All Terminals

What Is All Terminals

All Terminals is a prestigious 64-fan hand in Chinese Mahjong, where all 14 tiles are rank 1 or rank 9 in any suits—no middle ranks (2–8) or honor tiles allowed. As a result, your melds must be pungs or kongs, plus a final pair of 1s or 9s. Though this approach is conspicuous—enabling vigilant opponents to withhold the very tiles you need—the payoff is enormous if you successfully assemble four terminal pungs/kongs and a terminal pair. For players who find themselves with an abundance of 1s and 9s early, “All Terminals” can be a compelling, if ambitious, road to a game-defining high score.

The Tile Pattern of All Terminals

All Terminals requires that every tile in your winning hand be a 1 or 9 from any suit (Craks, Bams, Dots) without any honor tiles (winds or dragons). Because you exclude all other ranks (2–8) and all honors, you are confined to the two extreme ranks—1 and 9—in suits only.

Example:

• Pung of 1 Bas (1 B, 1 B, 1 B)
• Pung of 9 Craks (9 C, 9 C, 9 C)
• Pung of 1 Dots (1 D, 1 D, 1 D)
• Pung of 9 Bams (9 B, 9 B, 9 B)
• Pair of 1 Craks (1 C, 1 C)

Fan Value of All Terminals

Under Chinese Mahjong rules, All Terminals is awarded 64 fan. This is one of the highest single-hand values (topped only by the even rarer 88-fan hands like “Nine Gates” or “Thirteen Orphans” in other variants). Achieving “All Terminals” is challenging and inevitably reveals a distinctive playing style that can tip off opponents.

Strategies and Considerations of All Terminals

Check Your Opening Tiles: If you begin a hand with multiple pairs or partial pungs of 1s and 9s across the suits, you might consider “All Terminals.” Immediately discard any ranks 2–8 and any honor tiles (winds/dragons) so you can draw or call more 1s and 9s.

Calling Pungs: You can call “pung” whenever an opponent discards the third copy of a rank you need. Declaring a kong can also provide an extra draw from the dead wall. However, each meld call reveals your reliance on 1s or 9s.

Fully Concealed: If you manage to self-draw all the needed tiles, you might add small concealed-hand or self-draw bonuses. But waiting passively can be dangerous if an opponent completes a more common hand faster.

Obvious Discards: Throwing away all ranks 2–8 and ignoring honors signals an extreme pattern. Opponents can easily guess you are going for a “terminals-only” hand (or possibly an “All Terminals and Honors”). They may hoard 1s or 9s.

Tile Counting: If multiple 1s or 9s of a specific suit appear in others’ melds/discards, you might find it impossible to gather a pung. Always track how many copies remain.

Potential Overlaps

• All Pungs: Because you effectively use only pungs/kongs, you also have “All Pungs.” But “All Terminals” (64 fan) eclipses that smaller pattern.
• Seat/Prevalent Wind: You cannot use seat wind or round wind in “All Terminals,” because they are honor tiles, which are disallowed in this hand. So no extra wind/dragon bonus is possible.

Restrictive Ranks: By eliminating 2–8 and honors, you drastically reduce your tile pool and rely heavily on a small set of ranks. A successful “All Terminals” can swing the table in your favor, especially if combined with a big point differential or extra rounds left to play.