Scoring

HOW YOUR SCORE IS CALCULATED

In every video mahjong game in MAME, scores are tabulated by the computer whenever someone wins a round. Still, that doesn't mean that you should not learn how to do it yourself as well. Scoring is surprisingly easy once you get a grip with it.

Here's a breakdown on how scoring works:

1. You win and your hand is tabulated.

2. Your hand is automatically given 20 points for winning.

3. You can receive additional points depending on how you went out and on what type of sets and pair you have in your hand. Not all sets and pairs score points though. A set of any Chi is worth nothing. Note also how concealed sets are worth twice as much as revealed ones:

Go out with concealed hand by discard. Ron. 10 pts
Go out with a drawn tile. Tsumo. 2 pts
Go out with 7 pairs. 5 pts
Go out by One-Chance*. 2 pts
Pon of Simples. Revealed. 2 pts
Pon of Simples. Concealed. 4 pts
Pon of Dragons, Winds, or Terminals. Revealed. 4 pts
Pon of Dragons, Winds, or Terminals. Concealed. 8 pts
Kong of Simples. Revealed. 8 pts
Kong of Simples. Concealed. 16 pts
Kong of Dragons, Winds, or Terminals. Revealed. 16 pts
Kong of Dragons, Winds, or Terminals. Concealed. 32 pts
Pair of Dragons. 2 pts
Pair of your Wind. 2 pts
Pair of Prevailing Wind. 2 pts

* One-Chance means having only one tile possibility to go out.

4. Points are totaled and rounded up to the nearest 10th. 56 points become 60 points. 42 points become 50 points. Always round up, never round down. Scores can range from as little as 20 to as much as 70. The maximum is 70, even if you get more than that. This is your base score.

* A set completed when you declare Ron is considered revealed point-wise, however if your hand was completely concealed before that tile, your hand is still considered concealed Yaku-wise.

* A hand containing 7 pairs has a base score of 25. It is not rounded off and can not be given additional points if it has scoring pairs.

* If you get Pinfu (A hand with 4 Chi and a pair) by Tsumo, you get the fan but you do not get the 2 points for Tsumo.

5. Add up the total amount of fans contained in your hand. Fans can be obtained from Yakus and Doras. Each Dora is worth 1 Fan. Each Yaku is worth 1 Fan as well. You automatically receive two Fans for winning as well. Yakus and Doras are explained in the Special Rules section.

* You can only receive fans for Doras unless your hand is entirely concealed. If your hand is revealed, then you get no fans for having Doras in your hand. Note however that this does not apply to every game.

6. Your base score is doubled for every fan you have in your hand. The total score after doubling is your hand score.

* When you win a round, a screen pops up within the game which usually list all the fans and Yakus that you obtained with your hand. Some games even announce the names of each Yaku as the list is displayed. Pause the game and see if you can figure out which Yaku conditions you fulfilled with your hand :)

7. After that, multiply your hand score by a certain amount depending on if you were dealer or not, and how you went out. This part of scoring varies from game to game. There are 3 types I know of:

Type A (Base on real 4-player Japanese Mahjong):

Was Dealer. Won by Tsumo. Multiply by 2. Amount each losing player pays.
Was Dealer. Won by Ron. Multiply by 6. Amount discarder pays. Others pay none.
Was Non-Dealer. Won by Tsumo. Multiply by 1. Amount non-dealers pay.
Was Non-Dealer. Won by Tsumo. Multiply by 2. Amount dealer pays.
Was Non-Dealer. Won by Ron. Multiply by 4. Amount discarder pays. Others pay none.

* The discarder is the player whose discard was used by the winner to declare Ron and win.

Type B (Less Common in 2-Player Video Mahjong Games):

Was Dealer. Won by Tsumo. Multiply by 2.
Was Dealer. Won by Ron. Multiply by 6.
Was Non-Dealer. Won by Tsumo. Multiply by 2.
Was Non-Dealer. Won by Ron. Multiply by 4.

