RFD Mahjong anyone?

[MilkyWind]

I have playing mahjong for years. I know how much different plays are worth (For example, your right shape is 1 fan, your right shape is 1 fan).

Usually, when I play on internet or with friends, we play 3 fan hey wu (3 fan before we can eat)

The problem is, I don't know how to count points/chips for money.

For example, if we are playing 25 cents for 1 fan-

and I win a hand that has 5 fan, how many chips do I win (32 chips? 64?) And how much does each chip equal to in terms of money?

I remember seeing a chart somewhere for this, can anyone help me out?

We always play the person who throws out the tile is the one who will pay for everyone that hand.

[north77]

bump up for MJM (mahjongmaniac).
He certainly should be able to help you out!?!

[tinlunlau]

i have a full chart of counting mahjong money but it's only valid for Taiwanese style Mahjong. all these calculations confuse me so much, i don't even bother to play mahjong. only thing i can do is, Dai Say Hei (Fourth Happiness). i pull it off all the frickin' time.

[MilkyWind]

aghhhh I need the cantonese points/score calculations lol

Oh and are these "ways" of winning real? I have heard of "tian wu", "dey wu", and sup sum yu, but not the rest. Are they true ways of winning in mahjong or just made up?


http://www.zein.se/patrick/graph/mahjonggen.gif

For the special hands on this site, you have to scroll to the middle of the page to the special hands section:

http://www.mastersgames.com/rules/mah-jong-rules.htm

[felixdd]

aghhhh I need the cantonese points/score calculations lol

Oh and are these "ways" of winning real? I have heard of "tian wu", "dey wu", and sup sum yu, but not the rest. Are they true ways of winning in mahjong or just made up?


http://www.zein.se/patrick/graph/mahjonggen.gif

http://www.mastersgames.com/rules/mah-jong-rules.htm

Never heard of "hidden treasure". Then again, a lot of those so-called "hands" are actually different scenarios of getting another hand (i.e. "miracle of the sky"). I don't think you get extra points for those.

Never heard of heads and tails, though. Nor have I heard of the stuff about dragons and such.

For the special hands on this site, you have to scroll to the middle of the page to the special hands section:

[MilkyWind]

wahh where's MJmaniac when you need him heh

[felix]

I think he's too busy in the Hot Deals forum to visit Off Topic.

[itsmypostoffice]

it's been awhile since i posted here so please bear with me...

mahjong, like chinese characters, has standard rule & etiquette as well as regional rules. outside asia there are 2 popular varieties, HK style (13 tiles) and New Taiwan Style (aka 16 tiles). online games offer variants of these two styles but they're essentially identical to these 2 mentioned... almost every game is played with 13 tiles or 16 tiles with few exceptions.

since scoring differs between who you're playing against it's important to sort out fan values before placing a monetary value on each chip. for example, are you playing "winner wins all" or can you "cash out" like poker? in HK you can play single hands at MJ parlours while playing in Shanghai means you have to complete a full wind for a pot. once your group decides on a scheme, stick with it long enough so everyone at the table understands how money is distributed (there's nothing worse than a player who feels cheated).

HK Style: not every hand is covered 1 Point = 1 Chip

000 Points: 0-2 fan = are usually not allowed
016 Points: 3 fan = sets, combination of 1 fans
032 Points: 4 fan = semi-pure hands, 7 pairs (sometimes worth 8 fan)
048 Points: 5 fan = small "big three"
064 Points: 6 fan = combination of semi-pure w/ flowers & wind sets
096 Points: 7 fan = pure suit (containing series + sets)
128 Points: 8 fan = pure suit series or sets, big three, four winds, 16 buddha, 13 wonders, heaven's gift, earth's blessings, 8 flowers, etc...
??? Points: 9+ fan = usually determined by advanced players

001 Points: 1 fan = self-pick, series, winds for your seating position, wind round, kai gangs, stealing gang, 1 or 9 sets only, etc...

* player throwing the winning tile pays DOUBLE
* player throwing winning pure suit tile after 9 tiles showing pays for everyone
* self-pick wins points from everyone
* to simplify -- you can charge $0.05/Point OR everyone starts with 800 Points (worth $24/player, winner takes $96 Pot).

New Taiwan Style: not every hand is covered here you must pay a 4 chip ante on top of that hand's value

001 Points: 1 fan = read list at bottom
002 Points: 2 fan = series, covered gang
003 Points: 3 fan = no flowers+no winds/honours, self-pick w/ closed hand
005 Points: 5 fan = dragon's tail (1-9 same suit), 2 sets+1 pair of winds, 3 inside sets, 1 fan is 5 fan*
010 Points: 10 fan = all sets, semi-pure suits, 3 sets of winds, 4 inside sets, series+no flowers+no honours, small "big three"
020 Points: 20 fan = nigu (8 pairs closed hand), sets + semi-pure, 5 inside sets, 4 sets of winds(?)
030 Points: 30 fan = pure suit (containing series+sets), big three, 8 winds, heaven's gift, earth's blessings, ???
??? Points: 40+ fan = combination of 10 + 20 + 30... stackable.

