Taiwanese mahjong · 連莊 and 拉莊

How the dealer streak works: what 連3拉3 is worth, and who pays it

In one lineEvery payment between the dealer and another player carries 1 + 2N extra tai, N being how many hands in a row the dealer has kept the deal. 連3拉3 is 1 + 6 = 7. It never applies between two non-dealers.

連莊 · the dealer stays

If the dealer wins, or the hand is drawn, the dealer keeps the deal and N goes up by one. A non-dealer's win passes the deal to the next player.

拉莊 · the tai double

連 N would be N tai; 拉 doubles it to 2N. Most tables and the big apps always 拉, hence the name 連N拉N. Some tables play 連 without 拉; the tool can switch.

The dealer's extra tai, per payment

+1dealer
+3連1拉1
+5連2拉2
+7連3拉3
+9連4拉4
+11連5拉5
+13連6拉6
+15連7拉7
+17連8拉8
+19連9拉9
+21連10拉10

Dealer 1 + streak 2N. The app passes the deal after a streak of 10.

Who pays the dealer tai

Only between the dealer and the player paying

Situation	Who pays the 1 + 2N
The dealer self-draws	All three payers
The dealer wins on a discard	The discarder
The dealer discards into a win	The dealer
A non-dealer self-draws	Only the dealer; the other two pay the plain amount
Non-dealer to non-dealer on a discard	Nobody

Example 1

The dealer on 連2拉2 discards into West's 3-tai hand

100 + (3 + 1 + 4) × 20 = 260

The dealer pays alone.

Example 2

South self-draws 4 tai while the dealer is on 連1拉1

dealer 100 + (4 + 1 + 2) × 20 = 240
others 100 + 4 × 20 = 180 × 2

South collects 600.

Example 3

The dealer, no streak, self-draws 6 tai

100 + (6 + 1) × 20 = 240 × 3

All three pay; the dealer collects 720.

Tool

Settle one hand in your own 底 and 台

Enter the base, the unit, the hand's tai, how it was won, who is dealer and the streak. Each payment shows in 底 and 台 and as a number.

Base 底 / Per tai

Base 底Per tai

The hand's tai

4台

How it was won

Who is dealer

Streak

連1拉1dealer +3 tai

拉莊

Each payer

The dealerdealer +3 tai1 底 + 7 台−240
The other two ×2plain1 底 + 4 台−180 ×2

The winner collectsnon-dealer wins · 4 tai · Self-draw+600

Preset to example 2: a non-dealer self-draws 4 tai while the dealer is on 連1拉1. "Another player" on a discard means a dealer who did not discard.

Common questions

The things tables argue about

Does a drawn hand count as 連莊?

Yes. After a drawn hand the dealer stays and N goes up by one. The Taiwan-domestic sources agree.

Do 七搶一 and 八仙過海 carry the dealer tai?

Yes. Flower wins pay like any other win, dealer and streak tai included.

Is there a cap on the streak?

Not at a physical table. Apps force the deal to pass after 10 (Gamesofa after 9). This app passes it after 10.

Is 拉莊 the same as the Hong Kong rule?

No. In Hong Kong 16-tile, 拉 is a ×1.5 carry-over between two players. In Taiwan it adds tai for each hand of streak. Same character, different mechanism.

This page works in 底 and 台 units; put in your own numbers.