi Mahjong ruleset. From this point in this article forward, specific details on teaching and instruction will be more brief, acting as an overview of the remaining facets of the game that have not yet been introduced. | |||
=== Common core mahjong rules === | |||
* '''[[Japanese mahjong setup|Wall building and breaking]]''': With all three numeric suits and the dragons, there will be 120 tiles on the table. This is enough tiles that drawing tiles from a pool of face-down tiles in the center of the table can feel a bit disorganized. So you can start going through the rituals of wall-building and breaking at this point. Without the wind tiles, each player should gather thirty tiles after shuffling, and build walls of fifteen tiles long, stacked two tiles high. Other than the number of tiles, the wall-breaking and starting hand draw procedure should apply as standard (no dead wall or ''dora'' indicator until those rules are introduced). A key point for new players: while turn order is counter-clockwise, tiles are drawn from the wall in clockwise order. | |||
* '''[[Kazehai|Wind tiles]]''': Like the dragon tiles, winds are honor tiles that cannot form sequences, only pairs and triplets. Unlike dragons, however, the value of a triplet of winds is conditional on your seat and the round of play. | |||
** '''Seat Wind Triplet''': [1 ''han''] A triplet of wind tiles that matches your seat. The dealer is always the East seat, and the winds advance in order of play to South, West, and North. Note that this does not reflect the compass directions when looking at the ground, but rather the celestial compass when looking up towards the sky. | |||
** '''Round Wind Triplet''': [1 ''han''] During each player's first dealership, this is called the East round; a triplet of East winds during this round is worth 1 ''han'' for any player. For the dealer, a triplet of East winds counts for both the Seat and Round wind scoring patterns for 2 ''han'' total. In games with two rounds of dealerships, the second round is the South round, and so those tiles form a value triplet for any player. (In Japanese Mahjong, games are usually only one or two rounds in length. But depending on rules, this pattern extends to the West and North rounds for the third and fourth rounds, respectively.) | |||
** Wind triplets that do not match your seat or the round wind can still be used to advance your hand towards completion, but are not inherently worth ''han''. They can also be used alongside dragons towards the Half Flush ''yaku''. | |||
{{ #mjt:1234z }} | |||
* '''[[Wanpai|Dead wall]]''': With the full set of tiles, not only will the wall be seventeen stacks on a side, but there's enough tiles to introduce the dead wall concept. Now, rather than exhausting the walls entirely before a draw, a draw will end when there are only fourteen tiles left in the wall. | |||
* '''[[Kan|Quads / kan]]''': It is possible to create sets consisting of four identical tiles, but they require additional handling. Since a ''kan'' requires one more tile than a normal set, after a ''kan'' has been declared (which includes if you want to set a quad where you've drawn all four tiles), a replacement tile must be drawn from the back (dead) end of the wall before a discard is declared. (The replacement tile can also complete the calling player's hand, which lets them call ''tsumo''.) Note that a draw is still declared when there are fourteen undrawn tiles left, so after a ''kan'', the last tile in the 'live' wall will become 'dead'. There are three types of ''kan'': | |||
** '''Closed Kan''' (''ankan''): Reveal all four tiles from the player's hand. | |||
** '''Open Kan''' (''daiminkan''): When a player discards the fourth tile, call and reveal the other three matching tiles from your hand. | |||
** '''Added Kan''' (''shouminkan''): After having previously called ''pon'', draw the fourth tile, then call and reveal it to form the ''kan''. Note that you cannot call a discard of the fourth tile to create a ''kan'' on an opened triplet; a ''kan'' requires you having drawn at least three of the matching tiles yourself. | |||
=== Riichi-specific rules === | |||
