How To Set Up 3 Player Mahjong
Kymberly loves to swoop into many hobbies: productive gardening, crafting, sewing, reading, and everything Japanese.

My majhong set, with betoken sticks, dice, four blank tiles, and a wind of the circular die.
Kymberly Fergusson (nifwlseirff)
Although the west is more familiar with the solitaire tile-matching game, mahjong is a rummy-similar tile game from Communist china, originally for four players. Korean and Japanese versions accept rules for both three and four players.
History of Mahjong
No one really knows when or by whom mahjong was developed.
One prepare of rumors advise that Confucius developed it in 500 BC, simply some other suggests it morphed from a like carte game in the Ming dynasty (from 1368).
The tertiary ready of rumors identify its development into the 1800s, by either ground forces officers or noblemen.
As mahjong includes a grade of gambling (for coin or prestige), the Chinese government banned it in 1949. The prohibition was lifted in 1985, as long equally the game was played without the gambling elements.
The Many Different Scoring Systems of Mahjong
Information technology seems that each country has developed its ain mahjong scoring system, sometimes even using a different set up of tiles!
Note: There are 13 and 16 tile manus variations in many of these systems, which can change the scoring rules.
Chinese: The "Original" Scoring System
A score based on the winner's hand and method of winning is start calculated, so the base score is doubled based on the "trump" tile or rare combinations of tiles. The losers pay these points to the winner, with the losing east role player paying double.
It is claimed that the more complex mental arithmetic, especially with all of the doublings, is bully for preventing dementia in older players.[1]
Hong Kong
This scoring is based on the classical organization, only there are more than doublings and special hands.
Taiwanese
This is also based on the classical organization, but with lower base scores and fewer special easily.
Shanghai
This version features an incredibly high number of special easily to remember, doublings, and higher values for rarer winning hands.
Singaporean
This uses a system like to the classical system but modified for the different tiles in Singaporean mahjong sets.
Japanese
This system features a base of operations number of points for a winning manus, or points based on the combination of melds (whichever is higher), plus points for the item tile yous were waiting on, rounded up to a multiple of 10; this is somewhat simpler than the classical system. Japanese mahjong as well uses a unlike set of tiles.
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Korean
This version avoids using most or all of the bamboo suit tiles, seasons, and jokers, making the game much faster and suitable for three players. Withal, many points are based on extremely rare (and seemingly arbitrary) special hands and winning draws.
American
The Babcock scoring organization provides a score-card listing specific winning-hand combinations and their scores. Only hands with these score-cards (changing by the year they are released) can win.
The Demand for Simple House Rules
I started playing mahjong with a business firm-rule variant of the classical system—but only when someone else was tallying the points (my head e'er tallied wrongly!)
When I needed to track the points in each round, I needed to create a simpler system (or revert to a computer - too slow). I needed a set of house-rules that I could easily explain in a language that wasn't my mother tongue and would work for 3 or 4 players.

An opening hand in three player mahjong, with a couple of chi melds and two special tiles.
Kymberly Fergusson (nifwlseirff)
Starting a game
Assign the winds to each player in an anticlockwise direction. These winds move anticlockwise later the mitt has been won.
Dealer is the due east wind.

3 player - remove 2-8 of bamboo and north winds from the tiles.
Kymberly Fergusson (nifwlseirff)
Note: If playing with 3 players, leave out the ii-8 of bamboo and the north wind tiles. Players will be e, south and west.
Building the Walls
Players build a square from the tiles, four walls, with tiles piled ii high, with any extras piled on summit of the dealer'southward wall.
- iii role player - 14 tiles form the base of each wall.
- 4 player - eighteen tiles form the base of operations of each wall.
Dealing Out the Tiles
Dealer hands out tiles, starting with his wall. Each player should have 13 tiles in his manus, with the dealer taking an actress tile.
To start play, the dealer must choose and discard one tile (returning to thirteen tiles).
The Current of air of the Round
The air current of the round moves anti-clockwise, once all the players take been east once in the circular.
For example, the current of air of the round follows this pattern:
- iii player - E E Due east · West West West · Due south Due south Southward
- 4 role player - E East E East · N Due north Northward Due north · W W W W · South S S Due south
Making Melds
The aim is to have a mitt total of melds, such that it allows you to go 'out' - declare mahjong.
Chi - a run of three sequent numbers in the same suit.
- If making a chi from a discarded tile, it must be a discarded tile from the person direct to the left of the player.
- Alternatively when making a chi to go out (mahjong), you can pick up whatsoever discard.
Pong - three of the aforementioned tile.
Khan - four of the same tile.
- If you accept a khan in manus (subconscious), you should declare information technology.
- Once a khan has been alleged, you volition receive an actress 'replacement' tile.
Pair: you volition likewise demand one pair (two of a kind) to win the hand.
What to Do in Each Plow
- You must make up one's mind whether you lot want to use the previous thespian's discard, OR take a new tile from the wall.
Annotation: Yous can only take the most recent discard.
- If you took a discard to form a meld, you must display this meld openly.
- If the tile drawn from the wall forms a meld in your hand (subconscious), you do not have to declare information technology, unless information technology is a kong (four of a kind).
- If the tile fatigued from the wall was special (flower or season), you must display this special tile, and and then draw another 'replacement' tile.
- If the fatigued tile (from the wall or discard) completes a winning combination of melds, declare mahjong and display all of your tiles.
Or, choose a tile to discard.
And so the plow passes to the next role player.
Annotation: Yous tin can be skipped if a discard is picked upward for a pong or khan by the players to your right!

