Special Winning Hand: Thirteen Orphans

Recognize the special thirteen-orphans exception.

Concept

A rare alternative winning hand.

Thirteen Orphans does not use four melds plus a pair. It uses the terminal tiles, the 1s and 9s of each suit, plus all seven honor tiles, with one duplicate to make a pair.

It's helpful to be aware of this winning hand, but it's definitely less common.

Visual example
Terminals
Honors
Duplicate pair
Rule in plain English

Exception, not the default.

Most hands use standard shape. Thirteen Orphans is a special named hand.

Interactive check

Why is Thirteen Orphans special?

Not complete
Takeaway

Most hands use four melds plus one pair, but Thirteen Orphans is a special exception.

Know it exists. Do not let it confuse the standard hand shape.

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