Chinese Official Mahjong · 88 pt
Big Three Dragons in Chinese Official Mahjong (MCR): Points, Examples and Odds
In Chinese Official Mahjong, Big Three Dragons (大三元) is worth 88 points: when you win, Red, Green and White Dragon are all pungs or kongs. The three dragon pungs fill three sets; the fourth set and the pair are free — chow or pung, suited tiles or winds.
On this page
- The rules for Big Three Dragons
- What Big Three Dragons does not combine with
- Big Three Dragons vs Little Three Dragons vs Two Dragon Pungs
- How Big Three Dragons is scored
- How it relates to other fan
- Big Three Dragons odds
- Which hands can go for Big Three Dragons
- Big Three Dragons in other mahjong styles
- FAQ
The rules for Big Three Dragons
- Each of the three dragons is a pung (three tiles) or a kong (four tiles)
- Claimed pungs, concealed pungs, melded and concealed kongs all count — no need to stay concealed
- The fourth set can be a chow or a pung; the pair can be anything
- There are only four of each dragon, twelve in all, and you need nine of them
What Big Three Dragons does not combine with
Under the non-repeat rule, Big Three Dragons already includes these fan, so they are not counted:
- Little Three Dragons (64 points) and Two Dragon Pungs (6 points)
- Dragon Pung (2 points each): none of the three dragon pungs is scored separately
- Dragon pungs don't score Pung of Terminals or Honors either; if the fourth set is a pung of 1s, 9s or a wind, that pung still does
Fan that still stack: Half Flush, All Honors, All Pungs, All Terminals and Honors, Four/Three Concealed Pungs, Concealed Hand, Fully Concealed Hand, One Voided Suit, Prevalent Wind, Seat Wind, Single Wait and so on.
Big Three Dragons vs Little Three Dragons vs Two Dragon Pungs
| Fan | Dragon pungs | Pair | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Three Dragons | three | anything | 88 |
| Little Three Dragons | two | the third dragon | 64 |
| Two Dragon Pungs | two | not a dragon | 6 |
| Dragon Pung | one | anything | 2 |
How Big Three Dragons is scored
Both hands below are scored live by the same code the game uses, including the fan left out under the non-repeat rule.
Won on a discard
| Big Three Dragons | 88 |
| One Voided Suit | 1 |
| Total | 89 pt |
|---|
Reaches the 8-point minimum — a legal win.
Not counted (implied by a bigger fan): Dragon Pung
Won on a discard
| Big Three Dragons | 88 |
| All Terminals and Honors | 32 |
| Three Concealed Pungs | 16 |
| Concealed Hand | 2 |
| One Voided Suit | 1 |
| Total | 139 pt |
|---|
Reaches the 8-point minimum — a legal win.
Not counted (implied by a bigger fan): All Pungs、Outside Hand、Dragon Pung、Pung of Terminals or Honors
Common combinations:
| Combination | Points |
|---|---|
| Big Three Dragons + Half Flush | 94 |
| Big Three Dragons + All Pungs | 94 |
| Big Three Dragons + All Terminals and Honors | 120 |
| Big Three Dragons + All Honors | 152 |
How it relates to other fan
- Little Three Dragons: one dragon pung short, that dragon is the pair — the most common outcome of going for Big Three Dragons.
- Two Dragon Pungs and Dragon Pung: two or one dragon pungs, 6 and 2 points — the most common building blocks for reaching 8 points in MCR.
- All Honors: if the fourth set is a wind pung and the pair is an honor, it's All Honors too.
- Half Flush: dragons are honors, so if the fourth set and the pair share one suit, Half Flush counts.
Big Three Dragons odds
In a 13-tile opening hand, at least one dragon is already paired about 13% of the time, two or more only about 0.46%:
| Dragon kinds already paired (two or more) in the opening hand | Chance |
|---|---|
| 1+ kinds | 13% |
| 2+ kinds | 0.46% |
| 3+ kinds | 0.00% |
Source: 1,000,000 random 13-tile deals (flowers already replaced).
In 4,000 hands of normal computer play on this site (3,849 wins), Big Three Dragons came up 0 times and Little Three Dragons 1; Two Dragon Pungs appeared 41 times.
Which hands can go for Big Three Dragons
- Two dragons already paired at the start, and at least one tile of the third: anything less is a long shot.
- Pung the dragons: no need to stay concealed. Once two dragon pungs are on the table everyone can see it, and the third dragon rarely gets discarded.
- Two Dragon Pungs and Little Three Dragons are your fallback: two claimed dragon pungs are already 6 points, 2 more and you can win — don't wait forever for the third dragon.
- Watch the discards: if two of the third dragon are out, only Little Three Dragons or Two Dragon Pungs remain.
Want to try? Open a table of Chinese Official Mahjong online — the computers play with you and the scoring is done for you.
Big Three Dragons in other mahjong styles
- Taiwanese mahjong: 8 tai (Taiwanese mahjong Big Three Dragons)
- Japanese mahjong: a yakuman (Japanese mahjong yaku list)
- Hong Kong mahjong has Big Three Dragons too (Hong Kong mahjong fan table)
FAQ
How many points is Big Three Dragons?
In Chinese Official Mahjong Big Three Dragons is worth 88 points, and it no longer counts Little Three Dragons, Two Dragon Pungs or the three Dragon Pungs.
What's the difference between Big and Little Three Dragons?
Big Three Dragons has pungs of all three dragons; Little Three Dragons has two dragon pungs and the third dragon as the pair, worth 64 points.
Can you claim tiles for Big Three Dragons?
Yes. MCR doesn't require it to be concealed — claimed dragon pungs count.
Does Big Three Dragons still score Dragon Pung?
No. All three dragon pungs are part of Big Three Dragons, so the 2-point Dragon Pung isn't added, and neither is Pung of Terminals or Honors.
Related fan
Little Three Dragons 64 pt
Two dragon pungs plus a pair of the third dragon for 64 points. Dragon Pung and Two Dragon Pungs are absorbed; Half Flush and Outside Hand often join in.
Two Dragon Pungs 6 pt
Pungs of two dragons for 6 points, replacing Dragon Pung; a pair of the third makes Little Three Dragons. Concealed Hand closes the 2-point gap.
Dragon Pung 2 pt
Each pung of Red, Green or White is 2 points (no extra terminal-pung point); two become Two Dragon Pungs, three Big Three Dragons.
Try it at the table
Chinese Official Mahjong — Play Chinese Official Mahjong (Mahjong Competition Rules, MCR) free in your browser against three computer opponents. 8-point minimum, all 81 fan scored automatically with the official non-repeat rules. No sign-up, works on phone and desktop.