YAKU SITUATIONS

ONE FAN YAKU ("Iihan Yaku") SITUATIONS

Going Out on the last tile of the wall ("Haitei") -- When the Wall counter reaches 14, the last tile has been drawn. If the player who drew it completes his hand, s/he earns a one Fan yaku. If that player does not complete the hand with that tile, and discards it, and someone else goes Out on that tile, then that player earns the yaku.

Going Out on a loose tile ("Rinchan Kaihou") -- Since there are no Flowers in Japanese Mah-Jongg, the only time loose tiles are taken is when a player melds a Kong (Kan). If the player melds a Kong, takes a loose tile, and goes Out on the loose tile, the player earns a one Fan yaku.
Some players apply an optional rule similar to the Haitei rule; the yaku may also apply if the player who drew the loose tile discards it (or any tile from the hand after drawing a loose tile), and someone else can go Out on it (that discard is considered a loose tile, even if it is not the exact tile that the player took from the back of the Dead Wall -- it's kind of like an "indirect loose tile"). But in Shanghai: Dynasty, only the picker of the loose tile is awarded the Rinchan Kaihou yaku.
In the case of a thrown tile resulting in a Kong which leads to a Rinchan Kaihou, the thrower of the Kong tile (which set in motion the chain of events leading to the Rinchan Kaihou win) pays for all.

Tsumo on concealed hand -- You get a one Fan yaku for self-picking the final tile of a completely concealed hand, in addition to any other yaku that the hand might earn.

Reach ("Riichi") -- Going Out after declaring Reach earns a one Fan yaku in addition to any other yaku that the hand might earn.

One shot ("Ippatsu") -- If a player declares Reach and then, within one turn around the table, goes Out (either by discard or by self-pick), the player earns a one Fan yaku. In the case of Ippatsu, the player would get one Fan for Reach and another fan for Ippatsu. Of course, this yaku is earned only if the Ippatsu option is selected in the game options.

Earthly Hand ("Chiho") -- You go Out by self-pick on your first deal, within the first turn around the table.

Going Out on a discard within the first deal ("Renho") -- Any player except the dealer takes a discard within the first turn around the table and goes Out.

Heavenly Gates with Nine Chances -- If a player is holding "Heavenly Gates / Nine Gates" (Chuurenpooto) -- and goes Out waiting for the duplicate tile (there are nine ways to win in this situation).

Four Concealed Pungs and Waiting on the Head (Suu Ankou Tanki) -- If a player has Four Concealed Pungs (Suu ankou) -- and goes Out waiting for the one tile to complete the pair ("atama" or "head").

When a player goes Out, Shanghai: Dynasty examines the hand for all possible yaku and awards them all automatically. It's possible to get multiple yaku for different combinations and situations. It's even possible to get combinations that give you Triple Yakuman and more. For example, you might get something like:

All Winds & Dragons -- Yakuman
Big Three Dragons -- Yakuman
Waiting for the pair -- Double Yakuman
Total = Quadruple Yakuman

The ultimate score is Yakuman Times Seven.

YAKU TILE COMBINATIONS

Yaku are not exclusive, but rather cumulative. A hand is scored by adding up every possible yaku that may apply to that hand.
Note: if a combination is labeled simply "Exposed," then the hand scores the same exposed or concealed (it is understood that any exposed hand is allowed to be concealed). If a combination is labeled simply "Concealed," then it is not allowed to expose that combination (if exposed, it does not score the yaku).

Pung of Own wind or Prevailing wind -- and any other groupings to make a complete hand.

Pung of any dragon -- and any other groupings to make a complete hand.

To win this special hand, your hand must have no Pung, only Chow. The pair must not be a scoring pair -- it cannot be dragons, nor your Own Wind, nor the Prevailing Wind. "Pin Huu" is Chinese for "No Points" -- so the player gets the yaku for having a hand that is so worthless that it's worth something! The last tile you take to win the hand must not be a one-chance -- the player must need more than one possible tile to go Out; it must not be a middle tile of a Chow, and must not be the other-end tile of a terminal Chow; and must not be a tile to complete a pair (or "head"). Some players require the last tile to be self-picked, but in Shanghai: Dynasty this is not a strict rule. If Pinfu is self-picked, the player gets the extra fan (yaku) for Tsumo On Concealed Hand but does NOT get the extra 2 points for self-pick. Player also gets the Tanyao bonus on this hand if it's all Simples.

