Hong Kong Scoring
How It Works
HK scoring has three layers that beginners often conflate:
- Fan (番) — literally “turn/round,” represents a doubling. Count your fan from hand elements.
- Points/Chips — fan converts to base points via a multiplier table. The multiplier scaling is configurable (this is what makes house rules so different).
- Money — chips convert to dollars at a fixed rate (e.g., $2 per 100 chips).
Most groups play with a 3 fan minimum to win. The conversion from fan to points is exponential — each fan tier roughly doubles, but groups can flatten or steepen the curve.
Fan Reference — Multi-System Comparison
Different groups score fan differently. Here are 5 real scoring systems compared:
Basic Fan (1 fan each)
| Set Condition | Cantonese | MJ Time | MJB | Dragon Society | LIU | Wikipedia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pung of Dragons | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kong of Dragons | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Pung of Own Wind | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kong of Own Wind | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Pung of Round Wind | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kong of Round Wind | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Own Flower | 正花 (zing3 faa1) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Own Season | 正花 (zing3 faa1) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| No Flowers/Seasons | 无花 (mou4 faa1) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Self-Drawn | 自摸 (zi6 mo1) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| All Chows | 平糊 (ping4 wu4) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Win from Wall (concealed) | 門前清 (mun4 cin4 cing1) | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Out on Last Tile | 海底撈月 (hoi2 dai2 lau4 jyut6) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Rob a Kong | 搶槓 (coeng2 gong3) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Win by Kong Replacement | 槓上開花 (gong3 soeng5 hoi1 faa1) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Multi-Fan Hands
| Set Condition | Cantonese | MJ Time | MJB | Dragon Society | LIU | Wikipedia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Flowers (4) | 一台花 (jat1 toi4 faa1) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| All Seasons (4) | 一台花 (jat1 toi4 faa1) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| All Pungs | 對對糊 (deoi3 deoi3 wu4) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Half Flush (one suit + honors) | 混一色 (wan6 jat1 sik1) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Seven Pairs | 七對子 (cat1 deoi3 zi2) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Small Three Dragons | 小三元 (siu2 saam1 jyun4) | — | — | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Full Flush (one suit only) | 清一色 (cing1 jat1 sik1) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Mixed Orphans | 混么九 (wan6 jiu1 gau2) | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Limit Hands (Inclusive — max points, no stacking)
| Set Condition | Cantonese | MJ Time | MJB | Dragon Society | LIU | Wikipedia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hidden Treasure (4 concealed pungs) | 四暗刻 (sei3 am3 hak1) | 10 | 10 | — | 13 | 10 |
| Big Three Dragons | 大三元 (daai6 saam1 jyun4) | 10 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
| Little Four Winds | 小四喜 (siu2 sei3 hei2) | 10 | 10 | — | 10 | 6 |
| Big Four Winds | 大四喜 (daai6 sei3 hei2) | 10 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 10 |
| All Honors | 字一色 (zi6 jat1 sik1) | 10 | 10 | — | 13 | 10 |
| All Terminals | 么九 (jiu1 gau2) | 10 | 10 | — | 13 | 7 |
| Nine Gates | 九子連環 (gau2 zi2 lin4 waan4) | 10 | 10 | — | 13 | 4* |
| Thirteen Orphans | — | 10 | 10 | — | 13 | 13 |
| All Kongs | — | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| Jade Dragon (All Green) | 綠一色 (luk6 jat1 sik1) | 10 | 10 | 5 | — | — |
| Ruby Dragon (All Red) | 紅一色 (hung4 jat1 sik1) | 10 | 10 | 5 | — | — |
| Pearl Dragon (All White) | 白一色 (baak6 jat1 sik1) | 10 | 10 | 5 | — | — |
| Heavenly Hand | 天糊 (tin1 wu4) | 10 | 10 | — | 13 | 13 |
| Earthly Hand | 地糊 (dei6 wu4) | 10 | 10 | — | 13 | 13 |
*Nine Gates scores 4 fan base + 6 for full flush = 10 effective in Wikipedia system
Penalties
| Penalty | Cantonese | Description |
|---|---|---|
| False Win | 詐糊 (zaa3 wu2) / 爆糊 (baau3 wu2) | Incomplete hand, no minimum fan, invalid meld. Pay each player as if they self-drew a minimum win. Forfeit hand. |
| Incorrect Tile Count | 小相公 (siu2 soeng1 gung1) | “Small scholar” — no payment, but forfeit win for rest of hand |
| 9 Pieces Penalty | 九張包 (gau2 zoeng1 baau1) | Discarder pays all losses after enabling Pure Hand with 3 open sets of same suit |
| 12 Pieces Penalty | 十二張包自摸 (sap6 ji6 zoeng1 baau1 zi6 mo2) | Discarder pays all after enabling self-draw Pure Hand with 4 open sets |
| Fifth Tile Penalty | 五子包生 (ng5 zi2 baau1 saang1) | Discard a fresh tile with ≤5 tiles left in wall, enabling a win — pay all losses |
| Double Loss | 一炮雙響 (jat1 paau3 soeng1 hoeng2) | “One cannon, double sound” — discard wins for multiple players. Varies by house. |
Flowers and Seasons
HK mahjong uses 8 bonus tiles (4 flowers + 4 seasons). Each matches a seat wind.
| Condition | Faan |
|---|---|
| Own flower | 1 |
| Own season | 1 |
| All 4 flowers | 2 |
| All 4 seasons | 2 |
| No flowers/seasons at all | 1 |
| All 8 flower+season | Instant win (some rules) |
Payment: The Fan → Points → Chips → Money Pipeline
This is where house rules diverge most. The conversion uses configurable multipliers.
Step 1: Set parameters
| Parameter | Sample (LIU) | Mahjong Time | MJB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum fan to win | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| USD per 100 chips | $2 | $1 | $10 |
| Bonus per hand (chips) | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Scoring system | Defensive | Classical | Classical |
Step 2: Fan → Base Points (via multiplier)
| Fan | Multiplier | Base Points |
|---|---|---|
| 0-2 | — | 0 (below minimum) |
| 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 4 | 4 | 16 |
| 5-6 | 4 | 16 (capped) |
| 7-8 | 5 | 32 |
| 9 | 6 | 64 |
| 10 | 7 | 128 |
Note: The multiplier flattens at higher fan to prevent runaway scaling. Different groups cap at different points.
Step 3: Classical vs. Defensive Payment
| System | Losers pay | Discarder pays | Winner collects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classical | Base x 1 each | Base x 2 | (1 + 1 + 2) = 4x base |
| Defensive | 0 each | Base x 4 | 4x base (all from discarder) |
| Self-draw (both) | Base x 2 each | — | 6x base (from all 3) |
Example (5 fan, Classical, no bonus):
- Base = 16 points
- Discard win: losers pay 16 + 16, discarder pays 32 → winner gets 64 chips
- Self-draw: each pays 32 → winner gets 96 chips
Example (5 fan, Defensive):
- Discard win: discarder pays 64 alone → winner gets 64 chips
- Self-draw: each pays 32 → winner gets 96 chips (same as classical)