Type C (Most Common in 2-Player Video Mahjong Games):

Was Dealer. Multiply score by 6.
Was Non-Dealer. Multiply score by 4.

* In 4-player mahjong, when someone declares Tsumo, payoff to the winner is divided amongst the other 3. Normally each losing player pays 1/3 the score of the winning hand. In the case of Ron, the discarder ends up paying the entire payoff and the other 2 pays none.

*In 2-player mahjong, however, there is only one loser. Since there is only one loser, there are no other players to help out with the payoff. So when a player Tsumo, the losing player ends up paying everything, just like if it was Ron. Of course, this may not always be the case as shown by Type B.

8. Total score is rounded up to the nearest 100th. This is your final score. Bonus points may be rewarded as well to your final score. More on that further down the page.

This scoring scheme is adequate when having 5 or less fans in your hand (excluding the 2 Fan bonus for winning). When you have more than 5 fans, your base score is not calculated, only the amount of fans you have is of concerned. If you have 13 or more fans, you have obtained Yakuman. Double and Triple Yakuman are possible as well. The highest attainable score in mahjong is Yakuman times 7. Much more on this in the next section.

SCORING CHARTS

In real mahjong, charts are used to tally up scores. Scoring with charts is much easier to do and more convenient than trying to add everything up by hand. To find out what your final score will be, you first need to find out your base score as well as the amount of fans the winning hand was worth. Locate the final score in one of the charts below depending on the multiplier.

* Note that the 2 additional fans given automatically for winning is not represented in the chart as fans but is tabulated within the scores. These 2 fans already multiples your score by 2 each, which is why the 1st fan on the chart multiplies your hand by 8 (2x2x2). The fans in the chart are only the fans that can be obtained from your hand.

Multiplier	Fans	Final Score (Hand Score x1) (No Rounding Off)
	(+2)	20	25	30	40	50	60	70
x8	1	160	200	240	320	400	480	560
x16	2	320	400	480	640	800	960	1120
x32	3	640	800	960	1280	1600	1920	2240
x64	4	1280	1600	1920	2560	3200	3840	4480
x128	5	2560	3200	3840	5120	6400	7680	8960

Multiplier	Fans	Final Score (Hand Score x1)
	(+2)	20	25	30	40	50	60	70
x8	1			300	400	400	500	600
x16	2	400		500	700	800	1000	1200
x32	3	700	800	1000	1300	1600	2000	2000
x64	4	1300	1600	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000
x128	5	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000

Multiplier	Fans	Final Score (Hand Score x2)
	(+2)	20	25	30	40	50	60	70
x8	1			500	700	800	1000	1200
x16	2	700		1000	1300	1600	2000	2300
x32	3	1300	1600	2000	2600	3200	3900	4000
x64	4	2600	3200	3900	4000	4000	4000	4000
x128	5	4000	4000	4000	4000	4000	4000	4000

Multiplier	Fans	Final Score (Hand Score x4)
	(+2)	20	25	30	40	50	60	70
x8	1	700		1000	1300	1600	2000	2300
x16	2	1300	1600	2000	2600	3200	3900	4500
x32	3	2600	3200	3900	5200	6400	7700	8000
x64	4	5200	6400	7700	8000	8000	8000	8000
x128	5	8000	8000	8000	8000	8000	8000	8000

Multiplier	Fans	Final Score (Hand Score x6)
	(+2)	20	25	30	40	50	60	70
x8	1	1000		1500	2000	2400	2900	3400
x16	2	2000	2400	2900	3900	4800	5800	6800
x32	3	3900	4800	5800	7700	9600	11600	12000
x64	4	7700	9600	11600	12000	12000	12000	12000
x128	5	12000	12000	12000	12000	12000	12000	12000

Like base score, and how you can only have a maximum score of 70, your final score cannot exceed a certain amount as well (only in the case of 5 or less fans that is). The limit, which is highlighted in gray for each table is, known as Mangan [満貫]. This is the initial scoring limit.

