FB777 Mahjong Rules for a Four-Player Game

Four-player mahjong rules run on a fixed structure: 136 tiles, a hand of 13 that grows to 14 on a draw, and a win defined as four sets plus a pair. The format sits alongside the other tile and card games inside FB777 Card Games, and the rules below hold at any table that plays it straight.

Mahjong Tiles and the Four-Player Setup

A standard mahjong set totals 136 tiles, split across three number suits plus a set of honor tiles.

Tile group	What’s in it
Dots (circles)	Numbered 1–9, four of each
Bamboo	Numbered 1–9, four of each
Characters	Numbered 1–9, four of each
Winds	East, South, West, North
Dragons	Red, Green, White

Four players sit around the table, each dealt 13 tiles to start, with the remaining tiles forming a wall that’s drawn from turn by turn.

How a Round of Mahjong Rules Plays Out

1. Deal 13 tiles to each player. Four players each start with 13 tiles drawn from the shuffled 136-tile set, arranged so only the holder can see them.
2. Draw a tile. On a turn, a player draws one tile from the remaining wall, bringing their hand to 14 tiles.
3. Discard a tile. The player then discards one tile face up, returning their hand to 13 and passing the turn to the next player.
4. Claim a discard for a meld. Any player can call a discarded tile to complete a pung or kong (or the next player only, for a chow), taking the tile in and breaking the normal turn order.
5. Declare a winning hand. A player who completes four sets plus a pair — from a draw or a claimed discard — declares mahjong and ends the round.

Mahjong Rules for Chow, Pung and Kong

Three meld types build every winning hand, and each one is claimed a different way.

Meld	What it is	How it’s claimed
Chow	Three tiles in a numbered run, same suit	Only from the player to your left
Pung	Three matching tiles	From any player’s discard
Kong	Four matching tiles	From any player’s discard, or drawn

What Counts as a Winning Mahjong Hand

A complete hand needs exactly 14 tiles arranged as four sets plus one pair — no more, no fewer.

Mahjong Rules vs Tongits and Texas Holdem

Mahjong shares the same private-hand structure as tongits strategy for drop-or-fight calls, while how Caribbean Stud poker settles pits one hand against the dealer instead.

	Mahjong	Tongits	Texas Holdem
Pieces used	136 tiles	52-card deck	52-card deck
Hand is	Private, drawn from a wall	Private, drawn from a stock	Partly shared (community cards)
Win condition	Four sets plus a pair	Meld out or lowest deadwood	Best 5-card hand at showdown

Mahjong Rules and the Lobby’s Mahjong-Themed Slots

The tile game above is a different format from a mahjong-themed slot, even when the artwork looks the same. FB777’s PG shelf has shown slot titles built around mahjong tiles, including Mahjong Ways and Mahjong Ways 2, though shelves rotate and today’s lineup may differ from that.

	Mahjong (tile game)	Mahjong-themed slot
Pieces	136 tiles, shared by 4 players	A fixed reel set and paytable
Outcome decided by	Draws, discards and three other players’ choices	A single spin’s result
Where it sits on FB777	Card Games tab	Slot tab, PG shelf

A slot spin settles on a fixed reel result; the mahjong rules above settle on tiles drawn, melded and matched by four real players, which is why the two are worth telling apart before you go looking for either one.