Many newbies to mahjong will ask:What is Mahjong like?？Simply put, Hu cards are the cards in your hand that are formed into a specific card type according to the rules and meet the conditions of a sum card. However, the rules of mahjong vary slightly in different regions. Based on the most popular national standard mahjong and public mahjong, this article will analyze in detail the basic card types, special card types and common misunderstandings of Hu cards, helping you quickly master Hu card skills.

1. The basic conditions for Hu Pai: 4 faces +1 faces

无论哪种麻将，胡牌的核心结构都是4 pairs of faces (straight or cut)+1 pair of trump cards (pair), a total of 14 cards. Face can be three consecutive ordinal cards (such as 12,30,000), called straight; or it can be three identical cards (such as three east winds), called cut. Generals are two identical cards, such as two 5-barrel cards.

For example, your hand is: 12,30,000, 4 barrels, 5 barrels, 6 barrels, 7 barrels, 8 barrels, 9 barrels, three red midges, and two fortunes. This is the standard Hu card type: three straight strings, one cut (red middle), and a pair of generals (rich).

2. Illustration of common Hu brand types

1. pinghu

Flat Hu is the most basic method of playing Hu. It consists of 4 straight strings (or chips) and 1 pair of generals. There is no special card type. For example: 1.23 million, 456 cylinders, 789 pieces, 2.34 million pieces, 55 pieces. Pinghu is counted as basic hu in most rules, with a lower number.

2. Pengpenhu

Damping Hu is also called a big pair. It consists of 4 dice (or bars) and 1 pair of generals, with no straight. For example: three 10,000 yuan, three 5,000 yuan, three 7,000 yuan, three dongfeng, and two 90,000 yuan. The number of times of Dampenhu is usually higher than that of Pinhu.

3. seven pairs

七对是由7个对子组成的特殊牌型，不需要面子结构。例如：11万、33万、55筒、77筒、99条、22条、44条。七对在多数规则中算作较高的番种。

4. exclusively

Uniform means that all cards are composed of the same color. They can be any of ten thousand, tube, and bar, and must conform to the basic Hu card structure. For example: 1.23 million, 4.56 million, 7.89 million, 2.34 million, 550,000. It is a common large-scale species.

3. Special Hu brand type

In addition to the common card types mentioned above, there are also some special card types that are valid in some rules:

  • Thirteenth one：由13种幺九牌（1万9万、1筒9筒、1条9条、东南西北中发白）各一张，再加其中任意一张组成对子。这是最大的牌型之一。
  • Don't rely on anything：由单张的东南西北中发白、147万、258筒、369条共16张牌中的任意14张组成，且没有重复。
  • 组合龙: It consists of three suits of 147, 258, and 369, which can be regarded as three special straight.

4. Common misunderstandings among Hu Pai

Many novices are prone to making the following mistakes:

  1. A trump card is not a pair: The general card must be two identical cards, not two different cards.
  2. Wrong amount of face: It must be 4 faces +1 generals, no more or less. If you have 15 cards in your hand (such as behind the bars), you need to play one card to win.
  3. color confusion：顺子必须由同一种花色的连续牌组成，不能跨花色（如1万2筒3条不是顺子）。
  4. Ignore special card types：七对、十三幺等特殊牌型不需要面子结构，不要强行拆解。

五、如何快速判断是否胡牌

实战中，你可以按照以下步骤快速判断：

  1. Count whether there are 14 cards in your hand (there may be many cards after the card is crossed, so you need to play one card).
  2. Try to divide your hand into 4 groups of faces and 1 pair of generals. First find a pair as a trump card, and then see if the remaining cards can form a face.
  3. 如果无法组成标准结构，检查是否满足七对、十三幺等特殊牌型。
  4. 注意是否有吃、碰、杠等副露，副露的牌也算在面子内。

掌握这些基本规则后，多练习就能熟练判断What is Mahjong like?。不同地区的麻将规则可能对番种和特殊牌型有不同定义，建议在实战前了解当地规则。希望本文能帮助你更快上手，享受麻将的乐趣！