Mahjong House Rules Template | What to Agree on for Four-Player and Sanma Games

Agree on starting and return points

What are starting points?

Starting points are the score each player receives before play. With a 25,000-point start, everyone begins with 25,000 points.

What are return points?

Return points are the baseline used to calculate raw results after a hanchan. Subtract this baseline from the final score, usually converting each 1,000 table points to one result point.

What does “25,000 start, 30,000 return” mean?

Each player begins with 25,000 points, but final results are measured against 30,000. In four-player mahjong, the difference is 5,000 per player, or 20,000 altogether. This difference becomes the winner’s oka bonus.

Starting points alone do not define settlement

A 25,000-point start with a 25,000-point return has no oka. Always confirm the return points as well as the starting score.

Record starting and return points together

Agree on uma

Uma adjusts results according to placement

Uma is the placement-based adjustment added to or subtracted from each player’s raw result.

What does “10–20 uma” mean?

It commonly means +20 for 1st, +10 for 2nd, −10 for 3rd and −20 for 4th.

What does “10–30 uma” mean?

It commonly means +30 for 1st, +10 for 2nd, −10 for 3rd and −30 for 4th. Compared with 10–20, both the first-place bonus and last-place deduction are larger.

Write down all four placement adjustments

Check that the uma adjustments total zero

In this example, +30 + 10 − 10 − 30 = 0. Writing out every placement makes input errors easier to spot.

Agree on oka

What is oka?

Oka is the winner’s bonus created by the difference between starting and return points.

How much oka does a 25,000 start and 30,000 return create?

With 1,000 table points equal to one result point, the oka is 20, normally awarded to first place.

Oka and uma are separate adjustments

With oka 20 and uma 10–20, first place receives +20 oka and +20 uma in addition to the raw result.

A 30,000 start and 30,000 return produces no oka

When starting and return points are equal, the difference is zero.

If chips are used, specify all these details

Agree on each chip’s value, which events award them (such as red fives, ippatsu or ura-dora), whether the hand must be closed, and who pays on ron or tsumo. Recording chips separately from table-point results makes the final breakdown clearer.

Set red-five and dora rules

“Red fives: yes or no” is not specific enough

The suits and number of red fives affect hand values and push–fold decisions.

Specify how many red 5-man, 5-pin and 5-sou tiles are used

Do red fives count as dora?

They usually count as dora. Whether they also award chips is a separate rule.

Ura-dora

Agree on whether a player who wins after riichi checks the ura-dora indicators.

Kan-dora

Confirm whether a kan reveals a new dora indicator and exactly when it is revealed.

Kan ura-dora

When a player wins after riichi, decide whether to check kan ura-dora as well.

Yaku rules: open tanyao, atozuke and more

Open tanyao: allowed or not

Allowing open tanyao means a hand with tanyao may win even after chi or pon.

Atozuke: allowed or not

Agree on whether a yaku may become established only after an earlier call or on the winning tile. Follow the specific interpretation in your chosen rules.

Formal tenpai (keiten)

Check whether a hand with no legal winning tile can still count as tenpai at a draw.

Nagashi mangan

Define the conditions and whether it is treated as a win or a drawn hand.

Renhou

If allowed, specify its value: mangan, baiman, yakuman or another agreed value.

Are local yaku allowed?

Make sure everyone knows each yaku’s name, required shape and value.

Kiriage mangan, counted yakuman and double yakuman

What is kiriage mangan?

This rule rounds scores just below mangan up to mangan.

Does 30 fu, 4 han round up to mangan?

Normally the ron scores are 7,700 for a non-dealer and 11,600 for the dealer. With kiriage, they become 8,000 and 12,000.

Does 60 fu, 3 han round up to mangan?

It has the same basic points as 30 fu, 4 han, so apply the same treatment.

Is counted yakuman allowed?

Decide whether 13 han or more counts as yakuman or is capped at sanbaiman.

Are double yakuman allowed?

Confirm the treatment of hands such as suuankou tanki and pure nine gates (junsei chuuren poutou).

Can multiple yakuman be combined?

Also agree on stacking yakuman and whether liability payments (pao) apply.

Agree on bankruptcy and game-ending conditions

Bankruptcy: enabled or disabled

With bankruptcy enabled, the game ends when a player’s score falls below the agreed threshold.

Does exactly zero end the game, or only a negative score?

“Zero or less” and “less than zero” are different. State explicitly whether exactly zero ends the game.

Can play continue with a negative score?

If bankruptcy is disabled, agree on how negative scores will be recorded.

Will the game extend into South or West?

Define extension conditions if nobody has reached the target score after the scheduled final hand.

State the end condition explicitly

Agree on agari-yame and tenpai-yame

What is agari-yame?

It allows the dealer in the final hand to end the game after winning, provided the specified placement condition is met.

What is tenpai-yame?

It allows the final dealer to end the game after a drawn hand while in tenpai, provided the specified conditions are met.

Can the final dealer stop while in first place?

Decide whether stopping is allowed only in first place or at other placements too.

Is stopping optional or automatic?

Specify whether the dealer chooses or the game ends automatically when the conditions are met.

Do some rules allow stopping below first place?

Yes, some tables do. Write down the exact placement requirement.

Agree on dealer repeats and honba

Dealer repeat after a win

Confirm whether the dealer retains the seat after winning.

Does dealer tenpai also cause a repeat?

Decide whether the dealer repeats when tenpai at a draw (tenpai renchan), or only after a dealer win (agari renchan).

Does the dealership pass when the dealer is noten?

Note any exceptions that apply only in particular hands.

How much is one honba worth?

