Wednesday Unseriously, Serious League: May 20 - June 10

Important:

One of my friendly dogs may be present during this league. He will not be free-roaming. If you have allergies or are not comfortable around dogs, please keep this in mind before registering.

What Is the "Unseriously, Serious" League?

A structured Hong Kong mahjong play series for players who are ready for full rules, real scoring, and clean enforcement — while still keeping the table atmosphere friendly and respectful.

This league is live, points-based play with penalties enforced and a 2 faan minimum (with potential to increase), designed for players who already understand scoring and want a more challenging experience without the intensity of formal competition.

If you want to get even more confident at building hands and counting points — and you want sharper, more consistent table play — this is your next step.

How It Works

• Scoring knowledge required.
• All following sessions focus on live play using points with penalties enforced.
• Each session is 2 hours. If the East–South game cannot reasonably finish within the session, the final hand may be called early so we end on time.
• Tables will only rotate if a full South game finishes.
• Scores will be tracked to determine a winner.
• Play with a 2 faan minimum.
• Mrs. K will be available for rule clarification, but no coaching. Players are encouraged to make their own decisions at the table.

Scoring Rules

2 faan minimum required to win

• Flowers do not count toward the faan minimum.
• Flowers of the round do not count as bonus.
• Players may use reference sheets freely.
• Table consensus > perfection! If there is uncertainty, the table agrees on the closest reasonable interpretation and moves on. Mrs. K is the final ruling if needed.
• Minor scoring mistakes do not rewind the game.

Points Payment

• Following the faan-laak table for payments.
• If the dealer wins the hand, points are doubled.
• If the dealer loses the hand, payment will be the same as other players. (No dealer penalty.)
• On a self-draw win, all players pay double to the winner.
• If the dealer wins on a sef-draw win, payments are doubled again.

Penalties

• False mahjong (Incorrect Win) - Player declares mahjong but hand does not quality (wrong structure, no minimum, miscount, etc.). 
  • The entire hand is reset.
  • The original dealer stays dealer. 
  • The player pays a 8-faan penalty to each opponent. (32 points to each player.)
  • If the same player commits a second false mahjong within the same session, the penalty increases to 10-faan. (64 points paid to each player.) A session is defined as a single league night, and the penalty counter resets at the start of each new session.
• Incorrect Call (Illegal Chow/Pong/Kong) - Player calls chow out of turn, player calls pong when they do not have a pair to reveal, etc. 
  • The player’s hand is dead immediately. A dead hand can no longer win the hand. The player can choose what tile to discard from their hand to play defensively.
  • The game continues but the player can only draw and discard. 
• Incorrect Flower Replacement - Player draws flower replacement from the head of the wall instead of the tail.
  • The player’s hand is dead immediately. A dead hand can no longer win the hand. The player can choose what tile to discard from their hand to play defensively.
  • The game continues but the player can only draw and discard. 
• Exposing Concealed Tiles From the Wall Accidentally
  • 1 - 2 Tiles: No penalty
  • 3 - 4 Tiles: First offense: Warning. This is reset every session.
  • 5 or more Tiles: The entire hand is reset. The original dealer stays dealer. A 5-faan penalty is paid to each player. (16 points to each player.)
• Misdeal
  • The dealer counted incorrectly to start the wall break. - Redeal the hand. No penalties. (YAY AUTOTABLES! Or else this would have been one!)
  • Players grab their groups of four during the deal out of turn - If this can be corrected immediately, then do so. Otherwise, redeal the hand. No penalties. (YAY AUTOTABLES, AGAIN!)
• Tiles in Hand/ Turn Violation
  • All scenarios listed below will result in the player’s hand being dead immediately. A dead hand can no longer win the hand. The game continues but the player can only draw and discard. The player can choose what tile to discard from their hand to play defensively.
    • Player has an incorrect tile count in hand.
    • Player draws and looks at the tile when it is not their turn. 
    • Player discards and tries to change their discard after their tile has passed the “normal expectation” of the tile wall.

Schedule (all dates will be Wednesdays)

• May 20, Wednesday, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
• May 27, Wednesday, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
• June 3, Wednesday, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
• June 10, Wednesday, 6:30 - 8:30 PM

Requirements

You know how to score in Hong Kong mahjong.

What to Expect (Player Etiquette)

We follow “Say, Show, Do” by saying the call, showing the tiles, and then completing the action.

We help others at the table. We want to win, but we are all here to learn the game and have a good time! We do our best to prevent players from committing actions that could cause a penalty.

We play at a friendly pace and avoid rushing other players or taking too long ourselves!

• No shaming for low-value wins.
• No criticizing another player’s discard choices.
• Mistakes are expected and welcomed — that’s the point of playing and learning!