How to keep score in American mahjong
In American mahjong, the winner collects from everyone else at the table. How much depends on three things: what the hand is worth on the card, whether the winning tile was thrown or self-picked, and whether the hand is jokerless. Here’s how it works, with every example worked out for a 25-point hand.
The short version
- Find the hand’s value. Look up what the winning hand is worth on this year’s card. Call it V; most hands are worth 25 to 35.
- Thrown: the thrower pays double. If the winning tile was a discard, the player who threw it pays 2V and each other player pays V.
- Self-picked: everyone pays double. If the winner drew the winning tile, every other player pays 2V.
- Jokerless: double it all. If the winner claims a hand with no jokers, every payment doubles again.
- Wall game: nobody pays. If the tiles run out and nobody wins, no points change hands. Either way, the deal passes to the right.
What a hand is worth
Every hand on the card has a value printed beside it. Recent cards run from 25 to 75: most hands are worth 25 to 35, and the hardest are worth 50 or 75. Below, the hand’s value is called V.
The card changes every year, so always use this year’s card. Whoever keeps score doesn’t need to know the hand, only its value.
Thrown: the thrower pays double
If the winner called Mahj on a discard, the player who threw the winning tile pays double the value (2V) and each other player pays the value (V).
Ruth wins on a tile Linda threw. Linda pays 50, Kathy and Pat pay 25 each, and Ruth collects 100.
Self-picked: everyone pays double
If the winner drew the winning tile from the wall, it’s self-picked, and every other player pays double (2V).
Kathy draws the winning tile from the wall. Ruth, Linda and Pat pay 50 each, and Kathy collects 150.
These are paid as self-picked too: winning by exchanging a tile for a joker on someone’s rack, and East’s hand being complete as dealt, or right after the Charleston.
Jokerless: it all doubles
A winning hand with no jokers in it is jokerless, and every payment doubles, on top of the thrown or self-picked rule.
- Thrown: the thrower pays 100 and the other two pay 50 each. The winner collects 200.
- Self-picked: all three pay 100. The winner collects 300.
Two things to know. The winner has to claim it: if they don’t say “jokerless” before everyone pays, it isn’t owed. And a hand that can’t use jokers at all isn’t paid as jokerless.
Wall games
If the tiles run out and nobody wins, it’s a wall game. Nobody pays anything, and the deal passes to the next player as usual.
Payment tables for 4 and 3 players
What the winner collects, by the hand’s value. At a table of four, a thrown hand pays 4V in all, self-picked 6V, jokerless thrown 8V and jokerless self-picked 12V.
| Hand value | Thrown | Self-picked | Jokerless, thrown | Jokerless, self-picked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 300 |
| 30 | 120 | 180 | 240 | 360 |
| 35 | 140 | 210 | 280 | 420 |
| 40 | 160 | 240 | 320 | 480 |
| 50 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 600 |
| 75 | 300 | 450 | 600 | 900 |
A table of three uses the same rules with one fewer player paying: on a thrown 25, the thrower pays 50 and the other player 25, so the winner collects 75.
| Hand value | Thrown | Self-picked | Jokerless, thrown | Jokerless, self-picked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 75 | 100 | 150 | 200 |
| 30 | 90 | 120 | 180 | 240 |
| 50 | 150 | 200 | 300 | 400 |
Four games, worked out
Four players, four games. Each game’s pluses and minuses add up to zero, and so does the total, which makes a quick check for any score sheet.
| Game | What happened | Ruth | Linda | Kathy | Pat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ruth wins a 25, thrown by Linda | +100 | −50 | −25 | −25 |
| 2 | Kathy self-picks a 30 | −60 | −60 | +180 | −60 |
| 3 | Pat wins a jokerless 25, thrown by Ruth | −100 | −50 | −50 | +200 |
| 4 | Wall game | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | −60 | −160 | +105 | +115 |
East and passing the deal
- East is the dealer for that game. To start, everyone rolls the dice, and the highest roll is the first East.
- After every game, the deal passes to the right, counterclockwise, whether someone won or it was a wall game. East never keeps the deal, even after winning.
- East pays and collects the same as everyone else. East paying double was a rule in the 1920s, not in American mahjong today.
- Four games make a round, one deal each.
When someone is waiting
With five players at one table, four play and one waits. After each game, the East who just dealt gets up, and the waiting player sits in. With six, two wait and rotate the same way. Groups with several tables often share one waiting line between them.
The deal still passes to the right of the player who got up, so the newcomer isn’t East straight away. Everyone’s points stay with them while they wait. For more on tables and waiting lines, see How to run a mahjong group.
The pie
The pie (also written P.I.E., for “purse is empty”) is a house rule that caps how much one player can go down in a day. Each player brings a set amount, often $3, $5 or $10, or the group agrees on a number of points.
Once a player’s total for the day is down to minus the pie, they pay only what they have left, and the winner collects only what was paid. They keep playing, they’re paid in full when they win, and they can be pie again later.
Ruth is at −480 when Linda self-picks a 25. Ruth owes 50 but has only 20 left, so Ruth pays 20 and the other two pay 50 each. Linda collects 120, not 150.
Coins, points and house rules
Many groups settle in coins after each game, so a 25 hand is 25 cents. Others keep points on paper all day. The math is the same either way.
You may also meet house rules that aren’t standard: the thrower paying for the whole table, a pot that grows on wall games, or a waiting player betting on someone at the table. If your group plays any of them, write them down so subs and new players know.
Questions people ask
How much does the player who threw the winning tile pay?
Double the hand’s value. Everyone else pays the value. On a 25 hand at a table of four, the thrower pays 50 and the other two pay 25 each, so the winner collects 100.
How is a self-picked hand paid?
Every other player pays double the value. On a 25 hand at a table of four, all three pay 50, so the winner collects 150.
Does jokerless double the score?
Yes. It doubles every payment, on top of the thrown or self-picked rule. At a table of four, a jokerless 25 pays 200 if it was thrown and 300 if it was self-picked. The winner has to claim it.
Does East pay double in American mahjong?
No. East pays and collects the same as everyone else, and the deal passes to the right after every game, even when East wins.
How do you keep score with three players?
The same way, with one fewer player paying. On a thrown 25, the thrower pays 50 and the other player 25, so the winner collects 75. Self-picked, both pay 50, for 100.
Let Mahjongg Circle do the math
After every game, each table’s scorekeeper answers four quick questions: who called Mahj, what it was worth, thrown or self-picked, and jokerless. Mahjongg Circle works out everyone’s points, keeps track of East and the waiting line, and handles the pie if your group plays one. It’s points only: no money changes hands in the app.
Free for every player to join, RSVP, keep score and see where to sit. The live scoreboard, season standings and winners log are an optional subscription, per person. On iPhone and Android, in the US and Canada.
See Mahjongg Circle
