Chinese Official Mahjong · 24 pt

Pure Triple Chow in Chinese Official Mahjong (MCR): Points, Examples and Odds

In Chinese Official Mahjong, Pure Triple Chow (一色三同顺) is worth 24 points: when you win, you have three chows of the same suit and the same numbers, for example three 2-3-4 dots. On its own it is far above the 8-point minimum.

The rules for Pure Triple Chow

• Three chows: same suit, same numbers (e.g. three 2-3-4 dots)
• The fourth set can be any chow or pung, and the pair is free
• Claimed chows count: no concealed hand needed
• Three identical chows use three of each tile involved, so only one of each is left anywhere else

What Pure Triple Chow does not combine with

• Pure Shifted Pungs (24 points): 222-333-444 and three 2-3-4s are the same nine tiles; only one reading can score, and the engine tries both and keeps the higher total
• Pure Double Chow between the three (1 point): once the three chows form Pure Triple Chow, they don't also pair up as Pure Double Chows

A fourth chow may combine once with one of the three (the "account once" rule): add a 5-6-7 of dots and you get one Short Straight, 1 point, counted only once. Four identical chows is a different, bigger fan: Quadruple Chow, 48 points.

How Pure Triple Chow 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

• Quadruple Chow: one more identical chow makes 48 points, and Pure Triple Chow is no longer counted.
• Pure Shifted Pungs: the other reading of the same nine tiles; only one of the two scores.
• Pure Double Chow: two identical chows, 1 point; three of them become Pure Triple Chow.
• Mixed Triple Chow: the same numbers across characters, dots and bamboo, 8 points.
• Full Flush: the triple already uses nine tiles of one suit; five more of that suit makes Full Flush, and the points add up.

How often does Pure Triple Chow happen?

Three identical chows need three of each of three tiles — three out of four copies — which is much harder than ordinary chow combinations. Pure Triple Chow is not one of the target patterns of this site's AI; it only appears on the way to Full Flush or Pure Double Chow: in 3,849 AI wins it appeared 0 times. The sample is too small for a rate; it is clearly rare.

It only becomes realistic once you already hold a Pure Double Chow (two identical chows) and need the third; chowing helps, since a claimed chow doesn't have to be drawn.

When to go for Pure Triple Chow

• You hold two identical chows and none of those three tiles has shown up in the discards.
• Lots of one suit: the triple is already nine tiles of a suit; leaning towards Full Flush adds a lot.
• Chow when you can: claim any of the three tiles from the left; a claimed chow is also guaranteed to score as Pure Triple Chow rather than Pure Shifted Pungs.

When to give up: two copies of one of those tiles are already visible, so the third chow is nearly impossible. Settle for Pure Double Chow plus small fans like All Chows and All Simples, or another route to 8. To try it yourself, play Chinese Official Mahjong online — the scoring is automatic.

FAQ

How many points is Pure Triple Chow?

Pure Triple Chow is worth 24 points in Chinese Official Mahjong. Pure Shifted Pungs is not counted, and the three chows don't also score Pure Double Chow.

Can I claim chows for Pure Triple Chow?

Yes. Claimed chows count and no concealed hand is needed. Claiming even guarantees the tiles are read as chows.

What is the difference between three 2-3-4s and 222-333-444?

They are the same nine tiles. As three chows it is Pure Triple Chow (24 points); as three pungs it is Pure Shifted Pungs (24 points). The engine scores both readings and keeps the higher total; in a concealed hand the three concealed pungs add Three Concealed Pungs, so it usually ends up as Pure Shifted Pungs.

How does a fourth chow of the same suit score?

It may combine with just one of the three, e.g. a Short Straight (1 point) or Two Terminal Chows (1 point); four identical chows is Quadruple Chow, 48 points.

Related fan

Quadruple Chow 48 pt The same chow four times for 48 points: every copy of three tiles used up. Pure Triple Chow, Pure Shifted Pungs, Pure Double Chow and Tile Hog are absorbed. 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. Pure Shifted Pungs 24 pt Three consecutive pungs of one suit for 24 points: rules, how it competes with Pure Triple Chow, and what it stacks with.