Tibet rules: Difference between revisions

filling out info on post-Tibet core rules
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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, and then gradually moving up in complexity, new players are able to jump immediately into playing and building their understanding of how mahjong works.
'''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 peoples' discards to finish things up.
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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* 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.
* 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 counter-clockwise, to the player on the previous dealer's right.
* 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.
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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.)


'''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 next step at the same time you move up to seven-tile hands.
'''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.
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.
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   {{ #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, which makes it easier to figure out which of your tiles will end up in each set or pair of the completed hand. There's an argument that can be made that you can start teaching from here, at the two-suit, seven-tile game, as it also provides a clearer distinction between a set and the pair, since the final hand will have a different number of each type of hand element.
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 and one pair.  
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.  
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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. 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 first can push back the need for outside reference cards and keep the flow of learning moving forward.
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. You can't take one tile of each type and make a set; it's as invalid as trying to make a sequence by mixing up tiles of different numeric suits.
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 might still want to hold off on going from ten-tile hands to the full thirteen until the characters numeric suit is introduced.
'''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 dragons' inability to form sequences, it's difficult to make use of these tiles just by drawing tiles 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.)
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
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=== Simplified scoring system ===
=== Simplified scoring system ===


If your players are feeling competitive, they might ask to play while keeping 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:
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"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
!'''Total Han''' !! 0 !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4-5 !! 6+
!'''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, tsumo''' || 2 from all || 5 from all || 10 from all || 20 from all || 40 from all || 60 from all
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|}
|}


To unpack the table, on a ''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.)
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'' value. Hands earn ''han'' based on the scoring patterns, or ''[[yaku]]'', that they satisfy; scoring patterns reward hands that are consistent or exceptional in its sets. 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.
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, we'll start with the following patterns:
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'').
* '''Concealed Hand''' (''menzen''): [1 ''han''] Hand has no ''chii'' or ''pon'' calls before winning (but can win on ''ron'' as well as ''tsumo'').
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* '''Full Flush''' (''[[chinitsu]]''): [2 ''han''] The hand's tiles are only from a single suit.
* '''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, you can add one more pattern:
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 tiles (including as its pair).
* '''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.
** '''Full Flush''' becomes worth [5 ''han''] to reflect its increased difficulty with a third numeric suit.


'''Additional Notes'''
'''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. You should be encouraged 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 enforces a 1-''han'' minimum so it can be good to be prepared for that additional restriction in the future!
* 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.)
* 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. Feel free to substitute this pattern with [[Riichi]] instead, if you think that it will cause more friction for your players to unlearn ''menzen ron'' without ''riichi''. 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.
* 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 ==
== Completing the journey to Riichi Mahjong ==


With all of the rules above, players are at the point where they're playing actual games of mahjong. There are 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 here, specific details on teaching and instruction will be more brief: this is more an overview of the remaining facets of the game that have not yet been introduced.
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 ===
=== Common core mahjong rules ===


* '''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 just drawing tiles from a pool of face-down tiles in the center of the table might 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. All other parts of the wall-breaking and starting hand draw procedure apply as standard. A key point for new players: while turn order is counter-clockwise, tiles are drawn from the wall in clockwise order.
* '''[[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. Unlike dragons, however, their value is conditional on your seat and the round of play. 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''. 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.
* '''[[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.
* '''[[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'.
* '''[[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-specific rules ===


* '''[[Riichi]]''': 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. Declaring ''riichi'' tells your opponents that you are ready to win, which can cause them to change the way to play in order to avoid discarding your winning tile. 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 other hand, a hand won under the ''riichi'' status confers an additional ''han'', which can represent a large point boost. In the full ruleset, a closed hand without any other inherent ''yaku'' cannot be won on ''ron'', so ''riichi'' is a vital part of being able to win with arbitrary hands -- it's the name of the game, after all!
* '''[[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 fuirten may win from ''tsumo'' (self-draw) as normal, or change its wait so that it is no longer in ''furiten''.
* '''[[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]]'''
* '''[[Dora]]'''


* '''Uncommon scoring patterns, [[Scoring table|fu points and higher scoring limits]]'''
* '''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'''
* '''Common [[rule variations]] in Riichi Mahjong'''


== External Links ==
== External Links ==
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