Straits MahjongKam Kam Hu 坎坎胡
Kam Kam Hu is four Pongs or Kongs and an Eye, none of them claimed, won by drawing the last tile yourself. In Singapore Mahjong it pays the limit, 5 tai.
Pong Pong Hu without a single claim. Build all four Pongs in your own hand, draw the last tile yourself, and a modest hand becomes the limit.
Also called: Hidden Treasure, Four Hidden Pongs
What It Is
Kam Kam Hu (also called Hidden Treasure) is a hand of four Pongs or Kongs and an Eye, none of them claimed, won by Zi Mo. A concealed Kong is allowed: it still counts as made in your hand.
The self-draw is the whole point. Win the same tiles on someone’s discard and it’s plain Pong Pong Hu, whether the discard finished a Pong or your Eye. Claim one Pong along the way and it’s Pong Pong Hu too.
What It Pays
| Table | Called | Worth |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | Kam Kam Hu | the limit, 5 tai |
| Hong Kong | Four Concealed Pungs | the limit, 10 faan |
| Malaysian 3 Kaki | Four Concealed Pongs | the limit, 10 fan |
| Riichi | Suuankou | yakuman |
At a Singapore table it pays the limit, 5 tai, in place of every other tai, and since it’s always a Zi Mo, everyone pays: 192 points in all. The same tiles won on a discard pay 2 tai, plus whatever honours they hold.
When To Go For It
Look for a deal with three or four pairs, or a Pong already in hand. Then the hard part: don’t Pong anything. Every pair has to become a set from your own draws, which is slow.
It helps to know your fallback. Near the end you’re usually waiting on two pairs. If someone throws one of those tiles, you can take it and win Pong Pong Hu straight away, or pass and hope to draw the limit. Take the win when the wall is getting short or someone else looks close; pass when it’s early and your tiles are still live.
Count copies. If two of a pair’s other copies are already face up, that pair will never become a Pong, and you need a different plan.
How Others Spot It
Kam Kam Hu is nearly invisible. No claims, nothing face up. The only hint is a player who passes on Pongs they could obviously use, and discards that skip whole groups of tiles.
There’s no Bao for it at a Singapore table. Bao comes from feeding claims or winning discards, and this hand takes neither.
At Other Tables
Hong Kong’s Four Concealed Pungs is the limit, the limit, 10 faan. A discard counts there, but only if it finishes your Pair; one that finishes a Pung makes that Pung someone else’s.
Malaysian 3 Kaki plays it the other way round: Kang Kang Hu, the limit, 10 fan, counts on a discard too, as long as the winning tile finishes a Pong, never the Eye. In Riichi, Suuankou is a yakuman; won on a pair wait it’s double yakuman in this game, and a ron that completes a triplet doesn’t count.