Joy in all tiles, connection in every heart.
A warm, welcoming Sacramento community built around the timeless Chinese game of mahjong.
Mahjong (麻將) is a Chinese game of skill, strategy and luck, traditionally played by four people with 144 tiles. The name means "sparrow," after the lively chatter of tiles being shuffled.
There are many styles of play. Collective Sparrows focuses on Hong Kong style: fast, social, and easy to learn at the table.
The 四 under our sparrow means four, for the four seats around a mahjong table. It's where community gathers, friendships grow, and purpose is shared: kindness, warmth and belonging.
There's a seat for you
Whether you're learning your first tile or leading the table with confidence.
Come to our next gathering
We host monthly events around Sacramento. New faces always welcome. Bring a friend, and we'll teach you as we play.
Mahjong nights, every month
We host Hong Kong style mahjong events around Sacramento. New players, regulars and everyone in between are welcome.
Get the next event in your inbox Dates, venues and tickets go to newsletter subscribers first.At every event
枱Each monthly event has two kinds of tables, so you can play at your own pace.
Beginner tables
Never played? Start here. A teacher sits with your table and walks you through every step, from building the wall to calling Mahjong.
Darling Newbies + Tile SocialitesIntermediate tables
Know the basics? Play full games at a relaxed pace with players at your level, using our house rules and Old Style scoring.
MJ Mavens + Seasoned Sparrows
- Monthly eventsA new event every month at a different spot around Sacramento.
- Ticketed + RSVP requiredSeats are limited to full tables of four, so grab a ticket ahead of time.
- Tiles and mats providedJust bring yourself. We set up every table.
- Teachers at every eventNever played? You can still come. We'll teach you at the table.
- Everyone's welcomeSome events at bars or wineries are 21+. The invite will always say so.
Thank you to our venue hosts. Each event brings a new spot to discover.
Bring mahjong to your group or venue
Interested in a private event, team gathering or hosting us at your space? Email us.
Save your seat at the next table
Sign up for the newsletter and we'll let you know when the next event is, where it is, and when tickets open.
Sign up for the newsletterHong Kong Mahjong 101
港式麻將4 sets + 1 pair
Make any combination of sets, plus one pair, and call "Mahjong!"
Chow + Chow + Pong + Pong + Pair = Mahjong!
Meet the tiles
Tap any tile to see and hear its name.
The player on your right goes next
Say the tile's name as you discard it.
Setting up the table
開枱1Choose the dealer (East)
Roll the dice
Choose the dealer (East)
Roll the dice- Everyone rolls the dice.
- The highest roller becomes East, the dealer.House rule
2Assign the winds
Seats go counter-clockwise
Assign the winds
Seats go counter-clockwiseSeating order: East → South → West → North. South sits to East's right, and play always moves to the right.
3Wash the tiles + build the wall
18 stacks each, 2 tiles high
Wash the tiles + build the wall
18 stacks each, 2 tiles highTurn all tiles face down and mix them around.
Each player builds 18 stacks, 2 tiles per stack.
- Hold the left side steady.
- Lift the right side slightly, about 15°.
- Line it up around the 6th–7th stack of the wall to your right.
- Overlap slightly toward the middle, not corner to corner.
4Break the wall + deal
East rolls, then deals 13 / 14
Break the wall + deal
East rolls, then deals 13 / 14- East rolls the dice.
- Starting at East's wall as 1, count walls to the right.
- On that wall, count the same number of stacks from the right.
- Move the last stack counted on top of the stack before it. That marks where the dead wall begins.
12342, 6, 10
14, 18
4, 8
12, 16
Count walls to the right, starting with East as 1. Keep going around past 4. Example: roll 7 → East 1, South 2, West 3, North 4, East 5, South 6, West 7. Break West's wall.
- Dealer takes 4 tiles.
- Going right, each player takes 4.
- Repeat 3 times (12 tiles each).
- Dealer takes top tiles 1 and 3 (skip the 2nd).
- Going right, each player takes 1.
East starts with 14 tiles. Everyone else has 13.
5Flowers, seasons + sorting
Replace bonus tiles
Flowers, seasons + sorting
Replace bonus tiles- Reveal bonus tiles and set them aside.
- Starting with the dealer, take replacements from the dead wall, then continue right.
- Repeat for any new bonus tiles.
- Group your tiles by type: Characters, Sticks, Balls, Winds and Dragons.
6Start the first turn
East discards first
Start the first turn
East discards first- East has 14 tiles and does not draw.
- East looks at their hand and discards 1 tile.
- Place the discard face up in the middle.
- The player to East's right goes next.
Our house rules
枱規How we play at Collective Sparrows tables. Look for the House rule tag where tables elsewhere may differ.
Call the latest discard, even out of turn
If the most recent discard completes your hand, you can claim it no matter whose turn is next. Call "Mahjong!"
Call it before the next person draws
Any player, even out of turn
Any player
Only the next player
Same call? The next player in turn order gets the tile.House rule
Claimed sets stay face up and can't be changed.
Four of a kind
For either kong, draw a replacement from the dead wall, then discard.
Robbing a Kong
When someone adds a 4th tile to an exposed pong, you may call "Mahjong!" on that tile if it wins your hand. Call it before they take their replacement draw.
right deals
When the deal passes, everyone's seat wind shifts: South becomes East, West becomes South, and so on.
- Winds and Dragons cannot form chows.
- Claimed sets cannot be changed.
- Missed a discard? You can't claim it later.
- Claim a pair only for Mahjong.
- Only the latest discard may be claimed.
- You can win by drawing your final tile yourself.
- Say the tile name clearly when you discard.
- Keep discards visible in the center.
- Pause briefly after each discard so others can claim.
- Don't touch another player's tiles.
