Rules for Taisen Mahjong

Tiles and Set Up

• The basic rules for taisen mahjong include 136 tiles, which do not include the flower tiles or the jokers in American style mahjong. There are 36 dot tiles from one through nine; 36 bam, or stick, tiles of four sets from one to nine; 36 craks, Chinese characters from one to nine; 16 Winds tiles with four sets of N, E, W and S; and 12 dragon tiles: four red, four green and four white. To set up, four people must sit around a square table. In the center of the table make a square out of the turned-down tiles that has 17 tiles on each side and is two tiles high.

Dealing

• To begin the deal, first a dealer is selected, and this can be done whatever way you choose. The dealer starts by rolling two dice. The dealer will then count the stacks from right to left. For example, if the dealer rolled a total of seven on the dice, she would count seven stacks from right to left on her side. After the last stack is counted, the dealer breaks the wall by creating a space there. The deal then begins to the left of the break in the wall. Players take turns, going counterclockwise, removing the tiles from the wall clockwise. The dealer begins by taking the first two stacks, the player across the table takes the next two stacks, and the rest of the deal follows counterclockwise until every player has six stacks equalling 12 tiles. Then the dealer takes one tile off the end of the wall, the next player takes the one under that, the next player takes the top one that is now on the end of the wall, and the last player takes the bottom tile, and then the dealer takes one more tile. The dealer should have 14 tiles, while all of the other players have 13. All players should stand their tiles up side-by-side facing them.

Goal

• The goal of taisen mahjong is to get three groups of tiles and a pair. The groups of tiles can be a "pung," which is three of the same exact tiles, or a "chow," which is three consecutive tiles. A pair must be two of the same tiles. Normally this is not dealt to any player, so picking up tiles and discarding begins.

Picking Up and Discarding

• The dealer begins by examining her hand to see if it is a winner with three groupings and a pair. If not, the dealer discards a tile by placing it face up in the center of the square. If there are any groupings in your own hand, keep them concealed until you have all of your groupings and pairs. If any player wants to pick up a discard he can do so under two conditions. The first condition is that it is his turn next, or, if it is not his turn, the player must quickly grab the tile and the tile must be used to create a pung. This grouping must be immediately placed face up in between the player's tiles and the square. Players will continue to pick up tiles from the end of the wall and discard them until someone has achieved three groupings and a pair. If no one has won by the time there are no tiles left, the game is over.