001 Point: 1 fan = no winds, no flowers, 1 set winds, 1 flower, self-pick, gang, sealing gang, closed hand, winning from dealer, winning as dealer, etc...

*1 fan is 5 fan* is a special hand going back to original style. if your hand counts 1 fan you can collect it as 5 fan (this is actually a rare hand considering all the bonuses available).

keep deal bonus = 2n+1. this means every successful keep deal gives you guaranteed bonus fan where n = number of consecutive winning hands in the dealer position. you must also pay this "penalty" if you lose. ie. win 1 extra hand means 3 bonus fan, win 7 consecutive hand means 15 bonus fan added to your hand's value. for this reason i would advise against playing $0.05/point -- 16 tile games really add up!

there are many varieties/variations but you can always request using standardized rules. this mean no matter where you play, be it in singapore or india, your group can always refer to original rules/point system --> this will provide a basic framework as you progress and account for regional nuances. this list must seem confusing to novices so i'm happy to answer any questions you may have. i meet regularly with MJ teams comprising of university students to professionals. we don't usually play for money, usually the loser pays for dim sum the next morning. good luck to all RFD players.

[note: for advanced players i can simplify values using romanized mandarin chinese]

[mahjongmaniac]

I think he's too busy in the Hot Deals forum to visit Off Topic.

that's right!

-------------------------------------------

it's been awhile since i posted here so please bear with me...

mahjong, like chinese characters, has standard rule & etiquette as well as regional rules. outside asia there are 2 popular varieties, HK style (13 tiles) and New Taiwan Style (aka 16 tiles). online games offer variants of these two styles but they're essentially identical to these 2 mentioned... almost every game is played with 13 tiles or 16 tiles with few exceptions.

since scoring differs between who you're playing against it's important to sort out fan values before placing a monetary value on each chip. for example, are you playing "winner wins all" or can you "cash out" like poker? in HK you can play single hands at MJ parlours while playing in Shanghai means you have to complete a full wind for a pot. once your group decides on a scheme, stick with it long enough so everyone at the table understands how money is distributed (there's nothing worse than a player who feels cheated).

HK Style: not every hand is covered 1 Point = 1 Chip

000 Points: 0-2 fan = are usually not allowed
016 Points: 3 fan = sets, combination of 1 fans
032 Points: 4 fan = semi-pure hands, 7 pairs (sometimes worth 8 fan)
048 Points: 5 fan = small "big three"
064 Points: 6 fan = combination of semi-pure w/ flowers & wind sets
096 Points: 7 fan = pure suit (containing series + sets)
128 Points: 8 fan = pure suit series or sets, big three, four winds, 16 buddha, 13 wonders, heaven's gift, earth's blessings, 8 flowers, etc...
??? Points: 9+ fan = usually determined by advanced players

001 Points: 1 fan = self-pick, series, winds for your seating position, wind round, kai gangs, stealing gang, 1 or 9 sets only, etc...

* player throwing the winning tile pays DOUBLE
* player throwing winning pure suit tile after 9 tiles showing pays for everyone
* self-pick wins points from everyone
* to simplify -- you can charge $0.05/Point OR everyone starts with 800 Points (worth $24/player, winner takes $96 Pot).

New Taiwan Style: not every hand is covered here you must pay a 4 chip ante on top of that hand's value

001 Points: 1 fan = read list at bottom
002 Points: 2 fan = series, covered gang
003 Points: 3 fan = no flowers+no winds/honours, self-pick w/ closed hand
005 Points: 5 fan = dragon's tail (1-9 same suit), 2 sets+1 pair of winds, 3 inside sets, 1 fan is 5 fan*
010 Points: 10 fan = all sets, semi-pure suits, 3 sets of winds, 4 inside sets, series+no flowers+no honours, small "big three"
020 Points: 20 fan = nigu (8 pairs closed hand), sets + semi-pure, 5 inside sets, 4 sets of winds(?)
030 Points: 30 fan = pure suit (containing series+sets), big three, 8 winds, heaven's gift, earth's blessings, ???
??? Points: 40+ fan = combination of 10 + 20 + 30... stackable.

001 Point: 1 fan = no winds, no flowers, 1 set winds, 1 flower, self-pick, gang, sealing gang, closed hand, winning from dealer, winning as dealer, etc...