When you get over 5 fans, then your base score is no longer calculated, only the amount of fans you have is of concerned:

Haneman [跳満 or ハネ満] (6-7 Fans): Final Score is 1.5 times Mangan.
Baiman [倍満] (8-10 Fans): Final Score is 2 times Mangan.
Sanbaiman [三倍満] (11-12 Fans): Final Score is 3 times Mangan.

When you reach 13 fans or more, then you have obtained Yakuman. Getting certain tile combinations or hands can automatically give you Yakuman as well:

Yakuman [役満] (13-25 Fans): Final Score is 4 times Mangan.
Double Yakuman [ダブル役満] (26-38 Fans): Final Score is 2 times Yakuman.
Triple Yakuman... and so forth.

The highest attainable score in mahjong is Yakuman times Seven.

REACH STICKS

As you probably know by now, each time you declare Reach, a Reach stick is placed on the table. Reach sticks can be though of as money chips used in mahjong similar to the circular colored chips used everywhere else like in gambling casinos. The value of each stick depends on the arrangement and number of dots in the center of the stick as shown below:

100 pts

1000 pts

5000 pts

10000 pts

When you declare Reach, you place a 1000 points stick on the table. Basically, you place a wager each time you declare Reach. 1000 points are taken from your score whenever you declare it. If you win the round, you are rewarded with an additional fan for scoring and you regain your 1000 points back. If you lose, the wager is taken from you. For some games, you can still declare Reach even if you have a score less than 1000 points. In this situation, your score would drop to a negative number after declaring Reach.

If the opponent declares Reach during the round, and you happen to win the round, the 1000 points that the opponent wagered for Reaching will be given to you. You receive a 1000 points bonus in your final score. And vice versa.

However, say that both of you declare Reach during the round, but neither of you wins the round. In this case, the sticks do not disappear but carry on into the next round until someone has the opportunity to take them by winning.

BONUS POINTS

You receive bonus points for each stick placed on table. There are two different sticks that can be place on the table depending on certain situations as explained below:

Dealer's Counter:

The Dealer's Counter represents the number of rounds the dealer remains dealer. It starts out as zero. If the dealer stays dealer for the next round the counter goes up by one. If the dealer remains dealer again for the next round after that, the counter would go up one more and become 2.

A 100-point stick is placed on the table each time the dealer stays dealer for the next consecutive round. So basically, the counter also corresponds with the number of 100-point sticks placed on table.

A 300 point bonus is rewarded to the winning player for each stick on table. In most games, the bonus is 300 points, however in some, the bonus is 1000 points.

Note that when the counter reaches 5 and up, the dealer may or may not be required to have at least 2 Yakus in their hand in order to go out instead of 1.

The counter resets when the other player becomes dealer. It resets to zero only if the non-dealer becomes dealer by winning the round.

Draw Game Situations:

Dealer stays dealer if dealer has Tenpai at the end of the round. The counter goes up by one.
Dealer does not stay dealer if dealer has No-ten at the end of the round. The non-dealer becomes the new dealer. The counter resets not to zero but to 1.

Reach Counter:

The Reach Counter represents the number of 1000-point sticks on table. A stick is placed on table each time someone declares Reach as explained above. If a player wins the round, a 1000 point bonus is given for each stick. Reach sticks are carried on to the next round if no one wins that given round.

The counter resets to zero when a player wins and takes all the Reach sticks on table as bonus.

SIDE NOTES

- At the start of a match, for most mahjong games, each player has a certain amount of points. Usually you start off with 1000 points. The opponent usually starts off with an initial score that is higher than yours. Each new opponent you face after will usually have an initial score that is more than the previous opponent.

- When you win a round, your hand is calculated as mentioned above. Your total score is added to your own score, and the same amount is deducted from the opponent's score. The same applies the other way around. Often times, in order to win a match, you must decrease the opponent's score to zero or below. You lose when your score drops to zero or less as well.

