All Even Pungs

What Is All Even Pungs

All Even Pungs stands out as a powerful 24-fan hand in Chinese Official Mahjong that restricts all 14 tiles to the even numbers 2, 4, 6, and 8, arranged as four pungs/kongs plus one pair. The inability to use odd or honor tiles, combined with the requirement that all melds be triplets, makes this pattern challenging to assemble—but yields a substantial reward when achieved. Early identification of abundant even tiles in your hand, quick discarding of ineligible ranks, and thoughtful meld decisions can guide you toward this impressive, game-changing hand.

The Tile Pattern of All Even Pungs

The core feature is that you have four sets, each being a pung (three identical tiles) or a kong (four identical tiles) of an even rank:

• Possible even ranks: 2, 4, 6, 8
• Possible suits: Craks, Bams, Dots

You cannot include 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 or any honor tiles (winds or dragons).

Example:

• Pung of 2 Bams (2 B, 2 B, 2 B)
• Pung of 4 Dots (4 D, 4 D, 4 D)
• Pung of 6 Craks (6 C, 6 C, 6 C)
• Pung of 8 Dots (8 D, 8 D, 8 D)
• Pair of 4 Bams (4 B, 4 B)

No tiles lie outside the set 2, 4, 6, 8 across the three suits.

Fan Value of All Even Pungs

Under Chinese Mahjong rules, All Even Pungs is awarded 24 fan. This is a very high payout, reflecting:

• The strict restriction to even ranks only.
• Needing all melds to be pungs/kongs, which can be tougher than assembling chows.
• Having no room for odd tiles or honor tiles that might otherwise provide smaller bonus patterns.

Because 24 fan greatly surpasses the typical 8-fan minimum, completing All Even Pungs guarantees a high-scoring hand.

Strategies and Considerations of All Even Pungs

Check for Even Tiles: If your opening hand has multiple pairs or partial pungs of 2, 4, 6, or 8, consider going for “All Even Pungs.” Since you cannot use 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or any honor tiles, discard them promptly to concentrate your hand on even tiles.

Calling Pungs: You can call (pung/kong) on an opponent’s discard if it helps you complete an even triplet. This often speeds up your completion but reveals your intention. If you remain fully concealed until the end, you might also earn extra fan for a fully concealed hand or self-draw—though typically, players call pungs to complete the sets faster.

Predictable Discards: Consistently discarding odd tiles and honors can give away that you might be forming “All Even Pungs.” Opponents may then withhold even tiles to block you.

Tile Counting: Keep close track of how many even tiles (especially pairs you need) appear in others’ melds or discards. If too many are gone, you might pivot to a different pattern (e.g., regular “All Pungs” or “Mixed Shifted Pungs”).

Potential Combinations

• All Pungs: Since your entire hand is pungs, you also get “All Pungs” (6 fan) if your pattern qualifies. However, in Guobiao, some special hands at higher fan counts may replace smaller patterns. Consult local rules for whether you can stack these scores or the higher pattern supersedes the smaller.
• Seat/Prevalent Wind: Not relevant if you use no honor tiles—but if you somehow included a seat/prevalent wind pung, that would violate the “all even” requirement. Hence, no wind or dragon pungs are allowed.
• Additional Concealment: If the entire hand is self-drawn and concealed, you can gain further fan. Again, local interpretations may vary on stacking.

Tile Availability: You are limited to four ranks across three suits (2, 4, 6, 8), meaning exactly 12 possible ranks total. If other players are discarding or using many of those tiles, finishing may become difficult.

Defensive vs. Aggressive: “All Even Pungs” can rapidly accumulate if you pick up the necessary discards. Decide whether to meld early (risky but faster) or hope to remain concealed (safer but potentially slower).