Chinese Official Mahjong · 2 pt

Prevalent Wind in Chinese Official Mahjong (MCR): Points, Round Wind and Examples

In Chinese Official Mahjong, Prevalent Wind (圈风刻) is worth 2 points: you win with a pung or kong of the current round's wind — East in the East round, South in the South round, and so on. The prevalent wind is the same for all four players, wherever they sit.

The rules for Prevalent Wind

• The wind must match the round: East in the East round, South in the South round
• Claimed pungs, concealed pungs and kongs all count
• A pair does not count — as the eyes it scores nothing
• If the same wind is also your seat wind, both Prevalent Wind and Seat Wind count

What Prevalent Wind does not combine with

• Pung of Terminals or Honors: the prevalent-wind pung does not also score that point (1)

Big Four Winds (88) already contains every wind and excludes Prevalent and Seat Wind. Little Four Winds and Big Three Winds do still add Prevalent and Seat Wind.

Scoring examples

Using Prevalent Wind to reach 8

Like a Dragon Pung it is 2 points and can only be punged, not chowed. Pair it with a 6-point route (All Pungs, Half Flush, Mixed Shifted Chows, All Types), or add it on top of an 8-point route like Mixed Straight.

Related fan

• Seat Wind: your own seat's wind, 2 points; counts together with Prevalent Wind when it is the same wind.
• Big Three Winds: pungs of three winds, 12 points; Prevalent Wind still counts.
• Little Four Winds and Big Four Winds: even more winds.
• Pung of Terminals or Honors: the 1 point for other wind pungs.

Odds

In a 13-tile opening hand at least one wind is already a pair about 17% of the time, but only one wind in four is the prevalent wind. In 4,000 hands of the site's AI (rounds rotating), wins with Prevalent Wind were 2.2%.

In other mahjong styles

• In Taiwanese mahjong the round wind is 1 tai (Round Wind in Taiwanese Mahjong)

FAQ

How many points is Prevalent Wind?

2 points in Chinese Official Mahjong, without the extra Pung of Terminals or Honors.

The dealer pungs East in the East round — how much is that?

East is both the prevalent wind and the dealer's seat wind, so Prevalent Wind and Seat Wind each score 2: 4 points.

How do I know the prevalent wind?

It follows the round: first East, then South, West and North. In our online MCR game the screen shows the round and your seat wind.

Related fan

Seat Wind 2 pt A pung of your own seat's wind for 2 points (no terminal-pung point): how to find your wind, how it stacks with Prevalent Wind, and why other winds give only 1. Big Three Winds 12 pt Pungs of three winds for 12 points: Prevalent and Seat Wind still count, the terminal-pung point does not — one pair away from Little Four Winds. Pung of Terminals or Honors 1 pt 1 point for each pung of 1s, 9s or honors: non-seat winds count, scoring winds and dragons don't count twice, and which big fan drop it.