๐ Guangdong Mahjong โ Complete Guide
๐ Table of Contents
Quick Navigation: Overview ยท Tile Setup ยท Gameplay ยท Winning ยท Patterns ยท Scoring ยท Tips ยท FAQ
๐ฎ Try It Yourself
Calculate the fan points and check if you can win
1 Overview
Origin: Guangdong province, Hong Kong, and Macau โ the Cantonese-speaking regions of southern China.
Difficulty: โ โ โโโ โ Easy, with slightly more complexity than Hongzhong.
Best for: Casual players who want a fast-paced game with some scoring depth.
Guangdong Mahjong (ๅนฟไธ้บปๅฐ) is one of the most widely played variants in the Chinese-speaking world, thanks to the cultural influence of Hong Kong and Guangdong. It's the variant you're most likely to encounter at social gatherings in southern China, Hong Kong, and overseas Chinese communities from these regions.
The hallmark of Guangdong Mahjong is the Chicken Hu (้ธกๅนณ่ก) rule system, which allows even the simplest winning hand to count as a valid win. Combined with the Bao Hu (็่ก) score cap, this creates a game that's fast, accessible, and strategically interesting without being overwhelming.
Unlike Hongzhong Mahjong, there are no wild cards โ every tile is exactly what it is. But the reduced tile set (no wind or flower tiles) and the low winning threshold keep the game approachable.
2 Tile Setup
Key fact: Only the three suits (Wan, Tong, Tiao) โ no wind tiles, no flower tiles, no dragon tiles. Total: 108 tiles.
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| Total Tiles | 108 tiles |
| Wan ไธ (Characters) | 1โ9, 4 copies each = 36 tiles |
| Tong ็ญ (Dots) | 1โ9, 4 copies each = 36 tiles |
| Tiao ๆก (Bamboo) | 1โ9, 4 copies each = 36 tiles |
| Removed | All wind tiles, all dragon tiles, all flower tiles |
The absence of wind and dragon tiles means every tile belongs to one of the three numbered suits. This simplifies hand-building because you never need to worry about honor tile combinations. However, it also means fewer tile types overall, which changes the probability dynamics โ certain tiles become more "in demand" because the pool is smaller.
Each player starts with 13 tiles (the dealer has 14). The remaining tiles form the wall from which players draw.
3 Basic Gameplay
Seating & Dealing
- 4 players, standard Mahjong seating. The dealer is determined by dice roll.
- The wall is built with 108 tiles: each player arranges 13 stacks of 2 tiles (26 tiles per player, plus remaining wall tiles).
- Dealer starts with 14 tiles; other players start with 13.
Turn Structure
- Dealer discards first. Play proceeds counter-clockwise.
- On your turn: draw one tile from the wall, then discard one tile face-up.
- You may claim another player's discard via chi, pong, or kong between turns.
Claiming Discards
- Chi ๅ (Sequence): Claim from the player to your left to complete a consecutive sequence (e.g., 5-6-7 Tong).
- Pong ็ขฐ (Triplet): Claim from any player to complete a set of three identical tiles.
- Kong ๆ (Quadruplet): Claim for four identical tiles. When you kong, you draw a replacement tile from the back of the wall.
- Priority: Hu > Kong > Pong > Chi.
One important note: in Guangdong Mahjong, there is no wild card mechanism. Every tile is played at face value. This makes the game more predictable but also means you need to be more strategic about which tiles you keep and discard.
4 Winning Conditions
Chicken Hu (้ธกๅนณ่ก)
The defining rule of Guangdong Mahjong is Chicken Hu โ the "basic" or "minimum" winning hand. In many other variants, you need a minimum number of fan (scoring points) to win. In Guangdong Mahjong, any valid 4-meld + 1-pair hand is a legal win.
This means:
- You can win with the simplest possible hand โ all sequences and one pair.
- There's no "blocked" win because your hand doesn't score enough points.
- Games tend to be faster because wins come more frequently.
Ways to Win
- Zimo ่ชๆธ (Self-Draw): You draw the winning tile from the wall yourself. All players pay.
- Dianpao ็น็ฎ (Discard Win): Another player discards the tile you need. Only the discarder pays you.
Dealer Rules
The dealer (ๅบๅฎถ zhuangjia) has a special role in scoring:
- If the dealer wins, all other players pay double.
- If a non-dealer wins by self-draw, the dealer pays double; other players pay single.
- If a non-dealer wins by discard and the dealer is the discarder, the dealer pays double.
- The dealer continues as dealer until they lose a hand (someone else wins), then the dealer position rotates.
