Scoring in Mahjong

Looking for the best online casino in Kenya? You've come to the right place! We compare licensed and trusted casinos offering the quickest payouts in Kenyan Shillings (KES). Find exclusive bonuses, including free spins and welcome offers, tailored for Kenyan players. Tired of slow withdrawals? We highlight casinos with fast M-Pesa and Airtel Money options. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting, our expert reviews help you choose a secure and enjoyable gaming experience. Play your favorite games like slots, roulette, and blackjack with confidence. Get started today and discover top-rated casinos that prioritize fair play and responsible gambling. Claim your bonus and win big!

Mahjong isn’t rocket science, but keeping track of all the bits and bobs can leave your head spinning – sasa, mambo can get messy if you’re juggling different combos. If you’re sticking to one style, though, it’s simpler than you think. Here’s the lowdown on what earns you points:

• Specific sets or pairings, like straight runs or a triplet of dragons, carry base points.
• Bonus tiles or unique honours add extra points.
• Only the strictest criteria count when one requirement sits inside another (e.g., a single dragon set vs. all three dragons).
• Your total points then get translated into real wins (or losses) via chips or tokens – maybe those KSh 100 chips at the table or your virtual balance at CasinoRank.
• In Kenya, gambling’s fully regulated under the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB), and you need to be at least 18.

Once you’ve got your base total, different styles apply multipliers or flat conversions. Let’s check out the main ways to boost and collect your points in casino-style play:

Chinese-Style Scoring

• Add up basic points from every mahjong tile melds combo and bonus tile.
• Double your points for rarer melds or finishing moves (like robbing a kong).
• Winner rakes in all points from the three losers, who then sort the shortfall between them.
• East seat (or dealer) pays and collects double.
• Some "Special Limit" hands top out the scale, giving you maximum points in one swoop.

American Mahjong

This club-style system leans on a yearly-updated card listing only specific winning hands. The National Mahjong League and the American Mahjong Association each release new scorecards every 2025, so you’ll often see the current year stamped on the card you use.

Shanghai-Style Scoring

Shanghai scoring can feel like it’s on steroids – crazy-high values for rare hands such as the thirteen terminals. There’s usually a minimum point threshold before you can even claim a win.

Singaporean Scoring

Very much like Chinese scoring but using a slightly different tile set. Standard payments apply, though the dealer here also pays and collects twice, just like over at the Chinese tables.

Hong Kong Scoring

One of the simplest, but that simplicity means top scores stay low. Zero-point hands still win you a fixed payout, and each point simply doubles your base. Many folks insist on a minimum of 1–5 points to cash out, with 3 being the sweet spot since zero-point wins are so common.

Japanese Scoring

You start off with, say, 25,000 or 30,000 points on the board, usually shown as bars (10,000; 5,000; 1,000; 100). Online tables simply track the total. Multipliers kick in for sets of honours, special composites, or finishing moves, then your score translates into the KSh value of your win – all neatly handled by the software.

Many styles cap the points you can score. Up to the first ceiling, you get a flat conversion. Hit the next threshold, and your points jump. These limits keep things spicy, pushing players to go for that top-tier hand instead of settling for medium wins.

As the wall thins, some versions slap fines on discards deemed "high-risk." If you feed someone the tile that lets them go out – self-draw or discard – and it was obvious they were close to a limited mahjong, you often cover their full win. No excuses, achana na mimi style.

You can see why mixing rules across different mahjong variations at once can be a headache. Better to learn one, master the scoring quirks, then crush your friends – or take them down in style online.

Ready to level up your mahjong scoring? Whether you prefer Chinese Mahjong, American Mahjong, Japanese scoring, Shanghai scoring, Singaporean scoring, or Hong Kong scoring, honing in on one system will keep your head clear and your pockets fuller.

18+ | Play responsibly – begambleaware.org