No ones or nines, no Winds or Dragons.

Two same-number Chows in any one suit. Above, how Iipeikou would look in the hand.

Hand contains same-number Chii (Chow) in all 3 suits.

Three sequential Chows (1-2-3, 4-5-6, and 7-8-9) in one suit.

A "Terminal Chow" is a Chow (Chii) with a one or a nine in it. If all-terminals-and-honors hand has no Chows, it does not earn "Chanta" but rather "Honroutou."

To earn this yaku, the three Pungs must be completely concealed in the hand at the time of going out. Must go out by making the pair or the fourth grouping (Pung or Chow).

Same-number Chows (Chii) all in the same suit. Effectively the same as "Sanrenko" (Three Sequential Pungs in One Suit), which scores the same, if concealed (player is scored only for the one yaku, not both). But if one of the Chows is melded, then obviously the hand cannot be regarded as Sequential Pungs.

If concealed, an All Pung hand also (by definition) earns two more Fan for Sananko (Three Concealed Pungs).

Pungs of two dragons, and a pair of the third dragon.

Three kongs of anything.

You would also earn two more Fan for having Toi-Toi (All Pung) with this combination.

Could also be thought of as three identical Chows in one suit (Iisou sanjun), if concealed -- but player gets scored only for one of the two (San renkou or Iisou sanjun).

Seven different pairs of anything. Kongs not allowed.

Same-number Pungs in all three suits.

Two identical Chows in one suit, and a different two identical Chows in a second suit.

One suit, plus Winds and/or Dragons.

Each grouping in this hand has a one or a nine in it somewhere.

Same-number Chows in one suit only. Effectively, three sequential Kongs in one suit (hand does not earn an extra yaku for kongs).

Every tile in the hand is from the same suit (no Winds or Dragons).

Pungs of Ones and Nines, plus 2-3-4-5-6-7-8 and any one tile, all the same suit.

In the Japanese game, the winner's Own wind is allowed to be either a Pung or the Pair (Head).

Pungs of all of the Dragons.

Four kongs and a pair.

The Green Dragons are optional -- they can be used for a Pung or a Pair, or not be used at all.

Pungs and a pair of ones and nines only (kongs allowed).

Pungs and a pair of Winds and Dragons (kongs allowed).

Above, shown as it would look in the hand. One of each of the ones and nines, plus one of each Wind and Dragon, and a duplicate of any tile in the hand. This is the only hand with which Robbing the Kong is allowed in Japanese Mah-Jongg. Any tile may be taken by Robbing the Kong (not only the duplicate).

To qualify for this hand, the player cannot take a discard to complete a Pung (because taking the discard to complete the Pung causes that Pung to be considered Exposed). The player would have to self-pick the final Pung tile, else go out waiting for the Head (which would be worth Double Yakuman -- Suu Ankou Tanki).

Pairs of twos through eights in one suit.

Kongs are allowed too -- they do not disqualify the hand from earning the yaku.

Only valid on the initial deal, and only for dealer's initial hand. Hand has thirteen unrelated tiles (odd Honors or Terminals, for instance, and/or numbers separated by 2 or more numbers, like 1-4-7 or 2-5-8 or 3-6-9; 1-4-8, 1-5-8, or 1-5-9 for example; nothing in the hand can be easily turned into a Chow or Pung). Hand is total garbage, in other words, which will be nearly impossible to turn into a winning hand of Pungs and Chows. The 14th tile may match any tile in the hand.

Pungs (and/or kongs) of all four Winds and a pair of anything.

For more about Japanese Mah-Jongg:

Japanese Mah-Jongg; Rules & Options(Many images; may be slow to load.)
Japanese Yaku (Special Hands)
Scoring Japanese Mah-Jongg
Strategies for Japanese Mah-Jongg
Glossary of Japanese Mah-Jongg Terms

Western Mah-Jongg