Looking to use a pro organization (like, for example, Saikouisen) ruleset, but aren’t running on autotables? Read below for a conversion guide!
Suggestions for converting Pro Organization rule sets for handshuffle events
If your club plans on using a professional mahjong organization’s ruleset for their event, be mindful that most of these are written with automatic mahjong tables (jidotaku / 自動卓 / “autotables”) in mind, if not specifically referencing their use. This list of conversions will fit multiple organizations and turn their rules into ones suitable at all levels of handshuffle play.
#1: Equipment / number of tile sets used
Use a mahjong mat or other uniform surface for tiles.
Use 2 six-sided dice.
Use 1 set of tiles, not the standard 2 sets as used by autotables.
#2: Dice rolls
Dice rolls that are not done by a specified player are rolled by the dealer.
#3: Game duration
Add 15 to 20 minutes to all single game times. Shuffling, building a wall, and drawing a starting hand takes approximately 1.5-2 minutes, and games have approximately 10 hands.
#4: Elevator Line
Rules that reference an “elevator line” should be replaced with “wall”/”wall area”/”wall line”. Any details regarding this such as front of elevator line, back of elevator line, etc are updated accordingly. Should a wall not be in front of a player, the area where their wall was is used, and a judge should be called if players do not unanimously agree on its location and an issue arises.
#5: Honba
Automatic tables keep track of bonus rounds automatically. With handshuffle games, the current dealer puts out a number of points equal to 100x the bonus round count so players are aware of the current count. For example, 200 points is “bonus round 2”, 600 points (whether that is 6 100-point sticks, or 1 500-point and 1 100-point) is “bonus round 6”.
These are placed in the same area, parallel to, and next to any leftover riichi sticks. Take care to group them together and separate from said riichi sticks, so they are not mixed in. These honba indicators are still the property of the dealer – they are counted as part of their points, and not lost or transferred in any way regardless of winner or deal pass. When the dealer changes, they are physically returned to the container in which the dealer places their points, however for rule purposes they never left that container.
Should a dealer not have enough sticks to properly denote the honba count, change should be made – if this does not solve the problem, call a judge to provide an alternate method of bonus round indication.
#6: Starting a hand
For rulesets that say that the upcoming dealer pushes the “set” button, replace with:
– All Tiles are placed facedown and unstacked.
– All players shuffle (“wash”) the tiles by pushing them from their sides towards middle the of the play area, altering slightly left and right of center. If space is limited, players may alternate intermittent pauses to avoid crashing into each other and “log jam” situations. Players should avoid jerky or violent motions that cause tiles to pop up or become damaged. Players should refrain from allowing tiles to remain in front of them for extended periods of time. Players should occasionally reach across to the opposite side to drag or pull in tiles from the other side of the mat, ensuring all tiles are shuffled between players. Should a tile turn faceup, it should be turned facedown relatively soon, and then shuffled so that players cannot discern that tile’s location. This should continue for at least 30 seconds but less than 1 minute, and stop when more than one player other than the dealer is satisfied. Should any player be uncertain of the veracity of the shuffle, or the length of time being used to manipulate the time remaining for competitive purposes, they should inform a Judge.
– Players then build facedown walls of tiles 2 high and 17 long. It is recommended that players pull tiles towards them 1-6 at a time to first make one row flush with the edge of and mat used, then another row in front of that, and then finally pushing both forward, pulling the closest row back slightly, then stacking that row on top of the other, whether all at once or in stages. Should a number of tiles be revealed, they should be quickly shuffled with tiles from another wall. Players are suggested to not pull more than 8 tiles towards themselves at one time to avoid implications of saving those tiles for their own wall due to knowledge of the values of those tiles, and players are allowed to pull in tiles from anywhere on the mat to build their wall.
– Dealer rolls the dice. On a total of 5 or 9, they choose the wall in front of them. For 3, 7, 11, they choose the wall across. For 2,6,10 they choose the wall on their right, and for 4,8,12 they choose the wall to the left of them.
– For the next three steps the perspective of left and right is from the center of the table looking out. For clockwise and counterclockwise, the perspective is from above the table looking down.
– They separate as a single group approximately one tile width a number of stacks from the left of that wall equal to the rolled total. The top rightmost tile is moved to the right and placed next to the tile most recently beneath it, and the tile that was originally two to the left of the moved tile’s original position is flipped face up, as the first dora indicator.
– Starting with the dealer and continuing through all four players in a counterclockwise fashion, from the tiles immediately to the right, they each draw 2 stacks of tiles and leave them in front of them. Repeat this twice more, giving all players 12 tiles. It is acceptable for players to look at and sort these tiles during this process providing it does not slow the pace of drawing, however if they do so any errors that occur that they are responsible for are suggested to be considered as happening once play starts instead of during the deal.
– Dealer takes the top tile from the leftmost stack, the player counterclockwise from them the bottom tile, the player counterclockwise from them the top tile from the new leftmost stack, and the player counterclockwise from them the bottom tile. The dealer and only the dealer repeats this process once more. It is acceptable for the dealer to take these two exact tiles at the same time before the other three tiles are taken.
#7: Beginning of hand / kyoku timing
For “between hands / kyoku”, replace “after the walls come up” with “after the deal is complete”.
For “when the next hand starts”, if the rule is “when the button is pushed to open the table”, replace with “when the shuffle begins”. If the rule is “when the wall comes up” or “when the dealer takes their last initial tile”, replace with “when the dice are rolled”.
Note: while the differences in pro rules one when the hand starts are within seconds of each other, it is much more pronounced in handshuffle events, and as such game-able if someone has the intention to. Setting the next hand mark at a game event rather than a multiple player choice – for example, at the moment the previous hand is won and/or the last tile is discarded – keeps players from modifying the speeds and ability to score hands, pay points, and build walls. It is suggested that regardless of your point of choice, this should be explicitly and clearly be communicated to the players.