Four-player games often use 300 points per honba, but rules vary.

Honba payments on tsumo

At 300 points per honba, each opponent normally pays an extra 100 points.

Agree on double ron, head bump and triple ron

What is double ron?

It allows two players to win by ron on the same discard.

What is head bump (atamahane)?

Only the claimant nearest to the discarder in counterclockwise turn order wins.

Is triple ron allowed?

Decide whether all three ron claims on one discard can win.

Does triple ron cause an abortive draw?

Some rules make three simultaneous ron claims an abortive draw (sanchahou) instead of awarding three wins.

Who receives riichi deposits and honba payments?

For multiple winners, specify how both deposits and honba payments are allocated.

Agree on riichi sticks and deposits

Riichi deposits go to a winner

Normally, the next winner collects the riichi deposits on the table.

Who collects them after double ron?

Specify priority by position or head-bump order, or an agreed sharing method.

What if deposits remain when the hanchan ends?

If the game ends in a draw, establish who receives the remaining deposits before settlement.

First place receives them, or they carry over?

If deposits carry over to the next hanchan, make sure everyone knows.

Agree on tied placements

Methods for resolving ties

Some rules assign different placements by seat order even when final scores are equal.

Priority to the player closest to the initial dealer

Resolve the tie using the initial dealer and the original seat order.

Sharing placement adjustments

Add the uma for the occupied placements and divide equally among the tied players.

Recording an exact tie

If ties remain in the record, use a consistent method for calculating average placement.

Confirm tie handling before settlement

Write the rule down before playing, rather than choosing after seeing the result.

Agree on chombo and other penalties

Which mistakes count as chombo?

Specify covered errors, such as invalid ron, invalid tsumo or declaring riichi without tenpai.

Invalid ron or tsumo

Some rules distinguish an incorrect spoken declaration from one followed by revealing the hand.

Riichi without tenpai

Define the penalty when this is discovered at a drawn hand.

Too many or too few tiles

Agree whether this makes the hand dead or incurs chombo.

Disturbing the wall

Define what can be restored and when damage makes the hand impossible to continue.

Chombo payments

Specify the penalty, such as a mangan payment or a fixed deduction in result points.

Does the dealer change, or is the hand replayed?

Also specify what happens to honba, riichi deposits and the dealer’s turn.

Three-player mahjong needs additional agreements

Sanma rules vary even more widely than four-player rules. Record the main settings rather than simply labeling the game “sanma.”

Tiles used

Check whether 2–8 manzu are removed and whether flowers or other tiles are added.

Are 2–8 manzu removed?

Removed tiles are not used in play, which also determines whether red 5-man can be included.

North extraction (nuki)

Decide whether a player may extract North from the hand and draw a replacement tile.

Does extracted North count as nuki dora?

Confirm whether extracted North tiles count as dora or award chips.

Can North remain in the hand?

Decide whether North may be kept as part of a triplet or pair instead of extracted.

Does North count as yakuhai?

Depending on the rules, North may be a value wind for everyone, a particular seat wind, or a non-value wind.

Tsumo loss or compensated payments?

Decide whether to compensate for the payment that the missing fourth player would have made.

Is chi allowed?

Sanma commonly prohibits chi, but always check.

Number of red fives

Because the tile set differs, the number of red fives may differ from four-player games.

Sanma-specific yaku

List any additional yaku and their han or point values.

Honba payments

State who pays how much on ron and on tsumo.

Scoring method

Share the specific scoring table, including the treatment of tsumo loss.

Also see Three-Player Mahjong Rules and Tracking Three-Player Mahjong Results.

Example rules for a four-player game

A starting point for games with friends

This is one example, not a universal four-player standard.

Example rules for a sanma game

A starting point for three-player play

Do not assume these are universal defaults

The table above is only a suggested setup. Starting points, uma, North and tsumo payments vary considerably between tables.

Check the app, venue or local rules

Online services may use different rules in different modes, so record both the service and the mode.

M.League: an example ruleset

M.League starts at 25,000 and uses a 30,000-point baseline

Under M.League’s official rules, each player starts with 25,000 points. At the end of the hanchan, the amount above 30,000 is positive and any shortfall is negative.

Placement adjustments: +50 / +10 / −10 / −30

The adjustments are +50,000 for 1st, +10,000 for 2nd, −10,000 for 3rd and −30,000 for 4th. These and the table-point results are converted at 1,000 points to one result point.

Differences from casual house rules

M.League has a larger first-place adjustment and specific rules such as sharing placement adjustments between tied players.

“M.League rules” may not be specific enough

If your group changes red-five or bankruptcy rules, record those differences explicitly.

Saikouisen: an example ruleset

Each player starts with 30,000 points

Saikouisen rules use a 30,000-point start and 30,000-point return, with no oka.

Placement adjustments: +30 / +10 / −10 / −30

The 10,000/30,000-point uma corresponds to +30 for 1st, +10 for 2nd, −10 for 3rd and −30 for 4th.

Comparing Saikouisen and M.League

Both are four-player formats, but their starting points and first-place adjustments differ. Saikouisen Classic is a separate ruleset, so check the exact name as well.

A 30-second pre-game checklist

Four-player mahjong

• Three or four players / East-only or East–South
• Starting and return points / uma and oka
• Red fives / open tanyao / atozuke
• Bankruptcy / agari-yame / tenpai-yame
• Honba / double ron or head bump / triple ron
• Ties / chips / chombo

Additional checks for sanma

• Tile set / North extraction / North’s role
• Tsumo loss / chi / sanma-specific yaku and scoring

Game details to save with your rules sheet