| Three Player Mahjong: | Overview | Three Player Gameplay | Three Player Minimum Hand | Three Player Scoring |
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The object of the game is to complete a hand that consists of at least three points before any other player. Only the winner scores points. If won on a tile from the wall, both opponents pay the winner points scored in the winners hand. If one on a discard, the discarder pays the winner double the winners points.
Gameplay
During the game a player may claim someones discard to complete any one of the following sets:
- Chow: Claimed ONLY for mahjong. Melded chows are not permitted.
- Pung: Claimed from any player.
- Kong: Claimed from any player. A replacement tile is drawn afterward.
- Flower: Announced immediately. A replacement tile is drawn afterward.
- Pair of 5 Bamboo: Claimed only for mahjong.
Kongs
Concealed and Small Melded Kongs are announced only after drawing a tile (i.e. not after claiming a tile). A replacement tile is drawn afterward.
Bamboo Tiles
The bamboo tiles can only form pong or kongs. Having one pong is worth one point. Having both pongs scores three game points (six game points if the pungs themselves are concealed).
Kongs
Melding Three Kongs is worth 1 game point. Melding four is worth 6 extra game points.
Having 2 hidden kongs is worth one extra game point, three Hidden Kongs with worth 6 points and four hidden kongs is a limit hand.
Arrangement of Discards
Discards are arranged on the floor in front of their respective discarded in rows of six, placed from left to right.
Arrangement of Sets
Tiles claimed are rotated 90 degrees within the set to show which player had discarded it.
Example 1
Chow. 3-character is claimed from the person to our left.
Example 2
Pung. 5-dot is claimed from the person across from us.
Ready (Riichi)
Any player to declare ready at on any turn when his/her hand is one tile away. The following rules applies to a player that has declared ready:
- The hand must be able to form a hand with the minimum points necesary to wind if a specific tile is drawn.
- The player may declare if he/she is going to win on a self-drawn tile.
- The most recent discard is rotated within the discard pile to signify which turn ready was declared. If this discard is claimed, the next previous tile in the discard pile is rotated.
- The hand must be completely concealed before calling. Concealed kongs are okay.
- No changes can be made to the hand.
- When a tile is drawn, if it is not a winning tile it is immediately discarded.
- When a tile is drawn, if it is any winning tile that completes the hand it mahjong must be declared. In other words, if you have multiple tiles to go out on the first applicable tile is used.
Sacred Discard
A player who is one tile away from winning cannot go out on an opponent's discard, if the player in waiting had previously discarded the same tile. The tiles discarded can be verified by the rows of discards in front of each player, as well as the rotated tiles claimed by opponents. The waiting player may go out on a tile that was previously discarded if the tile is self-drawn.
Post Hand
If the hand ends in a draw each player puts ten points in the centre of the table and the winner of the next game takes these points. If there is no winner in the next game (unlikely) then ten more points more are added, etc.