Straits MahjongJiu Lian Bao Deng 九莲宝灯
Jiu Lian Bao Deng, Nine Gates, is 1-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-9-9 of one suit plus one more tile of that suit, with nothing claimed. In Singapore Mahjong it pays the limit, 5 tai.
A full flush with a very particular shape, and a wait that can take any tile of its suit. Many players never see one.
Also called: Nine Gates
What It Is
Jiu Lian Bao Deng (九莲宝灯, “nine lotus lanterns”, Nine Gates) is 1-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-9-9 of one suit, plus any one more tile of that suit, with nothing claimed. It’s a full flush with a fixed skeleton.
The magic is in the thirteen tiles before the win. Held exactly as 1112345678999, the hand is waiting on all nine tiles of its suit. Whatever you draw or anyone throws from that suit wins.
What It Pays
| Table | Called | Worth |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | Jiu Lian Bao Deng | the limit, 5 tai |
| Hong Kong | Nine Gates | the limit, 10 faan |
| Malaysian 3 Kaki | Nine Gates | the limit, 10 fan |
| Riichi | Chuuren Poutou | yakuman |
At a Singapore table Nine Gates pays the limit, 5 tai, on a discard or on Zi Mo, in place of every other tai. A plain Qing Yi Se is already worth 4 tai, so the jump is smaller than it looks; the shape is what makes it famous.
How Realistic Is It?
Very rare. You need a concealed full flush first, and then the right counts of 1s and 9s. It isn’t a hand to chase from the deal.
Where it comes from is a closed one-suit hand that happens to hold three 1s and three 9s. If you get there, check your shape before claiming anything: one Chi or Pong ends Nine Gates, though the flush is still on.
Near the end, it’s worth knowing which of your waits gives Nine Gates and which gives an ordinary flush. Both win, and a full flush with an honour or a bonus on top can reach the limit anyway, so never pass up a win waiting for the famous one.
How Others Spot It, And Bao
With nothing claimed, the table sees only your discards: every tile from two suits, and nothing from the third. That looks like any closed flush, and they’ll hold that suit back.
No special Bao applies to Nine Gates at a Singapore table, because Bao comes from claims. The fresh-tile rule still holds late in the wall: with five or fewer live tiles left, a never-thrown tile that wins makes its thrower pay for everyone.
At Other Tables
Hong Kong pays Nine Gates the limit, the limit, 10 faan. Self-drawn, any such hand counts; on a discard, the thirteen tiles before the win must be exactly 1112345678999. Malaysian 3 Kaki pays the limit, 10 fan, in Circles, with no Fei.
In Riichi, Chuuren poutou is a yakuman, and the nine-sided wait is a double yakuman in this game.