These are English-translated rules for Flying Fish Sanma (トビウオ三人麻雀), a 3-player mahjong variant originally created by 卓上のハッケヨイ and popularized by the 麻雀カッコイイシリーズ video about the format. This format revolves around increasing tensions and rewarding players for busting other players. Also included are translations for the two variants currently published, ぶっトビウオ and ふっトビウオ. You can find a PDF version of all these rules here.

Note: these rules only cover the rules unique to flying fish sanma. Consult with your playgroup/parlor for basic rules, any base rules involving base shugi, any special yaku (such as seven pairs using four of the same tile), etc.

If you’re ever in the Seattle area and want to play, reach out to @puddi on twitter/puddizzle on Discord!

Flying Fish Sanma Rules (トビウオ三麻ルール）

Base Rules

  • Start with 20,000 points. No tsumo loss.
  • There is no predetermined hanchan length - the game takes place in perma-East. The game ends when someone busts (hits 0 or negative points), or “flies” off the table. 
  • Honba is 2000 on the table per honba counter (2000 on ron, 1000 each on tsumo). Whenever a hand ends and nobody on the table has busted, increase the honba counter. 
  • When a player wins a hand, they become the next dealer. If the hand ended in ryukyoku, no tenpai payments are made, and dealership stays the same (but the honba increases).
  • Play with Bases Loaded/Home Run markers.

Bases Loaded/Home Run Marker

  • Players should each have a two-sided marker, with “Bases Loaded” on one side (i.e., the off side), and “Home Run” on the other (i.e., the on side). Players start on the “Bases Loaded” side.
  • While on the Bases Loaded side:
    • If you bust, the amount of shugi you pay is doubled.
    • When you win a hand, turn your marker over to the Home Run side.
  • While on the Home Run side:
    • If you win a hand, the amount of shugi you receive is doubled.
    • If you pay point sticks for someone’s winning hand (i.e., dealing in, or them tsumo-ing), then flip your marker over to the Bases Loaded side after the hand is over.

Shugi Rules

  • Menzen Demekin: When a player wins with a closed hand or with riichi, they roll two dice and add the result to any owed shugi counts. Treat snake-eyes (double 1s) as 20. Continue this process on rolled doubles (including snake-eyes).
  • Busting: When you bust, for each 1000 points that you’re negative by, add +1 to the shugi count that you owe the player that busted you. Note - this will cause the owed shugi totals to be different by player.
    • i.e., if you have 2000 points, and owe 8000 points, add +6 to your owed shugi count.
  • Shugi Multipliers: There are a total of four ways to double an owed shugi count. These are additive - i.e., if three of them apply, it’s a x6 multiplier. These apply to base, menzen demekin, and busting shugi.
    • Busting someone in Bases Loaded mode
    • Winning while in Home Run mode
    • Winning with Ippatsu
    • Winning with a Sanbaiman or higher
  • Placement Shugi: Finally, at game end, 2nd place gives 10 shugi to 1st, and 3rd place gives 30 shugi to 1st. Do not apply multipliers to these payments.

Other Rules

  • Break placement ties for 2nd/3rd via tsumo order - closest to 1st place in tsumo order is 2nd.
  • If repeating with the same players, the player who got last is the starting dealer for the next game.

Variants

These variants are additive on top of the ruleset provided above, and will only cover the changes.

Fierce Flying Fish Sanma Rules (ぶっトビウオ三麻ルール）

Changes

  • There is an additional multiplier for each 3 honba that have passed. This is multiplicative on top of the existing shugi multipliers. 
    • 0-2 Honba: 1x Multiplier (i.e., no change)
    • 3-5 Honba: 2x Multiplier
    • 6-8 Honba: 4x Multiplier
    • 9-11 Honba: 6x Multiplier
    • Etc.
  • i.e.: The dealer, a player in Home Run mode, tsumo’s a baiman at 3 honba. This causes a player in Bases Loaded mode, with 9000 points, to bust. Their busting shugi is (9000 - (12000 + 3000)/1000) = 6, their base multiplier is x4 (home run win + bases loaded bust), and their additional multiplier is x2. This results in a payment of 6 x 4 x 2 = 48 shugi for the hand.

Far Flying Fish Sanma Rules (ふっトビウオ三麻ルール）

Changes

  • Ensure you are playing with a Shiro-Pocchi. If you tsumo it after declaring riichi, it’s a wildcard and can be any tile (thus ensuring a win).
  • It’s recommended to play with 1 red and 1 gold 5s/5p. Red is dora, gold is double dora.
  • Riichi can be declared after making a call/opening your hand.
    • Riichi is still done by paying 1000 points and locking in your hand.
    • If your hand is open, riichi is worth 0 han.
    • Ippatsu and ura dora are still applicable and worth one han each.
    • Normal kuisagari/open hand rules apply. (Honitsu is worth 2 han instead of 3, Menzen Tsumo is no longer applicable, Iipeiko is no longer applicable, etc.) 
  • Open Riichi can be declared after making a call/opening your hand.
    • Open riichi is done by revealing your entire hand and paying 1000 points.
    • If your hand is open, open riichi is worth 1 han.
  • You must still have at least 1 han of confirmed yaku to win. 
    • Since riichi after calling is worth 0 han, your hand must contain a different confirmed yaku for it to be a closed riichi - otherwise, it must be an open riichi (if you want to declare riichi).
    • If only a partial side of your wait gives you a confirmed yaku, you must still open riichi (if you want to declare riichi).
      • i.e., 12345677s66z with a called 999p is waiting on both 7s and 6z (Green Dragon). As this hand only has a confirmed yaku on its Green Dragon wait, if you want to declare riichi, it must be open.
    • Ippatsu is not a confirmed yaku, and dora/ura dora are not yaku.
  • A reminder: winning with riichi allows you to roll the dice for demekin shugi.

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