Scoring Formula and Scoring Tables - Riichi Mahjong Guide

In this episode of Riichi Mahjong Guide, we go over the details of the scoring system. We begin with limit hands and the scoring formula, then discuss how to pull the scores from a scoring table. Thanks to scoring tables, there isn't much memorization or math required.
The scoring tables shown in this video were pulled from the following two tournament rulebooks:
EMA: mahjong-europe....
WRC: wrc2017vegas.co...
If you have any feedback or questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments below.

[@Yayonzo]

These tables are really helpful, makes scoring a hell of a lot easier.
For a casual game between people who are learning, should this knowledge be enough to score our way through a few east-south matches? It seems like the only thing left to score are some odd cases.

[@LightGrunty]

Yes, the information covered in this video would be enough to score pretty much every hand. You just need to count the han, and maybe the fu, for the hand and look up the score from the scoring table. For hands with a crazy amount of fu, like 90 or above, and only 1 or 2 han, you would have to look at a full scoring table. And yakuman are only covered briefly in this video, but they are still included on the scoring tables in case someone with whom you are playing is lucky enough to win one.
Overall, the scoring seems complicated, but the main thing is that you know the yaku. Once you know the yaku of the hand and how much each of them are worth, the rest is easy.

[@eduardoxenofonte4004]

@@LightGrunty just one thing: you don't need the big scoring table, you can add up the fu values using 50, for example, suppose a hand has 2 han 110 fu (and who won with it isnt the dealer, and they won by ron), you can add up the values of 2 han 50 fu and 2 han 60 fu, to make 110 fu, and sure enough, they add up to 7100, the value of the hand (you have to use 50 to add up, or else the sum might get messed up because of rounding)

[@LoveXKnife]

Han makes sense I just still have no idea how to count fu

[@LightGrunty]

Counting fu is actually pretty simple once you break it down, since it's all multiples of 2. The Basic Scoring Elements video from this series goes over that in detail, so you could review that if you're still having trouble.

[@D0land0_94]

Is there a simplified version of scorring riichi mahjong, just for casual players? Like maybe just counting han as one point

[@LightGrunty]

There is no standard for a simplified scoring system, so you should feel free to do whatever you find makes sense.
Having 1 han equal 1 point is something I've seen before. And then you can decide with your fellow players how you want the payments to work. For instance, if a player wins a 1 point hand, everyone could pay 1 point on a tsumo and the player who deals in could pay 3 points for a ron. That would emulate how the payments work in the full game, just without the dealer bonus or penalty.

[@HenkTheStenk]

What happens if a player runs out of points?

[@LightGrunty]

That depends on the rule set. In competitive rule sets, the game continues as normal if a player has negative points. A player with negative points usually uses spare point sticks (if available) or borrows from the player in 1st place. In more casual or gambling rule sets, the game will end as soon as someone drops below 0 points.

[@enecofan888]

I don't know if you're still active here but I can't make sense of the scoring tables. :( Why are some parts empty, like for example in East's table Tsumo 1 han and 25 Fu or Ron 1 han 25 Fu?

[@LightGrunty]

That's because those scores are impossible. Only chiitoitsu hands are 25 fu, and those are always at least 2 han.

[@enecofan888]

@@LightGrunty ooooh, okay, thank you so much! By the way, I've just started getting into Riichi Mahjong and all of your videos are so super helpful! I'm very thankful for them! This guide is awesome

[@potato_nugget]

A bit unrelated to the video but do you have any mahjong anime recommendations? I've already seen akagi and saki

[@LightGrunty]

Those are pretty much it when it comes to mahjong anime. I would recommend the Tetsunaki no Kirinji manga, though.

[@Sry342]

I enjoyed Legendary Gambler Tetsuya, although it's more about gambling/cheating than just playing mahjong. About manga, I would also recommend Ten (Akagi's sequel) and Mukoubuchi!

[@karl5758]

@@Sry342 Akagi is actually ten's prequel

[@Sry342]

@@karl5758 it's not a prequel, Akagi is a middle aged man in Ten while he's a teenager/young man in his series. However Ten was made before Akagi

[@knasiotis1]

who gets the honba after calculation, i mean physically, the sticks

[@LightGrunty]

The sticks that the dealer sets out are merely markers. They are still the dealer's point sticks, and that player can put them away after they pass their dealership.

[@user-ov8tv9kl1f]

what is fu?

[@LightGrunty]

That is explained in a previous video in the series, Basic Scoring Elements.
th-cam.com/video/6an2fNPeImc/w-d-xo.html

[@BakaAnimeProductions]

What if you are east and you lose by ron?

[@LightGrunty]

East only pays more if one of the other players wins by tsumo. If you are east and deal in to another player's hand, then you pay them the normal amount.

[@choyou3932]

Crap, i need to practice my mental math.