- If the round ends in a draw, points may or may not be rewarded depending on the hands of each player. If you have Tenpai and the opponent has No-ten, then you are rewarded 1000 points while the opponent is deduced the same amount. If you have No-ten and the opponent has Tenpai, then you are deduced 1000 pts while the opponent gets 1000 pts. If both players have Tenpai or if both have No-ten, then no points are rewarded to no one. Note also that in some games, the bonus for Tenpai may not be 1000 pts, but 1500 pts.

SCORING EXAMPLES

All examples are based on the scoring found in Final Romance 2. Note that the scoring multiplier in this game is Type C. This means that if you are dealer, you multiply your hand score by 6 to get your final score. If you are non-dealer, you multiply your hand score by 4 to get your final score. Note also that these scores only reflect the value of the hand and does not include bonus points that can be obtained by being dealer or from Reach sticks on the table.

	Example 1: I was non-dealer and won by Ron. Calculate Base Score: 20 pts for winning. +10 pts for going out by Ron +4 pts for Concealed Pon of Simples +4 pts for Concealed Pon of Simples +16 pts for Concealed Kong of Simples Total = 54 pts Base Score = 60 pts (Round Up) Calculate Fans Received: - Reach [1 Fan] - One Shot [1 Fan] - Tanyao (All Simples) [1 Fan] Total = 3 Fans (+2 for winning) Calculate Final Score (Method 1): Base score is doubled for each Fan. Score after doubling is Hand Score. Hand Score = 60 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 = 1920 pts Multiply Hand Score by 4 since I was non-dealer to get Final Score. Final Score = 1920 x4 = 7680 pts Final Score = 7700 pts (Round up) Calculate Final Score (Method 2): 60 pts / 3 Fans Find final score from the scoring chart above (Look at the 4th chart). Multiplier for hand score is 4x since I was non-dealer. Final Score = 7700 pts (From Charts) Notes: I received 3 fans for my hand, plus I get 2 extra fans just for winning. That adds up to a total of 5 fans. Though, remember that when you look at the scoring charts above, you do not take into account the 2 bonus fans, but only the ones that you make in your own hand. I get +4 pts for having a Pon of Simples twice. One was for the Pon of 4-character and the other was for the Pon of 6-character. The Kong in my hand is not revealed, but concealed. Remember that you have to declare Kong whenever you make one in order to draw a new tile.

	Example 2: I was dealer and won by Ron. Calculate Base Score: 20 pts for winning. +10 pts for going out by Ron +2 pts for Revealed Pon of Simples Total = 32 pts Base Score = 40 pts (Round Up) Calculate Fans Received: - Reach [1 Fan] - 2 Same Chi (334455) [1 Fan] Total = 2 Fans (+2 for winning) Calculate Final Score (Method 1): Base score is doubled for each Fan. Score after doubling is Hand Score. Hand Score = 40 x2 x2 x2 x2 = 640 pts Multiply Hand Score by 6 since I was dealer to get Final Score. Final Score = 640 x6 = 3840 pts Final Score = 3900 pts (Round up) Calculate Final Score (Method 2): 40 pts / 2 Fans Find final score from the scoring chart above (Look at the last chart). Multiplier for hand score is 6x since I was dealer. Final Score = 3900 pts (From Charts) Notes: The Pon of 6-bamboo is revealed since I made the set with a discarded tile when I declared Ron. However, the entire hand is still considered concealed.

	Example 3: I was dealer and won by Ron. Calculate Base Score: 20 pts for winning. +4 pts for Revealed Pon of Terminals +2 pts for Pair of Dragons Total = 26 pts Base Score = 30 pts (Round Up) Calculate Fans Received: - Clean Hand [2 Fans] Total = 2 Fans (+2 for winning) Calculate Final Score (Method 1): Base score is doubled for each Fan. Score after doubling is Hand Score. Hand Score = 30 x2 x2 x2 x2 = 480 pts Multiply Hand Score by 6 since I was dealer to get Final Score. Final Score = 480 x6 = 2880 pts Final Score = 2900 pts (Round up) Calculate Final Score (Method 2): 30 pts / 2 Fans Find final score from the scoring chart above (Look at the last chart). Multiplier for hand score is 6x since I was dealer. Final Score = 2900 pts (From Charts) Notes: Instead of 3 fans, I only get 2 fans for having a Clean Hand combination since my hand was revealed.

