Editing Scoring in Mahjong (section)

== Criteria ==
<!--  Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:MJ Chip.jpg|thumb|250px|When gambling with mahjong, scores are typically directly translated into sums of money. [[Poker chips]] are used in transaction throughout the playout.]] -->

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:MJ money.jpg|thumb|250px|In Singapore scoring, scores may be paid out immediately when performed. That is, a player may earn points during the game that are kept regardless of whether the hand is won or lost.]] -->

Points are obtained for a hand by matching it against various criteria, with different criteria scoring different values. Criteria can include particular melds or other tiles held, how the (winning) hand was completed, possession of various special combinations, etc.  Some of these criteria may be subsets of other criteria (for example, having a meld of one [[dragon]] versus having a meld of all of them), and in these cases, only the criteria with the tighter requirements is scored.  The points obtained may be translated into scores for each player using some (typically [[exponential function|exponential]]) function. When gambling with mahjong, these scores are typically directly translated into sums of money paid between players.

The terminology of ''point'' differs from variation to variation. A common English term is ''double'', as the point-to-score translation is typically exponential with a base of 2. (This is not to be confused with the doubling applied to the basic point score in some variations.)  Chinese variants will use the term 翻 (pinyin: ''fan'', literal meaning: ''double''). Taiwanese mahjong, however, uses the term 台 (pinyin: ''tái'') along with a linear scoring system.

''Points'' and ''score'' relate to two distinct concepts - based on the points obtained in a round, and other factors, players pay each other money.  Chips or similar tokens can be used instead, or a score can simply be calculated.

Each player begins the game with the same score.  When settling up, in many cases only the winner is paid with the winner's gain being deducted from the three losers' scores (that is, the losers pay the winner).  However, payment between players can be arranged in other ways. A common set of modifiers (for which this article will call the ''standard payment variations'') include:
* In the case where a player wins by a discard (a player ''picks off'' an opponent), the player who performs the discard pays double
* In the case where a player wins by a draw (a player wins by ''self-pick''), every losing player pays double.
* In the case where a player wins from a high-risk scenario (see below), the player who performs the discard pays for the other two losing players (in addition to the normal double share).

If playing with chips, there is no universal rule for the situation when a player runs out.  In some circles, the match is immediately aborted, with the player furthest ahead in score declared the winner, while in others, a player out of chips continues to play without risk of further losses.  Alternatively, the loser may pay cash to buy back chips from the winners and the game continues.

The rules mentioned below are by no means exhaustive or common to every variation, but are common to many 13-tile and 16-tile variations.