Daisangen
大三元 | Daisangen
Collect triplets of all three dragon tiles -- haku, hatsu, and chun -- in a single hand.
By Kenji Tanaka · Updated
Overview
Daisangen, the big three dragons, is a yakuman earned when your hand contains triplets (or quads) of all three dragon tiles, white, green, and red, with any pair and one more set completing the hand. It is one of the more recognizable yakuman because the three dragon triplets are easy to see coming, both for you and for opponents, who defend hard once two dragon triplets appear. The hand often develops out of a shousangen (two dragon triplets plus a dragon pair, worth 2 han) that upgrades when the pair becomes the third triplet, and it pairs naturally with honitsu or tsuuiisou for an enormous score. Because each dragon has only four copies, calling pon on dragons is usually necessary to assemble daisangen in time, and the danger of being robbed of the final tile is real. Spotting a daisangen path early, from a strong dragon start, is what makes it achievable.
Example Hand
555z 666z 777z 23m 44p
Conditions
- The hand must contain triplets (or kans) of all three dragon tiles: haku (5z), hatsu (6z), and chun (7z)
- The remaining meld and pair can be any tiles
- The hand can be open — calling pon on dragon tiles is allowed and still counts as yakuman
- Because each dragon triplet is also individually a yakuhai, daisangen inherently includes three yakuhai, but the yakuman supersedes the individual han counts
- Some rulesets enforce a pao (liability) rule: if a player discards the tile that completes the third dragon triplet via pon, that player bears responsibility for part or all of the payment
Strategy Tips
- Daisangen is among the most achievable yakuman because dragon tiles can be called openly with pon. If your starting hand has two dragon pairs or a dragon triplet plus a dragon pair, seriously consider pursuing it.
- Be aware of the pao rule. If you have two dragon triplets showing on the table, savvy opponents will never discard the third dragon tile. You may need to draw it yourself, so keep this in mind when evaluating your chances.
- When you see an opponent with two open dragon triplets, avoid discarding the third dragon type at all costs. Even if it seems safe, dealing into daisangen is a devastating yakuman loss and the pao rule may make you fully liable.