Triple Pung

What Is Triple Pung

Triple Pung is a formidable 16-fan pattern in Chinese Mahjong. It demands three separate pungs (or kongs) of the same rank across the three suits (Craks, Bams, Dots), plus an extra meld and a pair to complete the 14-tile hand. While collecting so many copies of one rank can be tricky—especially if opponents catch on and withhold discards—the significant 16-fan payout can drastically swing a round’s outcome. If you notice your opening tiles already aligning toward a particular rank in multiple suits, “Triple Pung” may be a powerful, high-value goal to pursue.

The Tile Pattern of Triple Pung

In Chinese Mahjong, Triple Pung refers to a winning hand that contains three separate pungs (or kongs) of the same rank in the three different suits (Craks, Bams, and Dots). For instance, if you decide on rank 7, you could have:

• Pung of 7 Craks (7 C, 7 C, 7 C)
• Pung of 7 Bams (7 B, 7 B, 7 B)
• Pung of 7 Dots (7 D, 7 D, 7 D)

Fan Value of Triple Pung

In Chinese scoring, Triple Pung is worth 16 fan. This is a significant amount of fan—double the standard 8-fan minimum needed in many tournaments—making “Triple Pung” a very lucrative hand if you can gather the necessary tiles.

Strategies and Considerations of Triple Pung

Early Recognition

• Assess Your Opening Hand: If you start with multiple pairs or partial pungs of the same number across different suits (e.g., two 7 C, two 7 B), it could be a sign to chase “Triple Pung.”
• Rank Flexibility: You only need one rank (from 1 to 9) across the three suits. Pick a rank for which you already have many copies in your hand.

Meld vs. Concealed: You may call (“Pung!”) on an opponent’s discard to complete one of your pungs if it helps you speed toward the triple pung structure. However, each exposed pung reveals your chosen rank and suit, potentially alerting opponents. If you keep everything hidden (self-drawn), you can combine “Triple Pung” with a concealed-hand bonus. However, you might miss crucial discards for completing your pungs.

Defense by Others: Once players see you have pungs of the same rank in multiple suits, they can guess you are going for “Triple Pung.” They may withhold discards of that rank or only discard it when it is safe.

Tile Counting: Keep track of how many copies of your chosen rank have appeared in discards or other players’ melds. If too many are gone, pivoting to a different pattern might be necessary.

Compatible Patterns

• All Pungs: Since you already have three pungs, you might form the fourth meld as a pung too. This can combine “All Pungs” with “Triple Pung,” yielding extra fan on top of the 16 fan.
• Seat/Prevalent Wind: If your additional meld or pair is a pung/kong of your seat wind or the round wind, you can add small bonus fan.
• Honors: Similarly, a pung/kong of dragons or other winds might bring minor additional fan.

High-Risk, High-Reward: You are dedicating nine or more tiles (three suits × three or four copies each) to a single rank. If you fail to gather them, you could be left with an unworkable hand. The quicker you can establish your main pungs, the more likely you’ll be to finish before opponents either block or complete their own hands.