5 Common Winning Patterns
| Pattern | Chinese | Description | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ping Hu | ๅนณ่ก | 4 sequences + 1 pair. The most basic and common winning hand. | 1ร |
| Dui Dui Hu | ๅฏนๅฏน่ก | 4 triplets + 1 pair. No sequences at all. | 2ร |
| Qing Yi Se | ๆธ ไธ่ฒ | All tiles in the hand belong to a single suit (all Wan, all Tong, or all Tiao). | 4ร |
| Bao Hu | ็่ก | Score cap โ any hand worth enough points is "Bao Hu" and pays the maximum. | Cap |
Pattern Combinations
Patterns can combine. For example, a hand that is both Dui Dui Hu and Qing Yi Se would be worth 8ร (2ร ร 4ร). However, the Bao Hu cap limits the maximum payout per hand, preventing runaway scores.
Bao Hu (็่ก) โ The Score Cap
Bao Hu is one of the most distinctive features of Guangdong Mahjong. It sets a maximum point value for any single hand. Once a hand's score exceeds the Bao Hu cap, it's simply scored at the cap amount. This means:
- Lucky super-hands don't single-handedly decide the entire game.
- Players are encouraged to win quickly rather than holding out for a rare, high-scoring hand.
- The game stays balanced and competitive even when someone gets a great starting hand.
The exact Bao Hu cap varies by local rules, but it's commonly set at 3 or 4 times the base score.
6 Scoring System
Guangdong Mahjong scoring is straightforward once you understand the pattern multipliers and dealer doubling.
| Win Type | Who Pays |
|---|---|
| Chicken Hu โ Self-Draw | Each player pays 1 point (dealer pays 2 if not winner) |
| Chicken Hu โ Discard | Discarder pays 1 point (dealer pays 2 if discarder) |
| Pattern Hand โ Self-Draw | Each player pays (base ร pattern multiplier); dealer double |
| Pattern Hand โ Discard | Discarder pays (base ร pattern multiplier); dealer double |
| Bao Hu (Capped) | Score capped at the Bao Hu limit regardless of actual pattern value |
Practical example: You win with Qing Yi Se (4ร) by self-draw. Base = 1 point ร 4 = 4 points from each player. If the dealer is among the payers, they pay 8 instead of 4. If Bao Hu cap is 3ร, your hand is capped at 3ร instead of 4ร.
7 Tips & Strategy
โ Mistake 1: Dealing into hands. The most common way to lose points in Guangdong Mahjong is discarding a tile that completes another player's hand. Watch what others are collecting โ especially pay attention to which suits they pong or chi.
โ Mistake 2: Ignoring the dealer. The dealer's double payment/receipt makes them the biggest target and threat. When the dealer is close to winning, play extra defensively. When you're the dealer, be more aggressive since your wins are worth more.
โ Mistake 3: Chasing big hands. Because of the Bao Hu cap, there's limited upside to chasing rare patterns. A quick Chicken Hu win is often worth more in the long run than waiting turns for a Qing Yi Se that gets capped anyway.
โ Pro Tip: Keep track of which tiles have been discarded. With only 108 tiles in play, it's relatively easy to remember what's been played. If you see three copies of 5 Wan in the discard pile, no one can complete a 5 Wan triplet โ that's valuable information for both offense and defense.
8 Quick Reference
Guangdong Mahjong โ fast and bold,
Three suits only, no winds to hold.
Chicken Hu wins with any hand,
Bao Hu caps the score demand.
Watch the dealer โ double to pay,
Quick wins beat waiting all day!
โ Guangdong Mahjong FAQ
Chicken Hu (้ธกๅนณ่ก jipinghu) is the basic winning hand in Guangdong Mahjong โ any valid combination of 4 melds + 1 pair with no special pattern. It scores the minimum but is the easiest to achieve. Unlike other variants, Guangdong Mahjong allows you to win with this simple hand โ no minimum fan requirement.
Bao Hu (็่ก) is a score cap that limits the maximum points a single hand can be worth. Once your hand's score exceeds the Bao Hu threshold, it simply scores at the cap amount. This prevents one player from running away with the game due to a single lucky hand and keeps the game balanced.
No. Standard Guangdong Mahjong does not use wind tiles (East, South, West, North) or flower tiles. Only the three suited tile types (Wan, Tong, Tiao) are used, totaling 108 tiles. This simplification is one of the reasons the game plays faster than variants with full tile sets.
The dealer (ๅบๅฎถ zhuangjia) pays and receives double. If the dealer wins, all players pay double. If a non-dealer wins by self-draw, the dealer pays double while others pay single. The dealer stays as dealer until someone else wins, making dealer rotation an important strategic element.
They are very similar and often used interchangeably. Hong Kong Mahjong is essentially a regional form of Guangdong Mahjong with some minor rule variations in scoring and hand patterns. If you know one, you can easily adapt to the other.