- New to the table? Ask before touching the wall.
- Keep it friendly, clear and kind.
Faan scoring
計番Hong Kong Old Style
We score with the Old Style fan–laak table. Fan values and payments on this page all come from that one system, so the numbers always line up.
Points for what's in your winning hand. Each scoring feature adds fan.
Your fan total turns into points using the table below.
Colored practice coins you pass to the winner. Just for fun, no money.
Set by house rules
Your table picks a minimum before the first game. A hand under the minimum can't call Mahjong.
Who pays what
Everyone pays the winner. On a discard win, the player who threw the winning tile pays double.
| Fan | Discarder pays | Each other player pays | Self-draw: each pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| 2 | 8 | 4 | 8 |
| 3 | 16 | 8 | 16 |
| 4–6 | 32 | 16 | 32 |
| 7–9 | 64 | 32 | 64 |
| 10+ | 128 | 64 | 128 |
Fan come in bands: 4, 5 and 6 fan all pay the same, and so do 7, 8 and 9. Limit hands pay the 10+ row.
Four runs and a pair of suit tiles.
Every set is three (or four) of a kind.
One suit plus winds or dragons.
Every tile from one suit. No honors.
Three of any dragon. Each dragon pong counts once.
Sitting South? A South pong is your seat wind. If South is also the round wind, it scores 2.
Two dragon pongs and a pair of the third. The 4 fan already include those two pongs.
Seat flower or season: 1 each. All four flowers or all four seasons: 2. No bonus tiles at all: 1.
Self-drawn · Last tile of the wall · Out on a kong replacement · Last discard · Robbing the kong
Big three dragons 大三元 · Little four winds 小四喜 · Big four winds 大四喜 · All honors 字一色 · All terminals 清么九 · Nine gates 九子連環 · Thirteen orphans 十三么 · All kongs 十八羅漢 · Four concealed pongs 坎坎糊 · Blessing of heaven 天糊 · Blessing of earth 地糊
Nothing else adds to a limit hand.
These stack
- All pongs + Half flush + Red dragon pong = 7 fan
- All chows + Full flush + Self-drawn = 8 fan
- Little three dragons + Half flush = 7 fan
- Seat wind + Round wind on the same pong = 2 fan
These don't
- All chows with All pongs, or with any wind or dragon pong
- All chows with Half flush (no honors allowed)
- Full flush with any winds or dragons
- Little three dragons with its own dragon pongs
- All four flowers with your seat flower
- No flowers with any flower or season
- Limit hands with anything else
A 3-fan discard win
East throws the tile that completes South's All pongs hand (3 fan). That's the 3-fan row:
Sources: Old Hong Kong Mahjong rules, Hong Kong Old Style Scoring (Variant 1 fan–laak table) · cross-checked with Four Winds Mah Jong, "Hong Kong Mah Jong" Old Style preset.
Coin colors, values and starting amounts are house settings. Change them to match your set. Coins are practice points only.
Who won?
How did they win?
Who discarded the winning tile?
Anything special about the winning tile?
Hand shape
Which limit hand?
Suits
Dragon and wind pongs
Tap each one the winner has three or four of.
The pair is
Flowers and seasons
Tap every bonus tile the winner set aside.
At-the-table cheat sheet
Winning hand
4 sets + 1 pair
Chow · Pong · Kong, plus a pair
Turn order
Play moves to the player on your right.
Claim priority
- Mahjong
- Pong / Kong
- Chow
Tie: next in turn order
Who can claim
Chow: next player only
Pong/Kong: anyone
Pair: only to win
Starting hands
East: 14, discards first
Others: 13
Dead wall
Replacements for flowers, seasons and kongs.
Kongs
Drawn: face down
Claimed: face up
Then replace + discard
Next dealer
East wins / draw: East again
Else: East's right
Remember
- Call a discard before the next person draws.
- Only the latest discard can be claimed.
- Mahjong can be called out of turn.
- Rob a kong when a 4th tile is added to an exposed pong.
What to say
講乜Tap a word to hear it. Say it clearly so the whole table hears. Cantonese is what you'll hear at most HK tables.
Can I claim this?
- Is it the latest discard?No → you can't take it.
- Did the next player draw yet?Yes → too late.
- Does it win your hand?Yes → call "Mahjong!" Anyone can, even out of turn.
- Does it make a pong or kong?Yes → anyone can call it.
- Does it make a chow?Only if you're the next player.
- Only a pair?Only to win.
Two calls at once? Mahjong beats Pong/Kong beats Chow.
Winning hands
糊牌What "done" looks like: 14 tiles, 4 sets + 1 pair.
Your seat flower
正花Draw the flower or season numbered for your seat and it scores 1 faan.
End of game
- Winner lays the full hand face up.
- Count the faan together. It must meet the house minimum.
- Settle up with chips.
- Pass the deal: East stays if East won or no one won. Otherwise East's right deals.
- Turn every tile face down and wash for the next game.
Glossary
- Live wall
- The tiles everyone draws from during play.
- Dead wall (flower wall)
- Kept aside for flower, season and kong replacements.
- Exposed set
- A set you made by claiming a discard. It stays face up.
- Concealed hand
- A hand built only from tiles you drew yourself.
- Self-draw 自摸
- Winning with a tile you drew from the wall.
- Ready / waiting 叫糊
- One tile away from winning.
- Robbing a kong 搶槓
- Winning with the tile someone adds to their exposed pong.
- Honors
- Winds and dragons. They pong, kong and pair, but never chow.
- Terminals
- The 1s and 9s of each suit.
- Flowers vs. seasons
- Two sets of bonus tiles, each numbered 1–4. Set aside and replace.
- Chicken hand 雞糊
- A winning shape worth 0 faan.
- Limit
- The most a single hand can score at your table.