American Mahjong · 5 hands

Like Numbers Hands in American Mahjong: How They Work, Scoring and Odds

In American mahjong, a Like Numbers hand repeats one number — you choose which — across the suits, usually with flowers, dragons or winds. Because any number from 1 to 9 works, it is one of the most flexible categories on the card. Our House Card has five Like Numbers hands, worth 25 to 30 points.

What counts as a Like Numbers hand

• One number for every suit group in the hand — 1s, 5s, 9s, whatever your tiles point to
• The card prints the number as 1 with the note “any like numbers”; replace it with your number (see reading the card)
• Colors decide the suits: different colors must be different suits
• Jokers can fill any group of three or more, never a single or a pair

Every Like Numbers hand on our card

• Three suits plus a dragon kong — the dragons match the first suit's color.
• Four flowers and three suits — the classic Like Numbers shape.
• Two kongs with matching dragons — two suits, plus a pair of flowers.
• NEWS and three suits — one of each wind as singles, so those four must be real tiles.
• Pairs and dragon pungs — two pairs of your number, two dragon pungs and a kong; worth more because the pairs need real tiles.

How jokers work in Like Numbers hands

Almost every group in a Like Numbers hand is a pung or kong, so jokers fit almost everywhere.

Pairs and the four winds in NEWS can't take jokers:

How Like Numbers hands are scored

Each hand pays its card value, and a hand with no jokers at all is worth double. On a discard, the discarder pays twice the value and the other two pay once; on a self-drawn win, all three pay twice. The tables under each example are worked out by the game's own scoring code.

Like Numbers odds

How close your deal is

Because the number is free, almost every deal has some Like Numbers hand within reach. Before the Charleston, a 13-tile deal is within 6 tiles of the nearest Like Numbers hand 2.0% of the time; after the Charleston, that rises to 23%.

Source: 20,000 random 13-tile deals (jokers and flowers included), before the Charleston.

Source: 1,500 games of computer-vs-computer play on this site (normal level, Charleston included). Each computer has its own slight taste for categories.

How often Like Numbers wins

When the computers play normally, Like Numbers hands were 40% of all wins, collecting 138 points on average. 40% of those wins were self-drawn and 3.0% used no jokers.

Source: 1,500 games of computer-vs-computer play on this site (normal level, Charleston included). Each computer has its own slight taste for categories.

Is it worth forcing Like Numbers?

We also had the player whose deal was closest to Like Numbers play nothing but Like Numbers hands, while the other three played normally, and compared the result with the same deals played normally.

Source: 1,500 games of computer play on this site. In each, the player whose deal was closest to Like Numbers played only Like Numbers hands; the other three played normally. Money is the card value as paid in the game.

Like Numbers holds up better than any fixed-number category, but forcing it still did not beat normal play.

• From a deal within 6 tiles, forcing Like Numbers worked 38% of the time for an average of +27; the same kind of deal played normally averaged +49.
• From within 8 tiles, it worked 28% of the time (+8 against +15), with someone else winning first 64% of the time.
• Like Numbers is already where normal play ends up most often — it was 40% of all wins — so committing early mostly gives up the option of switching to a run when the tiles line up that way.

Tips for Like Numbers hands

• Pick your number late. Keep two or three candidate numbers through the first Charleston and commit when one of them has tiles in all three suits.
• Flowers and jokers are gold. Two of the five lines want flowers, and nearly every group takes jokers.
• Count what's left. Each number has only four tiles per suit; once two are discarded, a kong of that number in that suit needs jokers.
• Exposures tell everyone your number. After your first call, other players will hold that number in the other suits.

When to switch: if your tiles cluster into consecutive numbers instead, a Consecutive Run hand is often closer. To get a feel for it, play a few hands of free American mahjong online — the helper shows your closest hands as you go.

Other mahjong styles

American mahjong is the only style built around a card. Taiwanese 16-tile mahjong scores tai, Japanese riichi uses yaku, and Hong Kong mahjong counts fan.

FAQ

What are Like Numbers in mahjong?

Like Numbers is a category on the American mahjong card where every suit group uses the same number — any number you choose — often with flowers, dragons or winds.

Can you use jokers in Like Numbers hands?

Yes, in any pung, kong or larger group. Pairs and single tiles such as NEWS must be real tiles.

Can I choose any number?

Yes. The card prints 1 as an example; 1 through 9 all work, as long as every suit group uses the same one.

How many points is a Like Numbers hand worth?

On our House Card, Like Numbers hands are worth 25 to 30 points, doubled if you use no jokers.

Is this the official NMJL card?

No. The National Mah Jongg League publishes a new copyrighted card every year. This site uses its own original card with the same kinds of categories, so the exact lines differ.

Related categories

2468 5 hands Hands built only from 2s, 4s, 6s and 8s — every hand on our card, joker rules, scoring and odds. Consecutive Run 6 hands Numbers in a row, starting wherever your tiles are — every hand on our card, joker rules, scoring and odds. Quints 4 hands Five of a kind, which only jokers make possible — every hand on our card, joker rules, scoring and odds.