Sichuan Mahjong · 1 fan

Last-Tile Discard (Hai Di Pao) in Sichuan Mahjong: Fan, Examples and Odds

In Sichuan mahjong, the last-tile discard (海底炮, hai di pao) adds 1 fan: another player draws the last tile of the wall, doesn't win, and the tile they discard completes your hand. You get 1 fan more, and the discarder pays alone; for a plain hand they pay 2 units.

The rules for a last-tile discard

• The last tile of the wall has been drawn
• The drawer didn't win, and the tile they discard is the one you win on (a discard win)
• If you draw the last tile yourself and win, that's a last-tile self-draw, not a last-tile discard
• Like every Sichuan win, you can't hold your void suit

What to throw with the last tile

The player who draws the last tile makes the last possible deal-in of the hand. After that discard:

• Someone wins: they get 1 fan more, and you pay alone
• Nobody wins: the hand is drawn, and players who haven't won go through the flower-pig check, the ready-hand check and the kong refund

So with the last tile, as a rule, throw your safest tile. Whether to break your ready hand for safety is a trade-off: dealing in costs the winner's hand (with 1 fan more); breaking your ready hand costs the ready-hand check, paid to every ready player. Best is a safe tile that keeps you ready; break it only when the other hand looks big.

How a last-tile discard is scored

Fan add up, and each extra fan doubles the payment, up to the cap of 4 fan. The hands below are scored live by the same code the game uses (kong payments come on top).

Common combinations:

How it relates to other hands

• Last-tile self-draw: self-drawing the last tile adds 1 fan and everyone pays; a last-tile discard is someone else's discard, paid only by them.
• Deal-in after a kong: if the last tile was a kong replacement and the discard deals in, both fan add — plus the call transfer.
• Seven Pairs, Pure One Suit: the last-tile discard adds to pattern fan as usual; a big hand won on the last discard gets 1 fan more, doubling what the discarder pays.

Last-tile discard odds

In 40,000 hands of normal computer play, 11% of hands reached the last tile; in those hands, the final discard was won on as a last-tile discard 7.9% of the time. Overall, last-tile discards were 0.31% of all wins, about once every 113 hands, averaging 1.6 fan.

Source: 40,000 hands of computer play on this site (four normal-level players, 115,067 wins in total), cap 4 fan.

How to avoid a last-tile discard

• Work out who draws the last tile: tiles left and players still in tell you who draws — and discards — last.
• Keep safe tiles for the final turns: tiles others have discarded, and tiles of a player's void suit (they can't hold or win on them), are safest.
• Careful when holding a big hand: the worst outcome is feeding someone's pure one suit or seven pairs plus the last-tile fan.
• Players who stay quiet: someone still in late without punging or winning is probably ready and waiting.

To try it, open a table of online Sichuan mahjong — the computers play blood battle with you and count the fan for you.

Last-tile discard in other mahjong styles

• Taiwanese mahjong: "last discard" 1 tai (Taiwanese mahjong scoring)
• Japanese mahjong ("Houtei Raoyui"): 1 han (Japanese mahjong yaku list)
• Chinese Official (Guobiao): "Last Tile Claim", 8 fan (Guobiao fan list)

FAQ

How many fan is a last-tile discard?

The winner adds 1 fan to everything else; for a plain hand the discarder pays 2 units.

What's the difference from a last-tile self-draw?

A last-tile self-draw is drawing the last tile and winning, paid by everyone; a last-tile discard is winning on the tile discarded after the last draw, paid only by the discarder.

Can you pung the last discard?

No. Once the wall is empty, no pungs or kongs — the tile can only be won on; if nobody does, the hand is drawn.

Is there still a ready-hand check after a last-tile discard?

Yes. After the last discard the hand ends, and players who haven't won still go through the flower-pig check, the ready-hand check and the kong refund.

Related hands

Last-Tile Self-Draw 1 fan Self-draw the very last tile of the wall: 1 fan. Examples, the last-tile discard, and how often it happens. Deal-in After a Kong 1 fan Kong, replacement, discard — and someone wins on it: 1 fan for the winner, and the kong money moves to them.