Chinese Official Mahjong · 2 pt

Tile Hog in Chinese Official Mahjong (MCR): Points, Kong or Not, and Examples

In Chinese Official Mahjong, Tile Hog (四归一) is worth 2 points: when you win, all four copies of one tile are in your hand and not declared as a kong. They can be spread over different chows, pungs and the pair — for example 123 and 345 characters plus a pair of 3 characters.

The rules for Tile Hog

• All four copies of one tile are in your hand (tiles in hand plus exposed chows and pungs)
• No kong: a declared kong scores as Melded or Concealed Kong instead
• Any mix of chows, pungs and the pair works, including a claimed pung with the fourth tile kept in a chow
• Two identical pairs inside Seven Pairs also count
• Four copies of two different tiles score two Tile Hogs

What Tile Hog does not combine with

• Kongs: once declared, the four tiles score Melded Kong (1) or Concealed Kong (2), not Tile Hog
• Quadruple Chow (48): four identical chows always hold four of each tile, so Tile Hog is not counted
• Thirteen Orphans and the Knitted hands never have more than two of a tile

Scoring examples

Kong or keep?

With four identical tiles you can declare a concealed kong (2, plus a replacement draw) or keep them for Tile Hog (2). Same points; the shape decides:

• All four just form one pung: kong — you get an extra draw and a chance at Out with Replacement Tile.
• One of them belongs to a chow shape (3333 with 45): don't kong, keep the flexibility and score Tile Hog.
• In Seven Pairs: you can't kong, it would break the hand.

Drawing the fourth tile of a claimed pung: promoting it is a Melded Kong (1); keeping it in another set is Tile Hog (2) — and nobody can rob it.

Related fan

• Concealed Kong and Melded Kong: the four tiles declared as a kong.
• Seven Pairs: four identical tiles inside Seven Pairs also score Tile Hog.
• Pure Double Chow: two identical chows plus a pair of the same tile (two 123 characters and a pair of 1 characters) also give a Tile Hog.

How often it happens

In 4,000 hands of the site's AI playing normally, wins with Tile Hog were 0.96%, averaging 19.1 points.

In other mahjong styles

• Sichuan mahjong's "Root" (Gen) is also four of a tile, counts with or without a kong, 1 fan each (Root in Sichuan Mahjong)

FAQ

How many points is Tile Hog?

2 points in Chinese Official Mahjong; four copies of two different tiles score it twice.

Does a kong count as Tile Hog?

No. A declared kong scores as a kong; Tile Hog is only for four tiles that were not declared.

Can Seven Pairs have a Tile Hog?

Yes. MCR allows four identical tiles as two pairs in Seven Pairs, and adds Tile Hog (2). Try it yourself in our online MCR game.

Related fan

Pure Double Chow 1 pt Two identical chows in one suit for 1 point: how to spot it, when it isn't counted, and how it grows into Pure Triple Chow. Seven Pairs 24 pt Seven pairs for 24 points: four of a kind as two pairs, what it doesn't combine with, the wait, and how many opening pairs make it worth chasing. Concealed Kong 2 pt A kong of four self-drawn tiles for 2 points: the hand stays concealed, it counts as a concealed pung, and the replacement draw can win.