* '''[[Riichi]]''': ''Riichi'' is the name of the game, and the most important ''yaku'' to understand. If your hand is in ''tenpai'' and does not have any open calls (no ''chii'' or ''pon'' calls, and any ''kan'' calls must have been from having all four tiles in hand), then you can declare ''riichi'' when making a discard. The discarded tile is turned sideways to show that you have called ''riichi''; if that tile is called, your next discard should be turned sideways. Declaring ''riichi'' tells your opponents that you are ready to win, which can alert them to play more defensively to avoid dealing into you. Additionally, your hand is locked in: tiles that do not let you win must be discarded (exception: a ''kan'' can be declared using a drawn tile, if doing so doesn't change what you could win on). On the plus side, a hand won under the ''riichi'' status confers an additional [1 ''han''], which can represent a large point boost when stacked with other scoring patterns. | |||
** After introducing Riichi, the Concealed Hand ''yaku'' should no longer be allowed as a scoring pattern. If your hand is in ''tenpai'', but doesn't have any particular scoring pattern, you should declare ''riichi'' if you want to score more than just the baseline points! The full Riichi ruleset also has a 1-''han'' minimum value required to win a hand, so being able to declare ''riichi'' becomes even more important once you implement that requirement! | |||
** When starting out, declaring ''Riichi'' has no point cost. Once you get more experience, ''riichi'' should also cost a 10-point bet to declare. If you win the hand, then you get to take back your bet. But if someone else wins, they get your points, even if they won via ''tsumo'' or ''ron'' off of another player. And if the hand goes to a draw, then your bet is set aside to be claimed by the next winner of a hand, whomever that might be. | |||
** Remember: you can't call ''riichi'' if you've made a ''chii'', ''pon'', or open ''kan'' call! Often, there's a tradeoff between whether you should keep your hand concealed to try and earn more points, or if you should make calls to speed it up at the cost of potential value. | |||
* '''[[Furiten]]''': If a player had discarded a tile that their current hand could've won with, they are in ''furiten''. A hand in ''furiten'' may not call ''ron'' by any means. Even if the player's discarded tile and the opponent's tile are different, you may not call ron. A hand in furiten may win from ''tsumo'' (self-draw) as normal, or change its wait so that it is no longer in ''furiten''. | |||
** There is also a another form of ''furiten'' that comes from declining to win off another player's discard. If you decide not to call ''ron'' on another player's discard (or if you cannot due to a lack of ''yaku'' in the full ruleset), then you are locked out of declaring ''ron'' until after you draw your next tile. You can still call ''tsumo'' on your own draws, regardless. If you decline ''ron'' while in Riichi status, however, ''furiten'' is a permanent status since you have no option to change your hand, and can only win via ''tsumo''. | |||
* '''[[Dora]]''' | |||
* | * '''Additional scoring patterns (yaku)''': There are a few dozen scoring patterns in Riichi Mahjong, but many of them are fairly rare. | ||
** '''Closed-only scoring patterns''': Fully Concealed Hand (''[[menzen tsumo]]''), [[Pinfu]], Two Identical Sequences (''[[iipeikou]]''). Most of the time, if your hand reaches ''tenpai'' without making any calls, you're probably going to want to call ''riichi''. So you might think of these patterns are bonuses to your hand's value when it is won with ''riichi''. | |||
** '''Uncommon patterns''': Full Straight (''[[ikkitsuukan]]''), Three Similar Sequences (''[[sanshoku doujun]]''), Included Terminals and Honors (''[[chanta]]''), Included Terminals (''[[junchan]]''), Seven Unique Pairs (''[[chiitoitsu]]''). Identifying opportunities for these ''yaku'' is trickier than the bread-and-butter patterns that were introduced at first. However, their higher ''han'' values can make them valuable when those opportunities show up. Note that many of these patterns are worth fewer ''han'' if they are in a hand with open calls. (Such is also the case for the Half Flush and Full Flush hands.) | |||
* | * '''Scoring in Riichi Mahjong''' | ||
** '''[[Scoring table|fu points and higher scoring limits]]''' | |||
** '''[[Honba]]''' | |||
** '''Point exchanges at exhaustive draw''' | |||
* '''Common [[rule variations]] in Riichi Mahjong''' | |||
== External Links == | == External Links == | ||