Hong Kong Mahjong · 1 fan

Robbing a Kong (搶槓) in Hong Kong Mahjong: Fan, Examples and Odds

In Hong Kong mahjong, Robbing a Kong (搶槓) is worth 1 fan: another player has a pung, draws the fourth tile and adds it to make a kong — and that tile is exactly what you're waiting on, so you win on it.

It counts as a win on a discard: the player who added the kong pays alone. The tile goes to you and their kong reverts to a pung.

The rules for Robbing a Kong

• Only an added kong (a drawn fourth tile added to an exposed pung) can be robbed
• Concealed kongs can't be robbed; an exposed kong (claiming a fourth tile from a discard) needs no robbing — the tile was discarded, so you could simply win on it
• You must be waiting on that exact tile, and the win must reach the 3-fan minimum — the robbing fan counts towards it
• It's a win on someone else's tile, not a self-draw, so there's no Self-drawn fan
• If several players can rob: head bump applies — the player after the kong-maker has priority (by default this site doesn't allow multiple winners)

Some tables let Thirteen Orphans rob a concealed kong; this site doesn't — concealed kongs can never be robbed.

How Robbing a Kong is scored

The fan below are computed live by the same scoring code the game uses.

Common combinations:

Who pays

The player who added the kong is treated as having dealt in: by default on this site they pay two shares alone; with the "cover the self-draw" option they pay three. The other two pay nothing.

How it relates to other hands

• Win on a Kong: an added kong only gets its replacement tile if nobody robs it; robbing cuts off that chance.
• Last Tile Win: another timing fan; the Last Tile Win is always self-drawn and robbing never is, so they never combine.
• All Chows, Concealed hand: robbing doesn't care about shape and adds to everything else — often it's the one fan you were missing.

Robbing a Kong odds

We let four of this site's computers (Normal level) play 100,000 hands:

• Robbing a Kong came up 283 times, 0.35% of all wins — roughly once every 353 hands.
• Wins with it averaged 3.2 fan.

You need someone to add a kong, and the tile has to be your wait — nothing you can control. The flip side matters more: read the table before you add a kong. If someone looks ready, adding the kong is the same as discarding that tile to them. To try it, open a table of online Hong Kong mahjong.

Robbing a Kong in other mahjong styles

• Sichuan mahjong: robbing a kong is 1 fan (Sichuan mahjong Robbing a Kong)
• Taiwanese and Japanese mahjong also allow robbing a kong, scored differently: see the Taiwanese mahjong tai list and the Japanese mahjong yaku list
• Chinese Official (Guobiao): see the Guobiao fan list

FAQ

How many fan is Robbing a Kong?

In Hong Kong mahjong it's worth 1 fan and adds to your other fan — a concealed All Chows that robs a kong scores 4 fan.

Can you rob a concealed kong?

Not on this site — only added kongs can be robbed. Some tables let Thirteen Orphans rob a concealed kong; agree before you start.

Who pays when a kong is robbed?

The player who added the kong pays, as if they had dealt in; the other two pay nothing.

Does Robbing a Kong count as self-drawn?

No. You win on another player's tile, so there's no Self-drawn fan.

Related hands

Win on a Kong 1 fan Self-draw your win on the replacement tile after a kong: 1 fan. Any kong counts, flowers don't; who pays and how often it happens. Last Tile Win 1 fan Self-draw the very last tile of the wall: 1 fan. The rules, why a discard doesn't count, the flower case, and how often it comes up.