	Example 4: I was dealer and won by Ron. Calculate Base Score: 20 pts for winning. +10 pts for going out by Ron +4 pts for Concealed Pon of Simples +32 pts for Concealed Kong of Terminals Total = 66 pts Base Score = 70 pts (Round Up) Calculate Fans Received: - Double Reach [2 Fan] - Dora (2-character tile) [1 Fan] Total = 3 Fans (+2 for winning) Calculate Final Score (Method 1): Base score is doubled for each Fan. Score after doubling is Hand Score. Hand Score = 70 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2= 2240 pts Multiply Hand Score by 6 since I was dealer to get Final Score. Final Score = 2240 x6 = 13400 pts Final Score = 12000 pts (See notes) Calculate Final Score (Method 2): 70 pts / 3 Fans Find final score from the scoring chart above (Look at the last chart). Multiplier for hand score is 6x since I was dealer. Final Score = 12000 pts (From Charts) Notes: If I have less than 5 fans, then my score cannot exceed the Mangan scoring limit. I received a score of 13400 pts, but Mangan is 12000 pts. As a result, my score drops to 12000 pts.

	Example 5: I was non-dealer and won by Tsumo. Calculate Fans Received: - Tsumo with Concealed Hand [1 Fan] - 2 Same Chi (556677) [1 Fan] - Fanpai (Pon of Red Dragons) [1 Fan] - Clean Hand [3 Fans] - 2 Doras (Two 6-dot tiles) [2 Fans] Total = 8 Fans = Baiman Final Score = 16000 pts Notes: Remember that hand scores are no longer calculated once you go over the 5 fan initial limit. Baiman is 2x Mangan. Mangan in this case was 8000 since I was non-dealer. Mangan would be 12000 if I was dealer.

	Example 6: I was non-dealer and won by Tsumo. Calculate Fans Received: - Reach [1 Fan] - One Shot [1 Fan] - Tsumo with Concealed Hand [1 Fan] - Tanyao (All Simples) [1 Fan] - Pinfu (All Chi) [1 Fan] - Sanshoku Doujun (3 Chi of Same Number Sequence) [2 Fans] Total = 7 Fans = Haneman Final Score = 12000 pts Notes: Haneman is 1.5x Mangan. Mangan in this case was 8000 since I was non-dealer. Mangan would be 12000 if I was dealer.

	Example 7: I was non-dealer and won by Ron. Calculate Fans Received: - Fanpai (Pon of South Wind and Kong of Green Dragon) [2 Fans] - Honroutou (All Pons of only Terminals and Honors) [2 Fans] - All Pons [2 Fans] - 3 Concealed Pons [2 Fans] - Clean Hand [3 Fan] Total = 11 Fans = Sanbaiman Final Score = 24000 pts Notes: Remember that Kongs can be considered as Pons when calculating Yakus. Though, it does not work the other way around. Sanbaiman is 3x Mangan. Mangan in this case was 8000 since I was non-dealer. Mangan would be 12000 if I was dealer.

	Example 8: I was dealer and won by Ron. Calculate Fans Received: - Thirteen Orphans [1 Yakuman] Total = 1 Yakuman Final Score = 48000 pts Notes: Yakuman is 4x Mangan. Mangan in this case was 12000 since I was dealer.

	Example 9: I was dealer and won by Tsumo. Calculate Fans Received: - All Terminals [1 Yakuman] - 4 Concealed Pons [1 Yakuman] Total = 2 Yakuman Final Score = 96000 pts Notes: Double Yakuman is 8x Mangan. Mangan in this case was 12000 since I was dealer.