Straits MahjongRiichi 立直
Riichi is the yaku that gives the game its name. Declare your closed hand ready and you have a yaku whatever the shape, at the price of locking your hand for the rest of the deal.
What It Is
When your hand is closed (no chi, pon or open kan) and one tile from winning (tenpai), you may declare riichi with your discard. Say it, turn that discard sideways and put a riichi stick out. The stick is only paid once the discard passes; if someone rons it, the riichi never happened.
You also need enough points to pay for the stick, and at least four tiles left in the live wall. Furiten riichi is allowed: the yaku stands, but you can then only win by tsumo.
What It’s Worth
| Table | Called | Worth |
|---|---|---|
| Riichi | Riichi | 1 han, closed only |
| Table | Called | Worth |
|---|---|---|
| Riichi | Riichi | 1 han, closed only |
| Riichi | Ippatsu | 1 han, closed only |
| Riichi | Double Riichi | 2 han, closed only |
Riichi is 1 han, closed only. Win within one go-round of your declaration, up to and including your next draw, with no call by anyone in between, and you add ippatsu, 1 han, closed only. Any kan breaks it, your own concealed kan included.
Declare with your very first discard, before anyone has called, and it’s double riichi, 2 han, closed only in place of the usual one. A riichi winner also turns the ura dora, the hidden indicators under the dora, which can add a lot on top.
The Lock
After riichi you must throw every tile you draw unless it wins. You can’t improve your wait, and you can’t fold. A concealed kan is allowed only with the tile you just drew, and only if it leaves your waits the same.
Pass a winning tile, even by accident, and you’re furiten for the rest of the hand: tsumo only. That’s the real cost of riichi, more than the stick.
When To Declare
Declare when your hand has no other yaku, or when the extra han and the ura dora chance turn a cheap hand into a decent one. A two-sided wait with several tiles still unseen is the classic riichi.
Stay quiet (dama) when the hand already has a yaku and a good price: a closed tanyao-pinfu with a dora can win on any tile without telling the table to defend. Waits that are nearly dead, or a late wall with someone else already in riichi, are reasons to think twice.
Common Mistakes
- Declaring with an open hand. One chi or pon and riichi is gone for the deal.
- Forgetting furiten. If any of your waits sits in your own discards, you can still riichi, but no ron will ever come.
- Declaring a wait you’ve used up. Count what you can see. A wait on tiles already in rivers and melds is a promise you can’t keep.
What It Combines With
Riichi goes with every closed yaku: menzen tsumo, pinfu, tanyao, chiitoitsu and the rest. Riichi, ippatsu and menzen tsumo together on a pinfu hand is the dream start, and then the dora do the heavy lifting.