All Types

What Is All Types

All Types in Chinese Mahjong is a 6-fan pattern requiring your hand to include at least one tile from each of the three suits (Craks, Bams, Dots) plus winds and dragons. While it can naturally arise from a hand containing a broad mix of suits and a few honor tiles, it demands careful tile management to ensure you maintain at least one tile from every category. If executed well, All Types can bring a substantial scoring boost—particularly if you capitalize on potential honor pungs or combine it with other bonuses.

The Tile Pattern of All Types

Presence of Each of the Five Categories: At least one Crak tile, one Bam tile, one Dot tile, one Wind tile, and one Dragon tile appear somewhere within your hand.

Standard Hand Structure

• You still need the usual 4 melds (chows/pungs/kongs) plus 1 pair.
• The suits, winds, and dragons can be arranged in any combination of melds or the pair, as long as each category is represented.

Example

• Meld 1: 3-4-5 of Craks
• Meld 2: Pung of 7 Bams (7-7-7)
• Meld 3: 2-3-4 of Dots
• Meld 4: Pung of East (East-East-East)
• Pair: Red Dragons (Red-Red) Here, we have Craks, Bams, Dots, a wind (East), and a dragon (Red), fulfilling the All Types requirement.

Fan Value of All Types

Under standard Chinese Mahjong rules, All Types is worth 6 fan. This relatively high value reflects the challenge of collecting at least one tile from each of the three suits plus both wind(s) and dragon(s).

Strategies and Considerations of All Types

High Base Score (6 Fan): Achieving 6 fan from All Types alone provides a robust foundation, which can be further augmented if you incorporate other scoring patterns (e.g., pungs of dragons or seat wind).

Flexible Meld Structures: You can form chows or pungs (or kongs) in whichever suit(s) you have multiple tiles. There is no restriction forcing you to use only one suit or mostly honors—just ensure each category is present at least once.

Naturally Occurring: Sometimes you pick up a smattering of different suits and a couple of honor tiles in a typical hand. Rather than discarding away “unwanted” suits or honors, you can pivot to All Types if you notice you’re covering all five categories.

Risk of Tile Shortages: You must keep at least one wind and at least one dragon tile, which might conflict with other patterns or slow your hand if you cannot form a viable meld (e.g., you only have one single wind tile with no second or third copy to make a pung).

Opponent Awareness: If opponents see you are retaining small quantities of multiple suits and picking up honors, they might guess you aim for All Types or Mixed One-Suit with honors, etc. Skilled rivals could hold back specific discards.

Early Assessment: Check your starting hand. If you have at least one tile in each suit (or near it) plus a couple of honors, consider the possibility of All Types. Prioritize discards that do not break your coverage of the five categories.

Focus on Flexible Melds: If you only have a single wind or dragon tile, see if you can pair it up for a pung or the pair. If that proves difficult, you might keep it just as a single tile to fill the “honor” category, but be sure you can form the other sets efficiently.

Don’t Overcommit: If you find yourself lacking an essential category late in the game (e.g., no available dragons left to form a set or pair), consider pivoting to a simpler hand. Forcing All Types when the tiles aren’t cooperating can lead to a missed opportunity for a faster or safer win.