RULES
(This webpage was last updated on 24 Nov 2024 by adding Rule 21 and on 3 Dec 2024 by adding Rule 22)
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1) Upon arrival, each player will be provided a scoresheet as well as a games sheet listing the 16 games that may be played. Please fill in your Name, Session Number (1, 2, 3 or 4) and Table Number at the top of scoresheet. During the breaks, the scores will be tallied progressively. For Half Day players, the winner will be announced at lunch time. For Full Day players, the winner will be announced when play ends at 3:30pm.
2) Play will start PROMPTLY at 8:30am, 10:15am for all players plus at 12:15pm and 2.00pm for Full Day players. Players should draw and discard quickly. A slow player spoils the game for everyone.
3) Each player throws the dice. Highest score becomes East. East to throw again to begin the game. The player who initially becomes East will be designated to check and sign score sheets. South will check and sign East’s score sheets. This is repeated after each break, when players move to a new table, when there will be a new East. East Wind always passes to next player regardless of outcome.
4) When a tile has been drawn from the wall and has been placed on a player’s rack it is too late for other players to pung or chow the previous discard. If however, the drawn tile is discarded before being racked, any player may still call pung/chow and the drawn tile must be returned to the wall. “Racked” is defined as the drawn tile touching the rack.
5) When discarding, tiles must be clearly named, placed face up and not obscured by the hand. A tile is considered “tabled” only when it TOUCHES the table, and not when it’s merely named. Once the tile has been tabled, it cannot be exchanged or taken back.
6) When a game is completed, each player will record the points on their own scoresheet. Points are awarded according to the table at the bottom of each scoresheet. NOTE: You earn EITHER Mahjong points OR Fishing points, not both.
7) A warning bell will be rung 10 minutes prior to the end of each of the 4 sessions and once more at the conclusion of the session. If a game has already commenced, you may finish the game by playing over the designated end time, at the expense of your morning/afternoon tea breaks and lunch break. What signifies the commencement of a game? It occurs when all walls have been built AND the dice have been rolled. Construction of walls may commence only when all tiles have been placed face down.
8) Players must declare "Fishing" when discarding and prominently display their miniature fish token on their rack. This is crucial as it helps avoid confusion about who has declared Fishing. If the fish token is not visibly displayed, even if verbally declared, it won't be considered Fishing to prevent oversight by others who may not have heard the declaration.
9) Should a player forget to declare Fishing, the Fishing point(s) are not awarded, neither can the player Mahjong. If you do forget to declare Fishing, you may wait until your turn comes around again, then declare Fishing. Hopefully, no one has Mahjong'ed in the meantime.
10) If you have an incorrect number of tiles you cannot correct this. Continue to play but you cannot Fish nor Mahjong. However, you may earn points from bouquet and Flower of your seat.
11) If your game is an exposed game, it is not necessary for you to have an exposed pung before calling Fishing. And you may Mahjong without an exposed pung.
12) Fishing and bouquet/Flower scores will be paid even if no one Mahjongs before all wall tiles have been used.
13) You may Fish even if all four tiles, one of which you require to Mahjong, are tabled. Fishing scores will still be paid.
14) Please check the hand of a player who has declared Mahjong before discarding/exposing your tiles. A player MAY correct hand and continue if a mistake has been made. However, should any or all players discard/expose their hand, that will constitute a stale match and NO SCORES (flowers/bouquet/kong) will be recorded for any player.
15) If your table has completed all 8 games ahead of schedule, please proceed to enjoy your break to avoid congestion in the kitchen areas. In the unlikely scenario that your table has not begun the 8th game when the end-of-session bell is rung, sadly your table will miss scores for the 8th game.
16) Kongs are permitted. An exposed Pung cannot be made into an exposed Kong from a discard, but may be converted with an identical tile drawn from the wall. A concealed Kong is placed on the table with two tiles turned face down to indicate that it is concealed. The player then draws an extra tile from the flower wall/ loose tile wall, to regain the correct number of tiles.
17) If the discard tile is not claimed for a Pung, the player to the right of the discarder may claim the tile if he can use it to form an exposed Chow. Exposed Chows are permitted in Limit games 13,14,15 & 16. They are marked with *. Please note that Jump Chow in game 14 is not exposed.
18) Robbing the Kong: Should a player with an exposed Pung draws the fourth matching tile from the wall, he may join it to his Pung to form a Kong. If he does so, however, any player who can use this tile immediately to go Mahjong may claim it. Should a player form an exposed or concealed Kong, any player who is fishing, can claim this tile immediately to go Mahjong.
19) A player may not go Mahjong more than once with the same game. Please cross out each hand on your games sheet after you have scored a Mahjong. However, you may Fish as often as you wish with the same game that you did not mahjong.
20) If all wall tiles have been used and no player has achieved Mahjong, Fishing, or Bouquet/Flower (meaning no scores have been awarded), and if time allows, you may opt to play another game, and scores will be recorded.
21) In the single suite Limit game #14, the corresponding dragons are:
Red Dragon - Characters, Green Dragon - Bamboos, White Dragon - Circles
22) In Half Limit games, X means exposed Pungs only, no exposed Chows.
In Limit games, X means exposed Pungs only, no exposed Chows EXCEPT for the last 4 games marked “*” where exposed Chows are allowed. No Jump Chows are exposed.
Please avoid abruptly leaving a game. Instead, use bathrooms during breaks. If you MUST leave during play please call a supervisor.
PLEASE SWITCH ALL PHONES TO SILENT OR TURN THEM OFF
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