Tai Scoring

Singapore mahjong scores hands in tai (also called fan or doubles). Each tai doubles the base payout. Default minimum is 1 tai to win; default cap is 5 tai.

The payout formula

Base unit = 1 chip. After counting tai, the base payout is:

base = 2tai (capped at 2^maxTai, default 32).

Then:

• Self-draw (zi mo): each of the three losers pays base × 2 to the winner.
• Discard win: the discarder pays base × 2; the other two losers pay base each.
• Pay-all (special triggers): the discarder pays the full amount on behalf of all three losers — i.e. base × 6 total.

Hand-shape tai

The shape of your winning hand sets the base score. Multiple shape categories can stack (e.g. All Pong + Full Color = 6 tai).

Chicken hand · 0 tai

No pattern of any kind. Not a winning hand under the default 1-tai minimum.

All Chow · 平胡 · 1 tai

Every set is a chow (a run of three). Pair can be anything.

All Pong · 对对胡 · 2 tai

Every set is a pong or kong (triplets/quads).

Half Color · 混一色 · 2 tai

One suit + any honor tiles (winds and dragons OK).

Half Terminals · 混么九 · 2 tai

Only 1s, 9s, and honor tiles. No middle (2-8) tiles.

Ping Wu · 平湖 · 4 tai

All Chow with no exposed bonus tiles (no flowers, seasons, or animals declared during the hand).

Full Color · 清一色 · 4 tai

One suit only — no honors, no other suits.

All Terminals · 清么九 · 9 tai

Only 1s and 9s, in suits — no middle tiles, no honors. Implies All Pong (you can't form a chow with only terminals).

Thirteen Wonders · 十三幺 · 8 tai

One of every terminal + every honor (13 unique tiles) + a pair of any one. Special hand — bypasses the four-sets-and-a-pair rule. See the special hands page.

Per-set bonuses (additive)

These add on top of the hand-shape score. They stack — a hand with three dragon pongs and a seat-wind pong gets +4 from these alone.

Pong/kong of any dragon · +1 each

red dragon · +1

green dragon · +1

white dragon · +1

Pong/kong of the prevailing wind · +1

The prevailing wind cycles East → South → West → North across the four rounds of a game. In an East round, an east-wind pong scores +1.

east-wind pong (in East round) · +1

Pong/kong of your seat wind · +1

Stacks with prevailing-wind bonus if both apply (so an east player with east pong in an east round = +2 from this set).

Small Three Dragons · 小三元 · +1 extra

Two dragon pongs/kongs PLUS the third dragon as your pair (the "eye"). The +1 is on top of the per-pong dragon bonuses.

Bonus tile tai (animals + flowers + seasons)

Bonus tiles sit aside from your hand and add tai when you reveal them. Each animal is +1; matched flowers/seasons (matching your seat wind) are +1 each.

Animals · +1 each, +1 extra for all four

Singapore-only tiles. Cat eats rat, cockerel eats centipede.

Matched flowers · +1 each

Flowers are owner-tagged 1=East, 2=South, 3=West, 4=North. The matching one for your seat is +1.

Plum=East · Orchid=South · Chrysanthemum=West · Bamboo=North. Complete set (all four) = +1 extra.

Matched seasons · +1 each

Spring=East · Summer=South · Autumn=West · Winter=North. Complete set = +1 extra.

Win-circumstance tai

Immediate payouts (paid before the hand is over)

Some bonus events trigger an instant payment from each opponent, separate from the eventual win:

• Kong declaration: 2 chips from each opponent (concealed kong: 4 chips each).
• Animal pair-up (cat with rat, cockerel with centipede): 2 chips from each opponent (4 if you held the pair from the initial deal).
• Complete flower set or season set: 4 chips from each opponent.
• All four animals: 4 chips from each opponent.
• Matched pair of flower + season (your wind): 2 chips from each opponent.

Pay-all (bao 包) situations

When a discarder is held responsible for the entire payout:

• Discarding the third dragon when the winner already exposed two dragons.
• Discarding the fourth wind when the winner already exposed three winds.
• Discarding the tile that pushes the winner to or past the tai cap.
• Discarding the tile that completes a full-color hand when three sets are already exposed in that suit.
• Final-wall discard rule: in the last fresh-tile window, discarding a tile not previously discarded that completes a win.

Pay-all means the discarder owes base × 6 alone, not just base × 2.

Next: Special hands →