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Dubai mahjong house rules: Standard and Advanced scoring

Reviewed by Jayesh, Admin · Last updated 27 October 2026

These are house rules: a community version of 16-tile Taiwanese mahjong played by groups in Dubai. They are not an official rulebook, and your own group may play some details differently. This page sets out the two versions Mahjong Dubai plays, Standard (the game's default) and Advanced, with the points value of every pattern.

The tiles, the deal and the winning hand of five sets and a pair are the same as in Taiwanese mahjong. What changes is the scoring and a few table rules.

Points, not tai

Classic Taiwanese counts tai. The Dubai house rules count points, and every win adds a base point value on top of the patterns: 5 pts under Standard and 5 pts under Advanced.

The two units are not interchangeable. A dragon pong is worth 1 tai under Classic Taiwanese and 2 pts under Standard. A total in points can't be compared with a total in tai.

Where Standard and Advanced differ

Many patterns are worth the same in both versions. Others are worth different amounts, and a few appear in only one of the two. Some examples:

The full tables for both versions are below.

Table rules in the Dubai house rules

Beyond scoring, a few rules set the house rules apart from Classic Taiwanese:

• More than one winner. If more than one player declares a win on the same discard, they all win.
• A concealed gong is paid on the spot. When a player makes a concealed gong, the other players pay that player straight away, during the hand.
• A pot for drawn games. If nobody wins a hand, each player puts points into a pot for the next player who wins by self-pick.
• A different dealer's streak bonus. Classic Taiwanese also rewards a dealer who wins hands in a row, but the house rules use their own schedule for the bonus. At a real table, a die on the wall keeps count; online, the game keeps count for you.
• False mahjong. Declaring a win that isn't one costs a penalty, paid to each other player.

Under Standard, there is also a penalty for chasing tiles: if all four copies of a tile are discarded in the same round, the player who discarded the first one pays each other player. The penalty is larger for a suit tile than for a wind or a dragon.

Standard points table

Advanced points table

One hand, scored both ways

The same all-pong hand, won by self-pick, scored under Standard and then under Advanced.

Frequently asked questions

What are the Dubai mahjong house rules?

A community version of 16-tile Taiwanese mahjong played by groups in Dubai. The hand is played the same way, but scoring is in points with a base added to every win, and there are a few extra table rules, such as more than one winner on a discard.

What is the difference between Standard and Advanced?

They score some patterns differently. Self-pick, for example, is worth 1 pts under Standard and 5 pts under Advanced, and a seabed win is worth 10 pts under Standard and 50 pts under Advanced. The tables above list every value.

Is a point the same as a tai?

No. Classic Taiwanese counts tai, and the Dubai house rules count points with a base added to every win. The two totals can't be compared.

Can more than one player win on the same discard?

Yes, under the Dubai house rules. Classic Taiwanese allows only one winner.

Can I play the Dubai house rules online?

Yes. Standard is the default at play.mahjongdubai.com. At a private table, the host can choose Standard, Advanced or Classic Taiwanese.