Chasing Big Hands

Chase a big hand such as a flush or Pong Pong Hu when your deal already leans that way, because every tai doubles the payment; otherwise take the quick win. At a Singapore table a win needs 1 tai and payments stop at 5 tai.

Every tai doubles the payment, so a big hand is very tempting. The trick is knowing when the tiles are offering one and when you’re just hoping.

Why Big Hands Pay

At a Singapore table the payment doubles with every tai. Win on a discard and the table pays you:

a one-tai hand: 8 points;
a two-tai hand: 16 points;
a three-tai hand: 32 points;
a four-tai hand: 64 points;
a hand at the limit, 5 tai: 128 points.

Compare the top of that list with the bottom: that’s why patient players chase. But a hand you don’t finish pays nothing, and while you chase, someone else might win off your discard.

Know The Ceiling

This table needs at least 1 tai to win and pays no more than 5 tai. Anything above the limit is paid as the limit. So once you’re there, the job is finishing, not adding more.

Qing Yi Se: one suit and nothing else.

A full flush is 4 tai on its own, so a single extra tai from anywhere takes it to the limit. Ping Hu is 4 tai too, quietly. A half flush (2 tai) and Pong Pong Hu (2 tai) together reach 64 points on a discard, and one dragon Pong on top makes it a limit hand.

If the table wants more room for big hands, House Rules can raise the limit when you start a game, so combinations keep paying more. Agree it before the first tile.

When The Tiles Say Yes

Read your deal and look for one of these:

Eight or more tiles in one suit, plus a few honours: a half flush is on, and a full flush if the honours leave.
Three or four pairs: Pong Pong Hu, which you can claim your way into from any player.
Two dragon pairs, or a dragon pair and your Own Wind pair: each Pong is a tai, and they stack with everything else.
No flowers and lots of connected middle tiles: Ping Hu.

Commit early. A flush means throwing the other suits while they’re still safe, in the first few turns, not at the end when someone might want them.

When To Take The Fast Win

Go for speed when:

someone shows three sets face up and you’re still two or more tiles from ready;
the wall is running low and your big hand still needs several tiles;
your flush is obvious and the table has stopped throwing your suit;
you’re the Banker: in this game East deals again after winning, so a small win keeps the seat and another deal.

A middle path often works best: keep the plan, but take a claim that gets you ready with enough tai to win. The game’s Hint does something similar. It will pass on a claim that would spoil a flush or Pong Pong Hu it’s building, and say why.

The Price Of Showing It

Big hands are hard to hide. Three face-up sets in one suit tell everyone you want that suit, and Singapore’s Bao rule makes feeding a full flush very expensive for them, so careful players won’t. Expect to finish a flush on your own draw more often than on a discard.