Dragon Pung

What Is Dragon Pung

Dragon Pung in Chinese Mahjong is a 2-fan scoring pattern formed by creating a three-of-a-kind set of one Dragon suit—Red, Green, or White. Because Dragons carry higher fan value than ordinary tiles, claiming or drawing them can be a powerful route to boost your score, especially when combined with other pung-based or honor-friendly hands.

The Tile Pattern of Dragon Pung

Three Identical Dragon Tiles: You must have three identical copies of Red, Green, or White Dragon.

Concealed or Meldeda: You can form your Dragon Pung by either drawing all three tiles yourself (concealed pung) or by claiming a discard to complete it (melded pung).

Fan Value of Dragon Pung

Under common Chinese Mahjong rules, a Dragon Pung is worth 2 fan. This makes it a valuable pattern compared to some 1-fan sets. Moreover: If your hand includes two separate Dragon Pungs (e.g., a pung of Red Dragons and a pung of Green Dragons), you may earn this bonus twice—subject to specific tournament or house rules on repeated patterns.

Strategies and Considerations of Dragon Pung

Early Retention of Dragons: Many players discard “useless” honor tiles early. However, if you draw one or two Dragons early, you might hold onto them to see if you can form a pung—especially Red or Green Dragons, which other players often discard if they cannot form a pung themselves.

Combining with Other High-Fan Patterns

• Dragon Pungs work especially well with pung-oriented hands such as All Pungs or Half Flush/Full Flush if your suits are limited and you include honors.
• If you have multiple honor pungs (e.g., a Dragon Pung plus a seat wind pung), you can collect separate bonuses for each—again, depending on your table’s rules about stacking patterns.

Be Aware of Dragon Discards: If opponents are discarding certain Dragon tiles (e.g., multiple Red Dragons), forming that Dragon Pung might become impossible if all four copies appear on the table. Track how many are visible before committing.

Signaling Danger: Once you expose a Dragon Pung, other players will know you’ve scored at least 2 fan from it. They may play more defensively, especially if they suspect you’re close to finishing a medium- or high-value hand.

Honor Tile Shortage: Because only four copies of each Dragon exist, if multiple players are holding or collecting the same Dragon, you may not see enough to complete your pung. Be prepared to pivot if you can’t gather all three.

Don’t Overvalue One Pung: While 2 fan is significant, do not commit too hard to a single pung if it prevents you from forming a viable or faster hand.