Chinese Official Mahjong · 12 pt

Big Three Winds in Chinese Official Mahjong (MCR): Points, Examples and Odds

In Chinese Official Mahjong, Big Three Winds (三风刻) is worth 12 points: your winning hand has pungs (or kongs) of three of the four winds — East, South, West, North. That alone clears the 8-point minimum, and Prevalent Wind and Seat Wind often come along.

The rules for Big Three Winds

• Three wind pungs (kongs count), any three of East, South, West, North
• Claimed pungs count: no concealed requirement
• The fourth set and the pair are free — but if the pair is the fourth wind, the hand becomes Little Four Winds, 64 points
• Pungs of all four winds are Big Four Winds, 88 points

What Big Three Winds does not combine with

• Pung of Terminals or Honors: each wind pung would normally score 1 point, but these three are already used by Big Three Winds, so they no longer score it (a terminal pung as the fourth set still does)

Still counted:

• Prevalent Wind and Seat Wind (2 points each): if the round wind or your own seat wind is among the three, it is added on top
• Self-built wind pungs add Three Concealed Pungs; one suit plus honors adds Half Flush

Conversely, Little Four Winds and Big Four Winds include Big Three Winds and replace it.

How Big Three Winds scores

Scored live by the site's engine, exactly as in the game; the examples state the round and your seat.

Common combinations:

How it relates to other fan

• Little Four Winds: three wind pungs and a pair of the fourth wind, 64 points, replacing Big Three Winds.
• Big Four Winds: all four wind pungs, 88 points.
• Prevalent Wind and Seat Wind: still scored for the wind pungs they apply to.
• Half Flush and All Pungs: hands heavy in wind pungs often get these too.

Big Three Winds odds

There are only four of each wind, so even starting with pairs of three different winds is rare:

Source: 1,000,000 random 13-tile deals (flowers already replaced).

In 3,849 winning hands of bot play on this site, Big Three Winds appeared only 1 times — too few for a reliable rate; it is simply a rare hand.

How to build Big Three Winds

• Two winds paired and at least one of a third: worth keeping; pung each wind as soon as it is discarded.
• Count the round and seat winds first: every one of those among your pungs adds 2 points.
• Watch the discards: once two of a wind are gone, that wind can no longer make a pung.
• Add Half Flush or All Pungs: with lots of wind pungs, keeping the suit tiles in one suit raises the total fast.

Try it at a table of online Chinese Official Mahjong — scoring is automatic.

FAQ

How many points is Big Three Winds?

Big Three Winds is worth 12 points in Chinese Official Mahjong — enough to win on its own.

Do Prevalent Wind and Seat Wind still count?

Yes. If the prevalent or seat wind is one of the three pungs, each adds 2 points.

Do the wind pungs still score Pung of Terminals or Honors?

Not those three. A terminal pung as the fourth set still scores it.

What is the difference from Little Four Winds?

Little Four Winds is Big Three Winds plus a pair of the fourth wind, 64 points; it replaces Big Three Winds.

Related fan

Little Four Winds 64 pt Three wind pungs plus a pair of the fourth wind for 64 points. Prevalent and Seat Wind still count; Big Three Winds and terminal pungs do not. Big Four Winds 88 pt Pungs of all four winds for 88 points: the rules, what it doesn't combine with, how it differs from Little Four Winds and how rare it is. Prevalent Wind 2 pt A pung of the round wind for 2 points (no terminal-pung point); if it is also your seat wind, add Seat Wind too. Other winds only give 1 point.