A winning mitt in majhong - 1 khan, 3 pong melds, 1 pair and two special tiles. Even improve, the air current (south) is the wind of the round!
Kymberly Fergusson (nifwlseirff)
Scoring easily
Point values are kept low, with few or no doublings to keep the mental arithmetic simple, and the game moving rapidly.
Choose the highest point group for each meld (don't score the same meld multiple times).
Winning manus - The actor who won the hand receives their points from each losing actor. They do not have to pay any points to the other players.
Losing hands - Each losing player receives their paw's bespeak value from the other losing players.
No winning manus - If no-i wins, and all the tiles in the wall take been taken, each histrion pays all other players' scores.
Tip: add up all the scores at the end of scoring - information technology should be zilch (or you lot've made a mistake)!
Variation - If east wins, double the winning hand score. If east loses, they have to pay double
1 point
- pong (3 of a kind) of bamboo / circles / numbers, with values 2 - 8
- each bloom or flavour
- a pair of dragons
- a pair of own winds or a pair of the wind of the round
2 points
- winning the hand
- pong of winds or dragons
- pong of bamboo / circles / numbers 1 or 9
- khan of bamboo / circles / numbers 2 - 8
3 points
- khan of bamboo / circles / numbers 1 or 9
- khan of dragons or winds
- pong of own wind or wind of the round
4 points
- khan of own wind or wind of the round
- pong of a air current that is both own wind and air current of the round
5 points
- khan of winds that are both own current of air and wind of the round
Bonus points
Bonus points advantage rarer hands.
There are fewer variations in these house rules than in other common scoring systems - easier to call back and faster to calculate!
1 bespeak
- two identical chi melds (example: 2 x 2-3-4 bamboo)
- each subconscious pong (not in the winning hand)
2 points
- all 4 flowers, or all 4 seasons
- all chi melds + 1 pair, or all pong melds + 1 pair
- only one suit (all bamboo, circles, numbers or trumps)
- no trumps (merely bamboo, circles, and numbers)
- winning with a tile from the wall
- subconscious khan (a khan meld from tiles in mitt or wall, not including a discarded tile)
Tips for Buying a Mahjong Set
- Look for adept quality tiles, with even sizes and weights. This makes building walls and shuffling easier.
- Good, clean printing makes the tiles easier to read.
- Plastic tiles will last longer than bamboo/os.
- Cheque that your fix contains the extra tiles you want - flowers and seasons are typically included in 'classical' sets, birds in Singaporean sets, jokers in American sets, and ruby bamboo / circle / number 5s in Japanese sets. Some sets also contain 4 bare tiles.
- Sets will ofttimes contain two modest dice, a wind of the round indicator and scoring sticks or chips (especially in Japanese sets).
- Tile racks make moving tiles around and edifice walls easier and neater.
Your house rules
Take you ever created your own modified mahjong rules?
Which system did you base them on?
Allow us know in the comments below!
Ann on Dec 29, 2018:
How do use blanks in a game of mahjong?
Ann on December 29, 2018:
How do y'all use blanks in a game?
roncummings153@yahoo.com on July xviii, 2018:
I play with well-nigh 7 asian women and I am a white human learning the game and I am having a challenge with changes that they brand in the scoring when they mahjong but when I mahjong the scoring changes I am looking for the simplest manner of understanding the scoring system
Kymberly Fergusson (writer) from Germany on August 18, 2016:
Hullo Lisa,
Wind of the round is not necessarily tied to dealing. Each round has a unlike wind as 'trump' for bonus points - eastward, south, w, north. Every bit the three actor version has no north tiles, the wind of the round gain = east - s - west - east ...
I promise this helped!
Lisa on August fourteen, 2016:
Thank you for these simplified rules Kymberly! I accept a question; I don't sympathize the function about the "Wind of the Round." Is this part of dealing? Any help yous can give would exist appreciated!
Warmly, Lisa
peachy from Home Sweet Dwelling house on June fourteen, 2015:
you sounds like a professional person mahjong player. I started to learn when my friend taught me, years years ago
Ken Kline from Chicago, Illinois on December 01, 2014:
I have only played the solitaire version on my smart phone. And i find it does help me with visual recognition which I feel is an important mental agility exercise for people over 50.
I will have to return and acquire the rules.
Great hub! Voted up!
gypsumgirl from Vail Valley, Colorado on Feb fifteen, 2014:
I love your hub! It brought back many memories of my childhood, watching my parents sit down for hours with their friends to play mah jong. It was an experience every Hong Kong/Chinese child went through. Well written!!
LongTimeMother from Australia on February 11, 2013:
Ah, this year I know what to enquire for when Mother's Day rolls around. I never knew how to play mahjong just loved watching the elderly ladies at a table in my favourite eatery in People's republic of china Town as they clattered through a game.
I will master the rules thanks to you lot, and outset lubricating my brain with calculating the score. Great hub. Voted upward.
Kymberly Fergusson (author) from Federal republic of germany on February 08, 2013:
dilipchandra12 - thanks! Information technology's a great game, although it can go intense at times!
Dilip Chandra from India on Jan 21, 2013:
Thank yous so much, i have learnt something about mahjong today. I practice non even know how to play this game. Nifty hub with good info. Thanks for sharing. Voted Upwards and shared.
How To Set Up 3 Player Mahjong,
Source: https://hobbylark.com/board-games/simple-mahjong-house-rules
Posted by: keithshou1999.blogspot.com
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