Rule variations

Restrictions on the winning hand – Minimum points or doubles/faan/han

You can make winning more difficult by specifying minimum points or doubles (unit changes to faan if the Faan-Laak scoring system is used, and to han, if the Mangan scoring system is used) the hand must be worth in order to be accepted as a legal winning hand.

The minimum point restriction is often used in the Hong Kong Mah Jong and other modern Chinese versions of Mah Jong. Often a minimum of 1 faan is applied, but e.g. the highly pattern-centered Chinese Official rules specify a minimum of 8 points. The option is occasionally used also in the Western rules, e.g., in the Dutch League rules the winning hand must be worth at least 2 doubles (though sometimes winning hands worth less but not containing tiles from more than one suit are accepted as legal winning hands, as well). In the modern Japanese rules the winning hand must be worth at least 1 han. In the Japanese rules the amount of minimum points is sometimes raised at the start of dealer's 5th extra hand.

Often the bonus points for Flowers and Seasons and Dora tiles are not included in the calculation when determining whether the hand qualifies for a winning hand. You can specify how the bonus points for these extra tiles and for certain patterns in the winner's hand are handled by using the options in the Exceptions dialog box.

To specify a minimum requirement on the winning hand:

Choose Preferences on the File menu.
From the Rule Presets list, choose a customized rule preset.
Choose Winning & Draw under the Rules section of the category tree.
Enter a number in the Minimum box.
Specify the unit from the Units drop-down list. Notice that the "points" unit refers to total score of the hand (after doubles/han, if applicable, have been added, but before adding any payment doubles), not the sum total of scoring items that have been specified using the points or fu unit.

Note: Declaring ‘Out’ on a hand which does not meet the requirements specified is considered a faulty declaration of Out, and the normal penalties are applied.