All Fives

What Is All Fives

All Fives is a distinct 16-fan hand in Chinese Mahjong, requiring that every set—the four melds plus the pair—include the rank 5 tile. Whether through 5-centered chows (like 3–4–5, 4–5–6) or pungs/kongs of 5, plus a pair of 5, you must consistently feature the tile “5” across all parts of your 14-tile hand. Although challenging—because you need multiple 5s or 5-based sequences across suits—the 16-fan reward is a strong incentive if your opening tiles already favor such a structure. Observing how many 5s remain unclaimed, deciding whether to meld early, and managing opponent suspicions form the crux of successfully achieving “All Fives.”

The Tile Pattern of All Fives

In Chinese Mahjong, All Fives requires that every meld (set) and the pair in your winning hand contain the number 5.

Specifically:

• If you have a chow (sequence) in any suit (e.g., Bams), it must include the tile 5 in that suit (e.g., 3–4–5 or 4–5–6).
• If you have a pung/kong (triplet/quad), it must be made of 5 in one of the suits (e.g., 5 C, 5 C, 5 C).
• Your pair must also be 5s (e.g., 5 B, 5 B in Bams).

Since each of your four melds (chows/pungs/kongs) and the single pair must include or be the tile 5, every set “carries a 5” in its composition—hence the hand name “All Fives.”

Examples：

• Chow of 3–4–5 Bams
• Chow of 4–5–6 Dots
• Pung of 5 Craks (5 C, 5 C, 5 C)
• Chow of 5–6–7 Bams (note that 5 must be included)
• Pair of 5 Dots (5 D, 5 D)

Each meld contains the tile 5, and the pair is also 5. No meld can omit rank 5; that is the defining requirement.

Fan Value of All Fives

In Chinese Mahjong rules, All Fives is worth 16 fan. This moderately high value reflects the challenge of gathering enough 5 tiles across the suits to satisfy every meld. Because 16 fan is twice the usual minimum of 8 fan for many official tables, completing “All Fives” can yield a significant scoring boost.

Strategies and Considerations of All Fives

Identifying a Potential “All Fives”: If your initial hand contains multiple 5s in various suits, or you see natural sequences like 3–4–5 and 5–6–7 forming, you may consider “All Fives.” Quickly discard honors and any suit tiles that do not help form sets around rank 5.

Meld vs. Concealed: You can call chows or pungs involving 5 from opponents’ discards if it speeds up your completion. However, showing multiple sets with 5 might signal your plan. If you remain concealed, you gain small bonuses for a fully concealed hand or a self-drawn win. But “All Fives” does not mandate concealment, so melding is permissible.

Single Suit vs. Multiple Suits: You might gather 5s in two or three suits if you have enough to form chows/pungs, or you could concentrate in one suit if that’s how your tiles align.

Availability of 5-Tiles: Because you need so many 5s, watch for how many appear in others’ melds or discards. If too many 5s in a certain suit vanish, you may have to rely on 5s from another suit (or pivot away from “All Fives”).

Conspicuous Focus on 5: Discarding all tiles except those around rank 5 can alert skilled opponents to your potential “All Fives” hand. They may hold back 5s to block you. Chow Patterns: Common chow shapes for “All Fives” are 3–4–5, 4–5–6, or 5–6–7, each anchored by the rank 5.

16 Fan Payout: Though not as rare as some 24- or 64-fan hands, “All Fives” remains valuable and can significantly boost your score if completed efficiently.