Mahjong Hand Ranking (Revised Tier List)
(Note: This ranking is primarily based on Japanese Riichi Mahjong concepts and relative rarity/scoring potential. Scores and exact rankings can vary significantly based on specific rule sets.)
Tier 0: The Pinnacle of Luck (Conceptual Tier)
This tier represents combinations considered the absolute rarest and highest-scoring, often combining an extremely rare hand pattern with an extremely rare winning condition.
- 天胡十三幺 (Tenhou Kokushi Musou - Heavenly Hand with Thirteen Orphans):
- Why Tier 0: The dealer wins immediately on their initial draw with the Thirteen Orphans hand. This combines the rarest winning condition (Tenhou) with one of the rarest hand patterns (Kokushi Musou). It is arguably the single most improbable event in Mahjong.
- Typical Score: Double Yakuman (or potentially higher by house rules).
Tier 1: Yakuman (役満) / Limit Hands
These are the highest standard scoring hands, representing incredible feats of assembly or luck. Many rulesets cap the score at Yakuman or allow for Double Yakuman for specific combinations or particularly difficult versions.
- Tier 1A: Potential Double Yakuman (Extremely Rare / Difficult)
(These often qualify for Double Yakuman status in many rulesets due to their extreme difficulty or specific conditions)
2. 大四喜 (Daisuushii - Big Four Winds): Four triplets/quads of all four wind tiles.
3. 四暗刻単騎 (Suuankou Tanki - Single-Wait Four Concealed Triplets): Four concealed triplets, where the winning tile completes the pair.
4. 国士無双十三面待ち (Kokushi Musou Juusanmenmachi - Thirteen-Wait Thirteen Orphans): Thirteen Orphans hand waiting on any of the 13 unique required tiles.
5. 純正九蓮宝燈 (Junsei Chuuren Poutou - True Nine Gates): A Nine Gates hand waiting on any of the 9 possible tiles within the suit.
6. 四槓子 (Suu Kantsu - Four Quads): A hand containing four declared Kans (sets of four identical tiles).
7. 天胡 (Tenhou - Blessing of Heaven): Dealer wins on their initial 14 tiles (with any Yakuman or valid hand). If the hand itself isn't Yakuman, scoring varies. If combined with another Yakuman (like Kokushi), it elevates to Tier 0 or Double Yakuman.
8. 地和 (Chiihou - Blessing of Earth): Non-dealer wins on their first uninterrupted draw. Often Yakuman or Double Yakuman.
- Tier 1B: Standard Yakuman (Very Rare / High Value)
9. 国士無双 (Kokushi Musou - Thirteen Orphans): Standard version (waiting on the pair).
10. 四暗刻 (Suuankou - Four Concealed Triplets): Standard version (winning by self-draw on a triplet tile, not the pair).
11. 大三元 (Daisangen - Big Three Dragons): Three triplets/quads of the dragon tiles.
12. 緑一色 (Ryuuiisou - All Green): Hand made entirely of green tiles.
13. 字一色 (Tsuuiisou - All Honors): Hand made entirely of wind and dragon tiles.
14. 清老頭 (Chinroutou - All Terminals): Hand made entirely of 1s and 9s.
15. 小四喜 (Shousuushii - Little Four Winds): Three triplets/quads of winds, plus a pair of the fourth wind.
16. 九蓮宝燈 (Chuuren Poutou - Nine Gates): Concealed flush 1112345678999 + any tile from the suit. (Standard 1-sided wait).
17. 人和 (Renhou - Blessing of Man): Winning on a discard before your first draw. Status varies greatly by rules: Yakuman, Mangan, or nothing. (Often placed lower or excluded due to rule variations).
Tier 2: High-Scoring Combinations (Below Yakuman)
These hands achieve high scores through valuable patterns or combinations of patterns, often reaching limits like Mangan, Haneman, Baiman, or Sanbaiman.
- Very High Potential (Often Baiman/Sanbaiman):
- Chinitsu (清一色 - Full Flush): Higher if concealed.
- Complex Combinations: e.g., Honitsu (Half Flush) + Toitoi (All Triplets) + Yakuhai (Value Tiles) + Dora.
- Significant Scoring Potential (Often Mangan/Haneman):
- Honitsu (混一色 - Half Flush): Higher if concealed.
- Junchan Taiyao (純全帯么九 - Fully Outside Hand): Higher if concealed.
- Ryanpeikou (二盃口 - Two Sets of Identical Sequences - Concealed Only)
- Shousangen (小三元 - Little Three Dragons)
- Honroutou (混老頭 - All Terminals and Honors)
Tier 3: Standard Scoring Hands (Foundation)
These are more common scoring patterns (Yaku/Fan) that form the basis of most winning hands and contribute Han/Fan value towards the higher scoring limits.
- Toitoi (対々和 - All Triplets)
- Sanankou (三暗刻 - Three Concealed Triplets)
- Sanshoku Doujun (三色同順 - Mixed Triple Chow)
- Ittsuu (一気通貫 - Full Straight)
- Chanta (混全帯么九 - Outside Hand)
- Chiitoitsu (七対子 - Seven Pairs)
- Tanyao (断么九 - All Simples): (Common, often needs to be concealed).
- Pinfu (平和 - No-Points Hand - Concealed Only)
- Iipeikou (一盃口 - One Set of Identical Sequences - Concealed Only)
- Yakuhai (役牌 - Value Tiles): (Base scoring element).
- (And others like Riichi, Menzen Tsumo - Self-Draw, etc.)
Key Reminders:
- Rule Sets Matter: This hierarchy is a generalization. Specific rules (Japanese Riichi, MCR, Hong Kong, American, etc.) will have different hands, names, requirements, and point values.
- Dora: Bonus tiles increase the score but don't form a hand pattern on their own.
- Concealment: Concealed hands (Menzenchin) often score higher.
- Scoring Limits: Points often cap at limits like Mangan, Haneman, Baiman, Sanbaiman, with Yakuman being the highest limit category.
This revised list puts
天胡十三幺 (Tenhou Kokushi Musou) in its deserved "Tier 0" spot, highlighting its supreme status in the Mahjong world!