Chinese Official Mahjong · 24 pt

Lower Tiles in Chinese Official Mahjong (MCR): Points, Examples and Odds

In Chinese Official Mahjong, Lower Tiles (全小) is worth 24 points: when you win, every tile — in hand and in exposed chows, pungs and kongs — is a 1, 2 or 3 of characters, dots or bamboo, with no honors at all.

The rules for Lower Tiles

• All 14 tiles are 1s, 2s or 3s
• No honors
• The only possible chow is 1-2-3; pungs are 111, 222 and 333
• Claiming is allowed, no concealed hand needed; Seven Pairs can be Lower Tiles too
• One suit has only 12 tiles from 1 to 3, so you need at least two suits; Lower Tiles is never a Full Flush

What Lower Tiles does not combine with

• Lower Four (12 points): 1, 2 and 3 are all below five anyway
• No Honors (1 point)

How Lower Tiles is scored

The points below are calculated live by this site's scoring engine — the same one the game uses — including the fans dropped under the non-repeat rule.

Common combinations:

Related fans

• Lower Four: 1 to 4, 12 points; Lower Tiles is the stricter version, and with Lower Tiles you no longer count Lower Four.
• Upper Tiles and Middle Tiles: the same idea with only 7-8-9 and only 4-5-6.
• Mixed Triple Chow: the only chow in Lower Tiles is 1-2-3; one in each suit is Mixed Triple Chow.
• All Simples: counted when the hand has no 1.

How often does Lower Tiles happen?

1, 2 and 3 make 36 tiles across the three suits, only about a quarter of the 136, so an opening hand landing entirely inside them is practically impossible. Lower Tiles is not one of the target patterns of this site's AI and only appears by accident: in 3,849 AI wins it appeared 0 times. The sample is too small for a rate; it is extremely rare.

When to go for Lower Tiles

• Lots of 1s, 2s and 3s in the opening hand, with 1-2-3 shapes in all three suits: add Mixed Triple Chow.
• Discard honors and anything from 4 up first: not one may stay.
• No need to stay concealed: chow and pung 1s, 2s and 3s.

When to give up: you still hold several tiles of 4 or higher. Stepping back to Lower Four (4s allowed) is still 12 points and often more realistic. To try it yourself, play Chinese Official Mahjong online — the scoring is automatic.

FAQ

How many points is Lower Tiles?

Lower Tiles is worth 24 points in Chinese Official Mahjong. Lower Four and No Honors are not counted on top.

Can Lower Tiles include a 4?

No. With a 4 it is only Lower Four (12 points); Lower Tiles allows only 1, 2 and 3.

Can Lower Tiles also score All Simples?

Yes, but only when there is no 1: a hand of only 2s and 3s is also All Simples, worth 2 points.

Related fan

Lower Four 12 pt A whole hand of 1s to 4s for 12 points: rules, the difference from Lower Tiles, what it stacks with. Middle Tiles 24 pt A whole hand of 4s, 5s and 6s for 24 points: rules, what it absorbs, how it stacks with All Fives. Upper Tiles 24 pt A whole hand of 7s, 8s and 9s for 24 points: rules, the difference from Upper Four, what it stacks with.