Editing Mahjong (section)

==== Payment ====

The losers pay the winning player points based on several criteria and depending on whether the game is for fun or for money. How points are reckoned is agreed by players beforehand. For example, they can keep a tally, exchange chips, or pay one another with money. The ''faan'' value of a hand is converted into base points which are then used to calculate the points the losers pay the winner. The table is progressive, doubling the number of base points when reaching a certain ''faan'' point target. The following is the Old Hong Kong simplified table; for other tables, see [[Hong Kong mahjong scoring rules]].
<!-- Background colours removed from this table as they were too low contrast and hard to read. -->
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Base points (Old Hong Kong Simplified)
! ''Faan'' points !!  Base points
|-
| 3 || 1
|-
| 4 || rowspan=3 | 2
|-
| 5
|-
| 6
|-
| 7 || rowspan=3 | 4
|-
| 8
|-
| 9
|-
| 10+ || 8 (limit)
|}

This table is based on play where 3 ''faan'' is the minimum needed in order to win with a legal hand. If a player has 3 ''faan'', then their hand is worth one base point. A winning hand with 9 ''faan'' is worth four base points. Losing players must give the winning player the value of these base points. The following special cases result in doubled base points:
* If the winner wins from the wall, their base points are doubled.
* If the hand was won by discard, the discarder doubles the amount they owe the winner.
* If the winner is east, all losers double the base points.
* If the east player is a losing player, they pay double the points to the winner.

If two of these criteria apply to any player, they must double and then redouble the points owed to the winner.

===== Examples =====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Hand !! Player !! Base points
|-
| rowspan=5 style="font-size:250%" | '''1'''
| colspan=2 style="text-align:center" |West wins with 3 ''faan'' (scoring 1 base point) from the wall (doubling value)
|-
| East (dealer) || 1 (base points) ×2 (doubling for winning from wall) ×2 (doubling for being east) = –4
|-
| South || 1 (base points) ×2 (doubling for winning from wall) = –2
|-
| West || '''4''' (from east) + '''2''' (from south) + '''2''' (from north) = '''+8'''
|-
| North || 1 (base points) ×2 (doubling for winning from wall) = –2
|-
| rowspan=5 style="font-size:250%" | '''2'''
| colspan=2 style="text-align:center" |North wins with 6 ''faan'' (2 base points) on a discard from south (double penalty to South)
|-
| East (dealer) || 2 (base points) ×2 (doubling for being east) = –4
|-
| South || 2 (base points) ×2 (discarding winning piece) = –4
|-
| West || 2 (base points) = –2
|-
| North || '''4''' (from east) + '''4''' (from south) + '''2''' (from west) = '''+10'''
|-
| rowspan=5 style="font-size:250%" | '''3'''
| colspan=2 style="text-align:center" |East wins with 10 ''faan'' (8 base points) on discard from west (double penalty to West)
|-
| East (dealer) || '''16''' (from south) + '''32''' (from west) + '''16''' (from north) = '''+64'''
|-
| South || 8 (base points) ×2 (paying to east) = –16
|-
| West || 8 (base points) ×2 (paying to east) ×2 (discarding winning piece) = –32
|-
| North || 8 (base points) ×2 (paying to east) = –16
|}

Hong Kong mahjong is essentially a payment system of doubling and redoubling, where winning from the wall adds great value to the final payment and where the dealer is highly rewarded or penalised if they win or lose.

===== Limit hands =====
In Hong Kong mahjong there are a series of "limit hands". These are exceptional hands, difficult to obtain, and are very valuable in point scoring. As many table rules put a limit on the number of points a winner's hand can score, full limit hands score that maximum. Table rules dictate if these rare and special hands are allowed, which ones, and the limit for scoring. A common scoring limit is 64 points, which is the highest base points doubled twice. A winner receives the scoring limit from each player without any doubling.

Some limit hands by necessity must be completely concealed (not discards used) or semi-concealed (the only discard used is the one needed to win). This includes the 13 orphans, 4 concealed pungs, heavenly hand and earthly hand. It is usually expected that the heavenly gates hand be concealed or semi-concealed. As for the dragon limit hands and the great winds, table rules dictate whether the hand must be concealed or not. Some table rules claim that a semi-concealed hand (winning from a discard) scores a half-limit.

Some groups also play with the "great flowers" rule. If a player picks up all four flowers and all four seasons during their hand, they instantly win the hand and receive the maximum points from all of the players. This is exceptionally rare.

In all the hands that require pungs, each pung can be replaced by the corresponding kong.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Limit Hands (Maximum number of fan agreed)
! width=10% | Hand !! width=90% | Explanation with example
|-
! 天糊 <br>Heavenly hand
| The dealer draws a winning hand at the beginning of the game.
|-
! 地糊 <br>Earthly hand
| A player completes a winning hand with the dealer's first discard (in most variants, provided the dealer does not draw a kong).
|-
! rowspan=2 | 十三么 <br>Thirteen orphans
| 1 and 9 of each suit, one of each wind, one of each dragon, and one extra piece of any of those thirteen elements
|-
| [[File:MJf1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJf2-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJf3-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJf4-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJd1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJd2-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJd3-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs9-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJw1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw9-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJt1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJt9-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJt9-.svg|25px]]
|-
! rowspan=2 | 么九 <br>Terminals
| Only 1s and 9s.
|-
| [[File:MJw1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw1-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJs9-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs9-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs9-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJw9-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw9-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw9-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJt1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJt1-.svg|25px]]
|-
! rowspan=2 | 綠一色 <br>Pure green hand
| All tiles are green in color, i.e. they can only comprise pungs, sequences and eye using 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 of bamboo or green dragon (not recognized in all games)
|-
| [[File:MJs2-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs3-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs4-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJs2-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs3-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs4-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJs6-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs6-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs6-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJs8-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs8-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs8-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJd2-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJd2-.svg|25px]]
|-
! rowspan=2 | 九蓮寶燈 <br>Nine Gates 
| 1112345678999 of any suit (that is, 1 to 9 plus two additional 1s and 9s); any one extra piece of the same suit suffices to win. This hand always has 4 melds (either 1 pung and 3 chows or 2 pungs and 2 chows, depending on the extra) and the eyes. In the example below, there are two pungs (111 and 999), two chows (234 and 678), and the extra 5 forms the eyes.
|-
| [[File:MJw1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw1-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJw2-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw3-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw4-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw5-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw6-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw7-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw8-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJw9-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw9-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw9-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJw5-.svg|25px]]
|-
! 四暗刻 <br>Self triplets
| Four concealed pungs, plus eyes
|-
! rowspan=2 | 十八羅漢 <br>All kongs
| Four kongs, plus eyes
|-
| [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJt4-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJt4-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJt4-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJt4-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJs6-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs6-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs6-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs6-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJd3-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJd3-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJd3-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJd3-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJt9-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJt9-.svg|25px]]
|-
! rowspan=2 | 大四喜 <br>Great winds
| A pung of each wind, plus eyes
|-
| [[File:MJf1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJf1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJf1-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJf2-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJf2-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJf2-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJf3-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJf3-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJf3-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJf4-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJf4-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJf4-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px]]
|-
! rowspan=2 | 七對子 <br>Seven pairs
| A special winning hand that comprises any seven pairs/eyes (not recognized in all games) 
|-
| [[File:MJf1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJf1-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJf2-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJf2-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJf3-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJf3-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJf4-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJf4-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJs9-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJs9-.svg|25px]] – [[File:MJw5-.svg|25px]] [[File:MJw5-.svg|25px]]
|}