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The Big Card Scoring: Wins, Points and Money
Playing for Score with The Big Card
Through one million games played, we determined which hands are more likely to win and which ones truly challenge even the most seasoned players. Easier hands earn lower scores, while tougher, rarer wins earn bigger points. The result is a dynamic scoring system, ranging from 10 to 85 points, where each hand’s value reflects its real-world odds of winning.
Winning players receive the point value assigned to their winning hand.
Extra points are awarded when:
No exposures: Players who win with a hand that can be exposed but is played without exposures. +10
Playing for Wins
The most straightforward way to keep score is simply to count your wins. The player who comes away with the most wins wears the crown for the day. But if you are looking to add some extra spice to your game, we’ve detailed scoring and playing for money here.
Playing for Points
Winning players receive the point value assigned to their winning hand.
All players except those with a dead hand receive +10 for a wall game. Dead hands receive 0 points.
Players who erroneously declare an opponent’s hand dead receive 0 points.
Extra points awarded when:
Jokerless: +20
A player who declares mahjong without jokers and did not play a single and pairs hand.
Self-picked: +10
Players who pick their winning tile from the wall.
Finesse Move: Players who perform a joker exchange from their own rack to achieve mahjong.
Penalties
Discard the winning tile: The player who discards another player’s winning tile is penalized points, with the penalty amount determined by how many exposures are in the winning hand.
0 to 1 exposures: -10
2 exposures: -20
3 exposures OR 2 exposures in a quints line: -25
Playing for Money
Money awarded when self-picked mahjong:
2x the value of the the hand
Players who pick their winning tile from the wall.
Finesse Move: Players who perform a joker exchange from their own rack to achieve mahjong.
Money awarded from a discard:
The player who discards the winning tile pays based on exposures:
0-2 exposures: 2x value of the hand. All other players pay the single value of the hand.
3 exposures or 2 exposures in a quints hand: discarder pays for the table.
Money awarded for a jokerless* mahjong:
Self-picked: receives 4x the value of the hand by all other players.
Winning from a discard: discarder pays 4x the value of the hand and all other players pay 2x.
* Singles and pairs hands are excluded as they must be played jokerless by definition.