How to Play Mahjong and Play CoinMahjong

Quick Guide to Riichi Mahjong

CoinMahjong brings riichi mahjong, the Japanese version of the game, into the CoinPoker app.

If you play poker, you’ve got half the skills: reading opponents, weighing risk, and knowing when to fold.

Learn the basics with the short walkthrough below, then pick a guide to go deeper.

Simple Mahjong Walkthrough

Before anything advanced, learn the basics.

1. The Goal

Build a 14-tile hand of four sets and a pair before anyone else does.
This is the most important goal of Mahjong.

2. The Catch

Your hand needs at least one yaku, a recognised scoring pattern. A complete hand without a yaku can’t be declared as a win. This rule catches many new players.

3. The Key Move

When you’re one tile from winning and haven’t called any tiles, you can declare riichi. You put up a 1,000-point stake and your hand locks.

Riichi counts as a yaku and unlocks bonus dora if you win, but it also tells everyone you’re close.

4. How You Win

Draw the winning tile yourself (tsumo) or claim another player’s discard (ron). On a ron, the player who discarded the tile pays the full amount.

On a tsumo, the other players share the payment.

5. How Scoring Works

Han, from yaku and dora, sets your score. Fu adjusts it based on how the hand is built. CoinMahjong calculates everything automatically.

6. The Beginner Trap

Calling chi or pon opens your hand, which rules out riichi and several other yaku. Open hands can still win, but know what you’re giving up before you call.