Chinese Official Mahjong · 8 pt

Mixed Straight in Chinese Official Mahjong (MCR): Points, Examples and Odds

In Chinese Official Mahjong, Mixed Straight (花龙) is worth 8 points: your winning hand has 1-2-3, 4-5-6 and 7-8-9 chows, one from each of the three suits, together running from one to nine. 8 points is exactly the minimum to win, which makes Mixed Straight one of the standard ways to get a hand over the line.

The rules for Mixed Straight

• Three chows: one 1-2-3, one 4-5-6 and one 7-8-9, each in a different suit
• Any assignment works: 1-2-3 dots, 4-5-6 bamboo, 7-8-9 characters is also a Mixed Straight
• Claimed chows count; no concealed requirement. The fourth set and the pair are free
• All three sections in one suit is a Pure Straight, worth 16

What Mixed Straight does not combine with

Mixed Straight itself excludes no other fan. What matters is the "account once" principle: once its three chows have scored Mixed Straight, the fourth chow may combine with only one of them.

Say the fourth chow is 4-5-6 characters. It could form a Short Straight with the 1-2-3 characters or a Mixed Double Chow with the 4-5-6 dots — but only one is scored (1 point). The three chows of the straight never form Mixed Double Chows among themselves.

How Mixed Straight scores

These hands are scored live by the site's engine, exactly as in the game.

Common combinations:

How it relates to other fan

• Pure Straight: all three sections in one suit, 16 points — the upgraded version.
• Mixed Triple Chow: the same chow in all three suits (say three 2-3-4s), also 8 points; together with Mixed Straight it is one of the two main 8-point routes.
• Knitted Straight: 1-4-7, 2-5-8, 3-6-9 in three different suits, 12 points.
• Mixed Double Chow and Short Straight: the fourth chow can form one of them with a chow of the straight.
• All Types: the straight uses all three suits; make the fourth set a wind or dragon pung and the pair the other kind of honor, and you add All Types.

Mixed Straight odds

In 4,000 hands of normal bot play on this site, Mixed Straight appeared in 15% of winning hands — with Mixed Triple Chow (16%) the two most common 8-point patterns. Those wins averaged 12.9 points and 24% of them were self-drawn. Pure Straight, by contrast, showed up in only 6.2% of wins.

The reason is simple: each suit needs just one section, every section can be chowed from the left, and many different tiles help. Pure Straight needs nine tiles of a single suit.

How to build a Mixed Straight

• Chow shapes in all three suits: 1-2 characters, 4-5 dots, 7-8-9 bamboo is a textbook Mixed Straight start.
• Decide early which suit takes which section: holding both 1-2 and 4-5 characters, pick the assignment where the other suits are more complete.
• Chow aggressively: there is no concealed requirement; take the tile you need from your left. Speed matters most.
• Mind the total: Mixed Straight already makes 8; everything else is a bonus — don't break good shapes just for All Chows.
• Fallbacks: if the same section sits in all three suits, switch to Mixed Triple Chow; with lots of one suit, head for Pure Straight.

Try it at a table of online Chinese Official Mahjong — the bots play with you and scoring is automatic.

FAQ

How many points is Mixed Straight?

Mixed Straight is worth 8 points in Chinese Official Mahjong — exactly the minimum to win.

Can I chow for Mixed Straight?

Yes. Mixed Straight does not require a concealed hand; claimed chows count.

What is the difference between Mixed Straight and Pure Straight?

Mixed Straight takes 1-2-3, 4-5-6 and 7-8-9 from three different suits, 8 points; Pure Straight has all three in one suit, 16 points.

Does Mixed Straight also score Mixed Double Chow?

Not among its own three chows. The fourth chow may combine once with one of them, as a Mixed Double Chow or Short Straight — only one is counted.

Related fan

Pure Straight 16 pt 1-2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8-9 in one suit for 16 points — enough on its own. What it excludes and what the fourth chow can still add. Knitted Straight 12 pt 147, 258 and 369 across three suits for 12 points: as three sets in a normal hand, stacked with the knitted honors hand, the All Chows question, how often it shows up. Mixed Triple Chow 8 pt The same chow in all three suits — exactly 8 points. Why Mixed Double Chow is dropped, what the fourth chow can add, and how to build it.