MatjokRulebook v1.5

Quick reference

A short summary of setup, gameplay, and winning.

Start of the round

StepRule
RolesEast, South, West, North
Wallseach player builds 36 tiles
Dealeveryone gets 13, East gets 14
Flowersplace open immediately and replace

Standard turn

OrderAction
1draw 1 tile
2replace a flower immediately
3discard 1 tile
4wait briefly to see whether someone claims a tile

Order of claiming

PriorityCall
1tjok
2poeng or kong
3straight by the next player

Valid ordinary win

An ordinary winning hand has:

  • 14 tiles
  • 4 combinations
  • 1 final pair

Dead hand

A hand is in any case dead with:

  • incorrect tile count
  • forgotten flower replacement
  • an incorrect claim discovered too late

Point counting at a glance

PartMain rule
Ordinary win20p base
Piang-voe40p base
Open poeng small tile2p
Open poeng large tile4p
Closed poeng small tile4p
Closed poeng large tile8p
Open kong small tile8p
Open kong large tile16p
Closed kong small tile16p
Closed kong large tile32p
Pair of dragons2p
Roundingalways up to the next 10

Multipliers at a glance

PartMain rule
1 multiplierJiet Van = 2x
2 multipliersLiong Van = 4x
3 multipliersSam Van = 8x
4 multipliersSie Van = 16x
Man Kongmaximum, capped at 500 after adding, multiplying, and rounding
Last tile1 multiplier
Jongh's first winMan Kong
Only ones and 9sMan Kong

Settlement at a glance

SituationMain rule
Win on a discarddiscarder pays double to the winner
Self-drawn winall 3 opponents pay double to the winner
After thatlosers settle among themselves on point difference
Jonghreceives and pays double
Man Kongno settlement between losers

Warnings and special hands

PartMain rule
Tjieuw-tjonactive at 3 open combinations of the same suit
Invalid tjokinvalid win declaration; play stops, maximum penalty per player, jongh double, remaining 3 still settle
13 wondersMan Kong
7 flowersLiong Van, Sam Van, or Man Kong, depending on the flowers
7 pairs or 7 zustersonly as a variant agreed in advance
Game of 9 gatesMan Kong

Variants and context

PartMain rule
Round windEast -> South -> West -> North
Jonghstays as long as jongh wins
Tonnennot a main rule in the modern playing style
Koe vanseparate variant without ordinary loser settlement

How this works in practice

Search questionPage
table layout and wallsTable and wall illustrated
turn loop and interruptionsTurn flow illustrated
order of claiming at the tableClaiming illustrated
structure of an ordinary winWinning hand illustrated
when a hand is deadDead hand illustrated
full point countPoints counting example
full settlementSettlement example

Drawn round

The round ends in a draw as soon as only 14 tiles remain in the flower or kong wall.

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Background and Origin

Short background on name, playing culture, and source tradition.

Glossary

The fixed terms of this rulebook in one overview.

On this page

Start of the round
Standard turn
Order of claiming
Valid ordinary win
Dead hand
Point counting at a glance
Multipliers at a glance
Settlement at a glance
Warnings and special hands
Variants and context
How this works in practice
Drawn round