*1 fan is 5 fan* is a special hand going back to original style. if your hand counts 1 fan you can collect it as 5 fan (this is actually a rare hand considering all the bonuses available).

keep deal bonus = 2n+1. this means every successful keep deal gives you guaranteed bonus fan where n = number of consecutive winning hands in the dealer position. you must also pay this "penalty" if you lose. ie. win 1 extra hand means 3 bonus fan, win 7 consecutive hand means 15 bonus fan added to your hand's value. for this reason i would advise against playing $0.05/point -- 16 tile games really add up!

there are many varieties/variations but you can always request using standardized rules. this mean no matter where you play, be it in singapore or india, your group can always refer to original rules/point system --> this will provide a basic framework as you progress and account for regional nuances. this list must seem confusing to novices so i'm happy to answer any questions you may have. i meet regularly with MJ teams comprising of university students to professionals. we don't usually play for money, usually the loser pays for dim sum the next morning. good luck to all RFD players.

[note: for advanced players i can simplify values using romanized mandarin chinese]

^ looks like we got an MJ expert here that already answered all ur questions OP...

---------------------------------

btw, i *rarely* ever gamble playing MJ ..... i play it for fun!

so asking me how u calc points for money is kinda pointless. ... (sorry )

i do sort of know how to count points tho.

btw, here's the website that i sometimes refer to when i play MJ the taiwanese way:

http://www.alchemy.com/~steve/mahjong/

hope u enjoy/find it useful

i had a website somewhere for playing the HK way, but i can't find it at the moment... (4got)


have fun!

[sumrandomguy]

^ there he is.
haha

[MilkyWind]

oooo thanks itsmypostoffice and MJManiac! I'm going to print that HK point system for reference. I remember it was something like that, 3 fan = 16 chips, winner pays double, etc, but usually we have an adult playing with us and they usually calculate how much chips we win/loose (We never bother remembering how to count the chips)

We never play for money here either, just for fun! I'm undefeated so far muhahahaha

Wouldn't it be fun to watch MJManiac and itsmypostoffice have an all out MJ battle? We can use yahoo MJ =), sort of like the RFD poker thing they are holding, we can have an RFD MJ thing. Just need to set a date and time heh

[cng]

I will play big two!

[itsmypostoffice]

it's important to remember it's not gambling. asian families, particularly south asians, look down upon gambling addiction so a classic HK saying rings true: "you're paying tuition" -- meaning money lost to your elders is treated as paying for lessons.

another truism is: "MJ reveals a person's true character" -- this means all your faults & good qualities are brought out during stressful situations; are you polite or disrespectful? do you praise or hold grudges? MJ has survived turmoil, revolutions, banning, provincial dialects and even carried half-way across the globe. it's because our forefathers treat MJ as more than a game. it requires cunning, strategic planning, luck and a good sense of humour when you lose. i find my best matches are against those with a background in programming or ranked chess players. even rummy players are a handful!

two other reasons why "money" is exchanged during games: 1 - it's an incentive for you to improve...and quickly. 2 - it's one of the few ways you can hand over spending money to your grandma -- particularly if she's stubborn and won't accept grocery money from you. i mentioned this earlier, MJ remains one of the few pastimes we can participate with our parents. what are we going to discuss during dim sum? initial d?

EDIT: in HK 13 tiles you draw all the tiles from the walls. in New Taiwan 16 tiles you leave 16 tiles remaining -- if you're the last player you can also decline to pick up the 17th tile and call it a draw. this counts as a "keep deal" situation and bonus fans apply.

[MilkyWind]

it's important to remember it's not gambling. asian families, particularly south asians, look down upon gambling addiction so a classic HK saying rings true: "you're paying tuition" -- meaning money lost to your elders is treated as paying for lessons.

another truism is: "MJ reveals a person's true character" -- this means all your faults & good qualities are brought out during stressful situations; are you polite or disrespectful? do you praise or hold grudges? MJ has survived turmoil, revolutions, banning, provincial dialects and even carried half-way across the globe. it's because our forefathers treat MJ as more than a game. it requires cunning, strategic planning, luck and a good sense of humour when you lose. i find my best matches are against those with a background in programming or ranked chess players. even rummy players are a handful!

two other reasons why "money" is exchanged during games: 1 - it's an incentive for you to improve...and quickly. 2 - it's one of the few ways you can hand over spending money to your grandma -- particularly if she's stubborn and won't accept grocery money from you. i mentioned this earlier, MJ remains one of the few pastimes we can participate with our parents. what are we going to discuss during dim sum? initial d?

EDIT: in HK 13 tiles you draw all the tiles from the walls. in New Taiwan 16 tiles you leave 16 tiles remaining -- if you're the last player you can also decline to pick up the 17th tile and call it a draw. this counts as a "keep deal" situation and bonus fans apply.

Hmm when we play 13 tiles here, we usually don't play until we draw all tiles from the walls. We play until 16 are remaining. Same on yahoo. It's a 13 tile game and they only play until there is 16 remaning.

[mahjongmaniac]

Wouldn't it be fun to watch MJManiac and itsmypostoffice have an all out MJ battle? We can use yahoo MJ =), sort of like the RFD poker thing they are holding, we can have an RFD MJ thing. Just need to set a date and time heh

lol... all-out MJ battle... that'd sure be fun!

don't 4get the DD! (oddly enuff he knows how to play too... lol )