Safer Discards

Why It Matters

Whoever throws the winning tile pays the most. At a Singapore table the shooter pays double; a three-tai hand on a discard costs the shooter 16 points, against 8 points each for everyone else. Lose a few of those and no amount of good luck elsewhere catches up.

So once someone looks close to winning, the question changes from “what helps my hand?” to “what can I throw without paying for theirs?”

The Safest Tile: One They Just Let Go

A tile thrown after a player’s last draw, that they didn’t win on, can’t win for them until they draw again or claim a set. If the player before you throws 6 Bamboo and the player after you doesn’t call Hu, a 6 Bamboo from you is safe against them for this turn.

This is the closest thing to a guaranteed safe tile. It only lasts until their next draw, because a new tile can change what they’re waiting for.

Honours Already Showing

There are four of every tile. When three copies of a wind or dragon are already face up, in discards or someone’s set, nobody can make a Pong of the last one, and it’s unlikely to finish anyone’s hand. (It could still be someone’s single wait for an Eye, which is why this is safer, not safe.)

Counting what you can see works for numbered tiles too, though less neatly: a tile with several copies showing is less likely to be the one someone needs.

Read What They’re Building

Face-up sets tell you a lot. Three sets in one suit, with no discards of it, is almost certainly a flush. Three Pongs means Pong Pong Hu is possible, and a pair is waiting somewhere.

Discards tell you the rest. A player who threw honours early and then middle tiles of one suit probably doesn’t want that suit. A player who has thrown nothing but one suit’s neighbours for six turns may be waiting right in the middle of it.

Bao: When You Pay For Everyone

Singapore tables have a rule that punishes careless discards hard. If a player has three sets face up in one suit and your discard of that suit lets them win a full flush, that’s Bao (包): you pay the whole bill, everyone’s share as well as your own.

The same applies to three honour sets (Zi Yi Se, all honours) and three sets of 1s and 9s. Letting them claim the fourth set counts too. When you see three matching sets, throw another suit, a wind or a dragon instead. None of them can finish a full flush.

Home tables vary, so check your table’s Bao rule before the first tile.

When To Give Up Your Own Hand

Defence has a cost: throwing safe tiles usually means breaking your own sets. It’s worth it when someone shows three sets and you’re still two or more tiles from waiting, or when the wall is nearly empty and you’re far from a win.

If you’re waiting yourself, especially on two tiles, keep going and accept a little risk. A win now beats a careful loss later.