Baiman
By Kenji Tanaka · Updated
Definition
Baiman is the tier worth double a mangan: 8 to 10 han, paying a fixed 16,000 (24,000 from the dealer). Fu stops mattering here. It is usually the product of a big flush or a riichi hand stacked with dora, and for everyone else at the table, a clear signal to fold.
Baiman
Baiman (倍満) is a hand scoring level in mahjong worth 8-10 han, paying 16,000 points for non-dealers and 24,000 points for dealers. The term literally means “double full” and represents exactly double the payment of a mangan hand.
Baiman, explained
In the standard mahjong scoring system, baiman occupies a specific tier in the hierarchy of hand values. It sits between haneman (half-limit) and sanbaiman (three times full), serving as an important threshold for competitive play.
Scoring Structure
A baiman hand requires 8, 9, or 10 han. Fu is irrelevant at this level; the base value is capped at 4,000 points.
The actual payment received depends on the player’s position:
Non-dealer (ko): 16,000 points total. Ron: the discarder pays all 16,000. Tsumo: 4,000 from each non-dealer and 8,000 from the dealer.
Dealer (oya): 24,000 points total. Ron: the discarder pays all 24,000. Tsumo: 8,000 from each opponent.
This doubling relationship to mangan (8,000 points for non-dealer, 12,000 for dealer) makes baiman a significant scoring milestone that can rapidly shift game momentum.
Practical Context
Baiman hands are relatively uncommon in casual play but become increasingly frequent in competitive mahjong. Achieving a baiman requires either multiple expensive yaku or a hand with substantial fu combined with moderate han. Common patterns include hands with 6 han from cheaper yaku combinations, or 7 han hands from single expensive yaku like yakuhai with additional melds.
The baiman threshold is psychologically important because it represents genuine high-scoring territory. While not as rare as yakuman or sanbaiman, baiman hands are prestigious enough to significantly impact match scores and require opponents to respect the player’s winning potential.
Seeing Baiman in play
In a riichi variant game, a player declares riichi with a hand containing:
- Riichi (1 han)
- Tanyao (1 han)
- Pinfu (1 han)
- Sanshoku doujun (2 han)
- Ippatsu (1 han)
This totals 6 han. Upon winning, the hand qualifies as haneman regardless of the fu value. If the player is the dealer, they receive 18,000 points in total.
Alternatively, a non-dealer might win with:
- Toitoi (2 han)
- Honroutou (2 han)
- Shousangen (2 han)
- Two yakuhai dragon triplets (2 han)
This 8-han hand is baiman, worth 16,000 points from the discarder on ron.
Related Terms
Mangan
満貫
Mangan is the first capped tier, where fu stops mattering: 8,000 points, 12,000 from the dealer. A hand gets there at 5 han, at 4 han with 40 or more fu, or at 3 han with 70. It marks the practical boundary between an ordinary hand and a game-swinging one, and every larger tier (haneman, baiman, sanbaiman, yakuman) is defined as a multiple of it.
Haneman
跳満
Haneman is the 6-7 han tier: a fixed 12,000 points, 18,000 from the dealer. It usually takes a solid yaku core plus several dora to reach, and once a hand is clearly there, locking in the win beats chasing more value.
Sanbaiman
三倍満
Sanbaiman is triple mangan: 11 to 12 han, a fixed 24,000 (36,000 from the dealer). It sits just below the yakuman cap and usually means a monster flush or a riichi hand where the ura dora landed hard. One more counted han rolls it into kazoe yakuman under most rules.
Yakuman
役満
A yakuman is a limit hand, the ceiling of the scoring ladder: a fixed 32,000 points (48,000 from the dealer), regardless of fu or dora. They come from a short list of extreme patterns (kokushi musou, suuankou, daisangen, the wind and honor hands) rather than accumulation, though 13 counted han reaches kazoe yakuman in most rules, and some patterns score double in their hardest forms. Spotting a live yakuman path early is one of the few good reasons to abandon normal efficiency.