Chicken hand and common hand
A "chicken hand" (雞糊) is a winning hand with no scoring elements apart from basic bonuses. Many tables do not allow it, or only with a zero-faan minimum. A "common hand" (平糊) of four chows and a non-scoring pair is worth a little more.
All pungs and one-suit hands
All pungs (對對糊) — four pungs and a pair — and mixed one suit (混一色) — tiles from one suit plus honours — are the workhorses of three-faan play. Pure one suit (清一色), a hand entirely from one suit with no honours, is a big hand worth around seven faan.
Dragons and winds
Small three dragons (小三元) — two dragon pungs and a pair of the third dragon — and great three dragons (大三元) — pungs of all three — are high-scoring. Small four winds and great four winds are higher still, often a limit hand.
Rare and limit hands
Thirteen orphans, nine gates, all honours, all terminals and four concealed pungs are treated as limit hands at many tables. Seeing one is a memorable event; making one is a story you will tell for years.
