THE MAH JONG HANDS.

This is an illustrative guide to the Mah Jong hands listed in Max Robertson's book (2007 edition).For those who have inherited an earlier version of the book there may be additional hands not listed in the 2007 edition. It is the later version that we use, to which users should refer for further detailed explanation.

  1. An ordinary mah jong hand is made up of 4 pungs and a pair or 3 pungs, a chow and a pair. All tiles must be from one suit only with winds and dragons. e.g 4 pungs of bamboos plus a pair of dragons.

                     

  2. A purity hand is similar to (1) but must all be of one suit only with no winds or dragons.

                       

  3. An all kong hand contains four kongs in one suit with winds and/or dragons and a pair.

                       

  4. Buried treasure In this hand all tiles must be drawn from the wall including the 14th. The hand must be entirely concealed (no kongs). The hand can be an ordinary hand(1), a purity hand(2), an honour hand(6) ; or hand(1)or(2) with more than one chow. If fishing with only one chow, it must be scored as a standard hand.

                       

  5. Mixed pung hand All tiles to be drawn from the wall including the 14th. It is composed of pungs and a pair of mixed suits with winds and/or dragons if desired.

                       

  6. All honour hand. Pungs/kongs of 1's & 9's of any suit , winds/dragons plus pair of honours. (note:- 1's, 9's, winds, dragons are all honour tiles).

                       

  7. Chinese odds. 4 pungs/kongs and a pair of odd numbers all in one suit. (1,3,5,7,9)

                       

  8. Wriggling snake A run of tiles 1 to 9 in one suit only, one each of the winds and any one of these 13 tiles to be paired.All tiles to be drawn from the wall except the last which may be taken from a discard.

             

  9. Sparrow's sanctuary 2 pairs of 1 bamboos(Sparrows) plus a pair of each of the green bamboos (2,3,4,6,8). All tiles to be taken from the wall except the last which may be taken from a discard.

                                 

  10. Dragonfly One each of the dragons. A pung/kong of each of the 3 suits plus a pair of any suit.

                       

  11. Knitting. 7 pairs of two suits only, all from the wall except the last. All tiles to be from two designated suits only e.g Circles and bamboos.

                                 

  12. Tripple knitting. Four sets of 3 tiles and a knitted pair. Similar to 'knitting' but with each of the suits.

                       

  13. All pair hands. This is made up of pairs in one suit with winds and/or dragons. All tiles except the last must be drawn from the wall.

                                 





  14. All pair honour hands. Similar to 13 above, but all pairs must be honour tiles. They can be mixed suits.

                                 

  15. All pair jade hand. This is made up of pairs of green bamboos (2,3,4,6,8 ) plus a pair of green dragons. It is not a jade hand unless there is a pair of green dragons.

                                 

  16. All pair ruby jade hand. This is composed of a pair of green dragons and a pair of red dragons plus pairs of any of the bamboo tiles.

                                 

  17. Heavenly twins. Seven pairs of tiles all in one suit without any winds or dragons. All tiles to be taken from the wall except the last which may be taken from a discard.

                                 

  18. Heavenly paradise. A pung/kong of each of the dragons plus a pung/kong of the wind of the round when it is the players own wind, a pair of any wind. A bouquet of flowers must also be held.

                                        
    In this example the hand must be held by West when west is the wind of the round.

  19. Unique wonder. One of each of the honour tiles plus any tile paired. All from the wall except the last.

        

  20. Lily of the valley. A pung/kong of green and white dragons, 2 pungs/kongs of green bamboos (2,3,4,6,8) plus a pair of green bamboos. All tiles may be punged from a discard.

                       

  21. Imperial jade hand. An all green hand made up of pungs/kongs of green dragons with pungs/kongs and a pair of green bamboos and/or a chow if desired.

                       

  22. Royal ruby hand. Similar to the jade hand, but this time using the red dragons and red bamboos (1,5,7,9)

                       

  23. Windy dragons. 2 pungs (not kongs) of any of the dragons plus a pair of each of the winds. The dragons may be punged from a discard but the pairs of winds must be drawn from the wall. The last tile to complete the hand may be taken from a discard.

                            

  24. Windy ones. A pung/kong of the ones in each suit and one each of the winds plus any wind paired.

                       

  25. Windy nines. Similar to windy ones ,but uses nines of each suit.

                       

  26. Gates of heaven. One suit only with no winds or dragons. All tiles from the wall except the last. Pung of 1's, pung of 9's and a run 2 to 8 plus any one of the tiles 2 to 8 must be paired.

                  

  27. A run, pung and a pair. One suit only with no winds or dragons. Run 1 to 9 , a pung and a pair. Each tile from the wall except the last.

             




  28. Heads and tails. Pungs/kongs of 1's and 9's of any of the three suits and a pair of 1's or 9's. No winds or dragons.

                       

  29. All winds and dragons. Pungs/kongs and a pair of winds and dragons only, no suit tiles.

                       

  30. Three great scholars. Pungs/kongs of all three dragons plus a kong/pung/chow and a pair of a suit and/or winds.

                       

  31. The four blessings. Pungs/kongs of each of the four winds plus a pair of anything.

                       

  32. Heaven's grace. This hand is when east wind picks up his original 14 tiles and finds that he hold a Mah Jong.

    Any Mah Jong hand may apply.

  33. Earth's grace. This applies to anyone who is fishing with his original 13 tiles and picks up the first discard by east wind to go Mah Jong.

    Any Mah Jong hand, which allows a pick up from a discard, may apply .

  34. Red lantern. Pung/kong of red dragons, Pung/kong of own wind, Run of 1 to 7 in any suit plus any of the suit tiles (1-7) to be paired.


                  
    When this is the hand of north wind.

  35. Red lily. A pung/kong of white dragons, pung/kong red dragons, 2 pungs/kongs of red bamboos (1,5,7,9) and a pair of red bamboos.

                       




  36. Plucking the plum blossom from the roof. This is when a player who is fishing for 5 circles picks this up from a loose tile from the wall to make Mah Jong. i.e that is after making a kong or picking up a flower (bonus tile).



  37. Picking the moon from the bottom of the sea. This is when a player is fishing for 1 of circles and picks this tile when it is the last tile on the wall.



  38. Ruby jade. A pung/kong of red and green dragons, a pung/kong of green bamboos, a pung /kong of red bamboos and a pair of any bamboo.

                       

  39. Windy chows. A chow in each suit plus one of each wind with any wind paired.

                       

  40. Gertie's garter. 1 to seven in two suits.

        

  41. Greta's garden. A run of 1 to 7 (of any one suit) plus 1 of each wind and one of each dragon.

             






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