All chows (平糊, 1 faan)
All chows is four chows and a pair. Mahjong House's standard rules add two conditions:
- The pair can't be a dragon, your seat wind or the round wind.
- You must win on a two-sided wait: holding 4-5 characters and waiting on the 3 or the 6, for example. A pair wait, a middle wait (4 and 6 waiting on the 5) or an edge wait (1-2 waiting on the 3) doesn't count.
Take the hand above with nothing claimed, no flowers, won on a discard from a two-sided wait: all chows 1 + concealed hand 1 + no bonus tiles 1 = 3 faan, exactly enough to win. After a chow it's all chows 1 + no bonus tiles 1 = 2, so it needs a self-draw to reach 3.
All pongs (對對糊, 3 faan)
All pongs is four pongs or kongs and a pair. You can pong the sets, which makes it a common hand: the pattern alone is 3 faan, enough to win even after claiming.
In the hand above, if north isn't your seat or round wind and you hold no flowers: all pongs 3 + no bonus tiles 1 = 4 faan. If north is your seat wind, add 1.
If you drew all four pongs yourself, it's the limit hand four concealed pongs instead; see limit hands.
Half flush (混一色, 3) and full flush (清一色, 7)
Half flush: one suit plus honours
A half flush uses one suit plus winds or dragons. The hand above, having ponged the green dragon, won on a discard and holding one flower that isn't your seat's: half flush 3 + green dragon 1 = 4 faan.
Full flush: one suit only
A full flush is every tile from one suit with no honours: 7 faan. The two never stack: with honours it's a half flush, without them a full flush.
Dragons and winds
Pongs of the dragons and winds score on their own, and add to any pattern:
| Pattern | Made of | Faan |
|---|---|---|
| Dragon pong | A pong or kong of red, green or white | 1 each |
| Seat wind | A pong or kong of your seat's wind | 1 |
| Prevailing wind | A pong or kong of the round's wind | 1; 2 if it's also your seat wind |
| Little three dragons | Pongs of two dragons, a pair of the third | 5 (includes the two dragon pongs) |
| Big three dragons | Pongs or kongs of all three dragons | 8 (includes the dragon pongs) |
| Little four winds | Pongs of three winds, a pair of the fourth | 6 (no seat or round wind faan for those three) |
| Big four winds | Pongs or kongs of all four winds | Limit |
Big four winds and all honours are limit hands: see limit hands. Which wind belongs to which seat is in the rules.
Which patterns add together
Pattern faan add together, and on top of how you won and your flowers. Common combinations:
- Half flush + all pongs = 6 faan; full flush + all pongs = 10 faan, the cap.
- All chows + full flush = 8 faan: four chows in one suit, won on a two-sided wait.
- Mixed terminals (4 faan) is only 1s, 9s and honours, all in pongs. The 4 already includes all pongs, which isn't added again, but it does add to a half flush: 7 faan.
- Dragon and wind pongs add to any pattern: a half flush with a red dragon pong is 4.
- What doesn't add: a half flush and a full flush; the dragon pongs inside little or big three dragons; anything on a limit hand.
Every stacking rule is under what adds up in the faan table.
From pattern to total faan
The pattern is only part of a hand's faan. The total adds the pattern, dragon and wind pongs, how you won (self-draw, concealed hand and so on) and flowers; it must reach at least 3 to win (see the 3-faan minimum), and the cap is 10.
To skip the adding up, pick the tiles in the faan calculator. For the table, print the cheat sheet; every faan is listed in the faan table.
