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Mahjong Decoded
The directory

Mahjong variants of the world

17 rule sets, from Hong Kong parlours and Japanese professional leagues to Sichuan teahouses, Singaporean animal tiles and the American card — how many play, how many tiles, how big the hand, and how it scores.

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Rule sets

Want the three biggest styles side by side? See Rules compared.

Mainland Regional

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Tile illustration for Changsha mahjong Mainland Regional

Changsha

Hunan province

A Hunan style using only the three suits, in which an ordinary winning hand usually needs its pair to be a 2, 5 or 8.

Players
4
Tiles
108
Hand
13 (14 to win)
Scoring
Local bonuses for special hands
Signature
Pairs of 2, 5 or 8 required for standard hands
A street game in Chengdu Mainland Regional

Sichuan (Bloody Battle)

Sichuan and Chongqing

Only the three suits are used, each player abandons one suit, and the hand continues until three players have won.

Players
4
Tiles
108
Hand
13 (14 to win)
Scoring
Fan multipliers, play-on after wins
Signature
No honours, no chows, one suit voided
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