Editing Scoring in Mahjong (section)

== Scoring rules ==
{{further|Mahjong#Scoring}}
=== Hong Kong scoring ===
{{main article|Hong Kong Mahjong scoring rules}}

In the traditional Hong Kong scoring system or the Cantonese scoring system, scoring tends to be low due to the few criteria used.

The general scoring modifiers apply (see above), with the point translation function being a piecewise function: a constant amount is given for scoreless hands, and the score is doubled for each point (that is, an [[exponential function]]). Because zero-point hands are common, players often play with the additional restriction that a winning hand must be of some point value, often anywhere between one and five points, with three being the most common.

=== Chinese Classical scoring ===

Scoring in the Chinese Classical system,<ref>Millington, A.D., ''Complete Book of Mah Jong''.  Weidenfeld & Nicolson: 1993. {{ISBN|0-297-81340-4}}.</ref> from which the Babcock system is derived, proceeds as follows.  When one player has won the hand by obtaining mahjong
* each player adds up basic points for their hand based on possession of certain melds, pairs and bonus tiles
* winner adds additional basic points for obtaining mahjong, and possibly for completing their hand in various special ways (for example, getting their last tile from the wall)
* each player doubles their basic points one or more times based on possession of certain rarer melds or combinations of melds (for example a set of the prevailing wind tiles)
* winner doubles their basic points one or more times based on their hand forming certain rarer patterns (for example, composed entirely of honour tiles) or being completed in a special way (for example, robbing an exposed kong)

The winner collects their total points from each of the three losers.  The losers pay each other the difference in their points.  East pays or receives double amounts in their transactions.

Various "Special Limit" hands exist which, if obtained (which is unlikely), give the holder the maximum permitted amount (the limit) of points for their hand.

=== Taiwanese scoring ===
Unlike Hong Kong scoring, Taiwanese scoring employs a linear relationship between ''tai'' (台) (points in the Taiwanese system) and chips. When a win occurs in Taiwanese Mahjong, the number of ''tai'' of the winning hand is multiplied by a factor and then added to a base score. For example, if the base and factor are 3 and 2, respectively, then the loser to a 5-''tai'' hand pays the winner 13 (3+2×5).

The Taiwanese system follows a different payment procedure from the standard procedure mentioned earlier:
* In the case where a player wins by a discard (a player ''picks off'' an opponent), the player who performs the discard pays each winner (there may be more than one).
* In the case where a player wins by a draw (a player wins by ''self-pick''), each player except the winner pays the winner.

When the dealer is involved in either the winning or losing side of a hand, extra ''tai'' (one plus twice the number of times the dealer has consecutively retained the dealership) are added to the dealer's winnings or losses.

=== Shanghai scoring ===
In contrast, the scoring system used in the Shanghai variant is high due to the diverse number of scoring criteria and inflated values for rarer hands such as the ''thirteen terminals''. Because of the inflated point values, there is generally a minimum point value in the Shanghai variant.

=== Singaporean scoring ===

Singaporean scoring is similar to that of the Chinese Classical system but accounts for the different set of tiles used therein. Again, standard payment variations apply, although variants exist where the dealer must also pay and receive double.

===Japanese scoring===
{{main article|Japanese Mahjong scoring rules}}

The Japanese scoring system is the system that is found in many Mahjong [[video game]]s. In this variation, each player begin with a start score. Usually, this number is either 25,000 or 30,000.  However, it can be any agreed start value.  In real tile settings, this is typically represented by a series of bars resembling elongated [[Chinese dominoes]], in four denominations: 10,000, 5,000, 1,000, and 100.  Otherwise, online the representation is simply the displayed point scores.

=== American scoring ===
A side effect of the Babcock scoring system in the 1920s was that many players frequently sought after limit hands rather than hands of smaller value. Because of this, the common hands were eventually abandoned, and the only way one could win was to match a hand from a list of hands.

Today, in the American variations, players use a card that defines a small set of hands that are the only valid winning hands, with a point value given for each hand. This system is used by the two major governing bodies of Mahjong in the [[United States]], the [[National Mah Jongg League]] and the [[American Mah-Jongg Association]], with new cards that define the valid winning hands released annually.

Typically, each card contains scoring criteria that make references to the year the scoring cards are released. For example, the 1985 scoring hand will have hands containing "melds" of a one, nine, eight, and five of a certain suit.