What is the Maximum Faan in Hong Kong Mahjong?
One of the first questions new players ask about Hong Kong Mahjong scoring is: “What’s the most faan you can get?” The answer depends on which rules your group follows, but the short version is 10 faan in most casual games, or 13 faan in games that recognize the full limit.
Let’s break down how it works.
How Faan Scoring Works (Quick Recap)
In Hong Kong Mahjong, every winning hand earns faan (番) based on the tile patterns it contains. Faan stack — if your hand has multiple scoring elements, you add them together.
The more faan your hand is worth, the more the losers pay. But there’s a ceiling.
The Faan Limit (Limit Hand)
Most Hong Kong Mahjong games cap the maximum payout at a certain faan level, called the limit or maximum hand. This prevents payments from spiraling out of control.
| Common Limits | Faan Cap |
|---|---|
| Standard casual games | 10 faan |
| Extended rules | 13 faan |
| Some tournament play | 8 faan |
In a typical game with a 10-faan limit, any hand worth 10 or more faan pays out at the maximum rate. It doesn’t matter if your hand technically adds up to 12 — the payout is the same as 10.
Some groups play with a 13-faan limit, which is the theoretical maximum for certain legendary hands. And some conservative groups cap it at 8 faan to keep stakes lower.
Hands That Hit the Limit
Here are the hands that reach maximum faan on their own, without needing to combine multiple scoring elements:
Thirteen Orphans (十三幺) — Limit Hand
One of each of the 13 terminal and honor tiles, plus one duplicate. This is the most famous limit hand in mahjong and worth the maximum faan by itself.
Tiles needed: 1-Bamboo, 9-Bamboo, 1-Dot, 9-Dot, 1-Character, 9-Character, East, South, West, North, Red Dragon, Green Dragon, White Dragon — plus one pair from any of these.
All Honors (字一色) — Limit Hand
A hand made entirely of wind and dragon tiles. Extremely rare and extremely satisfying.
All Terminals (清么九) — Limit Hand
Every tile in your hand is either a 1 or a 9. No middle tiles, no honors. Incredibly difficult to achieve.
Nine Gates (九蓮寶燈) — Limit Hand
A specific pattern using a single suit: 1-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-9-9 plus one more tile of the same suit. This is considered the most beautiful hand in mahjong.
Great Winds (大四喜) — Limit Hand
Four sets (pungs or kongs) of all four wind tiles, plus any pair. Absurdly rare.
Big Three Dragons (大三元) — 8+ Faan
Pungs or kongs of all three dragon tiles. Worth 8 faan on its own, and typically reaches the limit when combined with other scoring elements.
Stacking Faan to Reach the Limit
You don’t need a legendary hand to hit the limit. Ordinary scoring elements can stack up:
| Scoring Element | Faan |
|---|---|
| All Chows (平和) | 1 |
| Common Hand (雞和) | 0 |
| Mixed One Suit (混一色) | 3 |
| Full Flush (清一色) | 7 |
| All Pungs (對對和) | 3 |
| Self-Drawn (自摸) | 1 |
| Seat Wind Pung | 1 |
| Round Wind Pung | 1 |
| Dragon Pung | 1 |
| Flower Bonus | 1 per matching flower |
Example stack to reach 10 faan:
- Full Flush (7) + All Pungs (3) = 10 faan. Limit reached.
- Mixed One Suit (3) + All Pungs (3) + Seat Wind (1) + Round Wind (1) + Self-Drawn (1) + Dragon Pung (1) = 10 faan.
As you can see, a Full Flush combined with almost anything else gets you close to or at the limit.
How Payouts Scale with Faan
Understanding why the limit matters requires knowing how payouts escalate:
| Faan | Base Multiplier |
|---|---|
| 0 (chicken) | 1x base |
| 1 | 2x base |
| 2 | 4x base |
| 3 | 8x base |
| 4 | 16x base |
| 5 | 32x base |
| 6 | 64x base |
| 7 | 128x base |
| 8 | 256x base |
| 9 | 256x base |
| 10 (limit) | 256x base |
The payouts roughly double with each additional faan. Without a limit, a 13-faan hand would cost 8,192 times the base unit — which is why most groups enforce a cap.
What About Beyond the Limit?
In some rare scenarios, groups award special bonuses beyond the limit:
- Double limit for Thirteen Orphans or Nine Gates
- Triple limit for winning on the very first draw
These are house rules and not standard, but they add excitement to already rare events.
FAQ
Is 13 faan the absolute maximum?
In standard Hong Kong Mahjong rules, 13 faan is the theoretical maximum. Some hands like Thirteen Orphans are defined as 13-faan limit hands. However, most casual games cap payouts at 10 faan, so anything above 10 pays the same.
Can you get more than 10 faan from stacking?
Yes, absolutely. A hand with Full Flush (7) + All Pungs (3) + Self-Drawn (1) = 11 faan. But if your table plays with a 10-faan limit, the payout is the same as exactly 10 faan.
What’s the rarest limit hand?
Nine Gates (九蓮寶燈) is generally considered the rarest limit hand because it requires a very specific tile pattern in a single suit. Some estimates put the odds at roughly 1 in 300,000 hands.
Do all groups play with the same faan limit?
No. The faan limit is a house rule. Common limits are 8, 10, and 13 faan. Always agree on the limit before starting a game.
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