What are dragon tiles in mahjong?

The Chinese name for the Dragon tiles means "three fundamental tiles" (三元牌). They are also known as the arrow tiles (箭牌). The English name ("Dragons") was an invention by Babcock. They are like wind tiles except melding them will always score bonus points regardless of the prevailing or seat wind.

What are the white dragons in mahjong?

The White Dragon tile may appear as a blank white tile or in most cases a white tile with a blue border or it could be an actual dragon. It is often referred to as “Soap” and can also be used to represent a “zero” in those hands that refer to the year, for example 2013 or 2014.

What suit are dragons in mahjong?

If a hand is shown in black, it can be made up of any suit but all tiles must be of that one suit. It is important to remember that Green Dragons go with Bams, Red Dragons go with Craks and the White Dragons [Soaps] go with Dots (see Help Sheet).

What are the winds and dragons in mahjong?

The winds are east, south, west, and north, beginning with east. The dragons are red, green, and white. The white dragon has a blue or black frame on the face of the piece or in some sets is entirely blank. These tiles have no numerical sequence like the suited tiles (for example the bamboo pieces number 1 to 9).

How many dragon tiles are there in mahjong?

Dragons (12 tiles - 4 white dragons "Soap", 4 Green dragons, 4 red dragons). The white dragon tile on the left is also known as "Soap".

Singapore Mahjong Basics: Flowers, Animals, Dragon and Wind Tiles (Video 3)

How do dragons work in Mahjong?

Dots match with WHITE DRAGONS. White dragons are sometimes called "Soap." Be careful, as some hands require matching dragons and others require opposite dragons. When a hand calls for opposite dragons, if you are using Dots, the dragons must be either green or red; for bams, white or red, etc.

What is the best hand in Mahjong?

Mahjong Combination: All Honours (字一色)

If you have a hand made up of either the four Winds or three Dragons, you have an All Honours winning hand. This combination only appears once every 5,200 round.

What are Chow Pung and Kong in mahjong?

There are three main types of melds: a Pong (three identical tiles), a Kong (four identical tiles), and a Chow (three suited tiles of the same suit in numerical sequence).

What is a Pung and Chow in mahjong?

A Pung - a set of 3 identical tiles e.g. 3 x Red Dragons, 3 x Two circles. A Kong - a set of 4 identical tiles. e.g. 4 x Eight of Bamboos or 4 x North Winds. A Chow - a run of 3 tiles in the same suit. A Chow does not score and so is only helpful because it can contribute to a hand that allows a player to call Mah Jong ...

What is a hot wall in Mah Jongg?

The last stacks of tiles in the wall to be played are sometimes referred to as a "hot wall." If a discarder throws a "hot" tile during this wall (a "hot tile" is one that the discarder can't account for at least 3 of the same tile - either in an exposure, or in their hand, or on the table) and that tile gives someone ...

What are the 4 dragons in mahjong?

The Dragons

the red dragon (chun), symbolizing the middle or animal order (including humans), the green dragon (fa), symbolizing the lower or plant order of life, the white dragon (pai pan – white tile), symbolizing the higher or spirutual order of beings.

What is the hardest mahjong hand?

Singaporean's Guide to Mahjong Winning Hand's Probability, Scoring and How to Mahjong. Big Four Blessings (大四喜) is the hardest winning hand, with a probability of only 1 in 57,856 Mahjong rounds. All these calculations is based on tian hu hands I think, without any consideration of how the game is played out.

What are lucky tiles in Mahjong?

What are Lucky Tiles? Lucky Tiles will provide you with more strategic choices and additional goals while playing! Each game will have a randomized number of Lucky Tiles for you to match! When a Lucky Tile is matched then up to two sets of other tiles will automatically match.

What are the four flowers in Mahjong?

Depending on the Mahjong set, the flowers are commonly the Plum Blossom, Iris, Bamboo, and the Chrysanthemum. These four flowers/plants represent the Four Confucian Gentlemen/women.

What are opposite dragons in Mahjong?

In some hands, the dragon is depicted in a different color to the other tiles, indicating it should NOT match the other suits being used (this is called "opposite dragon").

What does fu mean in mahjong?

There are two criteria for determining the winning points: han and fu, which correspond to a points table. Han is the unit for the value of yaku, which are particular patterns or conditions of a hand. Fu is the value of melds, waits and "going out".

What is a chicken hand in mahjong?

A chicken hand comprises four sets and a pair, so it is technically a winning hand. It is fairly easy to produce quickly but scores few points. Under some rules, it can win but scores nothing. Players use the hand as a spoiler to block opponents' higher-scoring combinations.

What is a dead hand in Mah Jongg?

A hand is considered “dead” if the player has too many or too few tiles. A player should always have 13 tiles, except in the middle of her turn (after picking up and before discarding), as the “dealer” (before discarding the first tile to start the game), and when she has called Mah Jongg.

Why is it called crack in mahjong?

“There are Dots, which represent coins, there are Bams, or bamboos, which represent strings of coins, and then there are Cracks, the Chinese word for character, which represents lots of money.

What is the difference between American Mah Jongg and Chinese mahjong?

What is the difference between American and Chinese mahjong? Traditional Chinese mahjong sets have 144 tiles, while American version is played with eight additional joker tiles and different score cards.

Can you have two Kongs in mahjong?

All four of a single tile = "kong." It counts as a special sort of pung. - When you have four identical tiles concealed within the hand, you have the option of melding them, declaring the four to be a kong that counts as concealed, so you can take a replacement tile.

What is the secret to winning mahjong?

Have a clear plan of attack – Think about the direction you want to take your hand and stick with it, while also remaining flexible. Picking up tiles for the sake of it won't work, and patience will always win out in the end. If your strategy isn't working, change tactics and look for other winning possibilities.

What do you say when you win in mahjong?

It is traditional when you win a game of mahjong to say: "Sik wu." In Western circles sometimes winners will instead announce "mahjong."

What is the 1 4 7 rule in mahjong?

o The "1-4-7 rule" is a good playing strategy (for all forms of Mah-Jongg except American (style similar to NMJL) in which there are no "chows"). If the player to your right discards a 4, and you don't have another of those to discard, you /might/ be all right if you discard a 1 or a 7.