All Triplets

What is All Triplets in Japanese Mahjong

All Triplets is a two-han yaku in Japanese Riichi Mahjong. It requires your winning hand to be composed entirely of triplets (or quads) plus one pair, without any sequences. All Triplets is a two-han yaku achieved by assembling four sets of triplets (or quads) and a single pair, with no sequences allowed. Because it can be declared with an open hand, All Triplets is often a relatively direct path to a moderate-scoring win—especially when combined with Yakuhai or other triplet-based yaku. Players often adopt an aggressive calling strategy to quickly secure their triplets, though doing so can reveal their intentions and prompt careful discarding from opponents.

How to Achieve All Triplets？

Four Sets of Triplets (or Quads): Each set in your hand must be a triplet (three identical tiles) or a quad (four identical tiles). No sequences (chows) are allowed. For example, you might have Pung of 3-Sou, Pung of 5-Pin, Pung of East Wind, Pung of Red Dragon, plus a pair of 7-Man.

One Pair: Every legal Riichi Mahjong hand needs one pair. This pair cannot be integrated into another set. The pair can be any tile.

Two-Han Value: All Triplets is worth two han whether your hand is open or closed. Unlike some yaku, you do not need to keep the hand concealed to qualify.

What is the Strategy and Risk of All Triplets?

Open or Closed Hand: You can call (pung or kong) to complete your triplets, making All Triplets relatively easy to meld. Because All Triplets does not rely on a concealed hand, it is a common route for quick, aggressive play when you see duplicates of the same tile.

Combining with Other Yaku

• Yakuhai: If any of your triplets is a seat wind, round wind, or dragon, you add +1 han for each such set.
• Three Quads: If you manage to form three quads in your hand, you add another two han for three quads.
• Robbing a Kan or After a Kan can also occur situationally, further boosting your overall hand value.

Efficiency vs. Predictability: While collecting triplets can be straightforward—especially if you’re willing to call tiles—it can also telegraph your strategy to opponents. They may avoid discarding tiles that would help you complete more sets. Conversely, once you have at least two pungs revealed, opponents know you’re likely pursuing All Triplets or a triplet-based hand, and may adjust their discards accordingly.

Defensive Implications: Even if you can identify an opponent going for All Triplets, it may still be challenging to block them completely, as they can call tiles from multiple suits or from honor tiles. Watch out for big tile hogging if you suspect an opponent is aiming for multiple triplets, especially of honor tiles.

All Triplets Example Hand

• Pung of 5-Man
• Pung of 6-Sou
• Pung of Red Dragons
• Pung of Green Dragons
• Pair of 9-Pin

This hand has four triplets and one pair, fulfilling the requirements for All Triplets. Each dragon pung also grants Yakuhai, so this hand would be worth two han + one han for each dragon pung (in this example, +2 han from the two different dragon sets), plus any additional dora or other bonuses.