When someone has gone out, the scores are added up (the banker’s being doubled) and the score of the winning hand is awarded to the winner by each player, (the donation by the banker being double if the banker did not go out). When calculating the score, all of the points are added up and the number of doublings is added up. The score is then doubled this number of times. As with the many variations of mah jong, there are many variations in scoring. It is best to agree upon “house rules” when beginning the game. Scoring is a three-step process: First, points are determined; next, the points are multiplied according to any applicable doubles; finally, payment is determined. Whether the winning player is the dealer or a non-dealer, and whether the winning tile was from the wall or a discard, affects both the scoring and payment.

Points: 20 points are given as a reward for winning the hand. Only the winner receives points. Depending upon the combinations held in the winning hand, additional points are added. For example, sequences do not add points, but triplets do. Melded triplets score fewer additional points than do concealed triplets. Simple triplets score fewer points than do terminals or honors. Pairs only score points if the pair is a dragon, prevailing wind or the player’s own wind OR if it is a pair of “double wind” tiles(see scoring table). If the last tile is drawn from the wall, the player scores 2 additional points; if the hand was concealed throughout the hand but went out with a discard, the player scores 10 additional points; if the last tile was a last chance tile (the 2nd tile of a pair, the middle tile of a sequence, or the “inside” tile of a terminal sequence . . . the 3 of a 1,2,3 or the 7 of a 7,8,9, the player scores an additional 2 points. Please refer to the Scoring Table to run down the list of point options.

Doubles: After the points are decided (rounded to the nearest 10), the winner shows the ways a hand is worthy of doubles. 1 double is 2x; 2 doubles are 4x; 3 doubles are 8x, etc. the points accrued. There are eight possibilities for earning doubles: lucky sets, concealed hand, groups of sets, ways of going out, special inclusions, no points, consistency, or flowers/seasons. Please refer to the Scoring Table for further explanation.

Payments: Each player begins with 2000, and points are rounded to the nearest 10th prior to determining the doubles. The player responsible for the winner going out (discarder) must pay. If the winner goes out on a draw from the wall, all 3 losers must pay. The dealer must alway pay double or be paid double.

There are four payment situations:

1. If dealer goes out on a self-drawn tile, each player pays 2x
2. If dealer goes out on a discard, discarder pays 6x
3. If non-dealer goes out on self-drawn, dealer pays 2x, others pay 1x
4. If non-dealer goes out on a discard, discarder pays 4x (whether dealer

Initial Points and the “Limit”: Max score is 500 points AFTER DOUBLING (the limit is the highest final score after doubling). Therefore, the maximum payment would be 2000 points for a non-dealer, and 3000 points for a dealer.

To score: the winning player begins with 20 points. She then looks at each of the four sets and the pair and computes applicable points. Then the winner assesses how the last tile affects points. If “no points,” and the score is 20, a double will be earned for “no points.” Eg. If a “no points” hand was concealed and won on a discard (add 10) then double it for no points and then figure out payment. The winner then computes any applicable doubles, and then figures out payment. Ideally, each player should score own her hand, with other players serving as a “check” for mistakes.

Runs

To go out (finish the game), a player needs to have 4×3s or 4s of a kind plus a pair. You may substitute runs for the threes and fours of a kind and if you pick up the last tile of the run from the discarded tiles, you must declare it in the same way as you would declare a three or four of a kind.

Limit

Usually, a limit to the score is set and if that limit is exceeded in a game then the limit is used as the score thus, people are protected from a single, high-scoring game which could upset the whole score. In this way, the dynamics of the game can be modified. With a low limit, the players’ performances over the whole set of games is taken into account whereas with a high limit, only the most recent games influence the score.