It is not a mere adaption of four-player mahjong to suit only three players but has its own rules and idiosyncrasies that place it apart from the more standard variations.

The equipment used and the basic mechanisms are much like four-player variations though some tiles are removed, certain plays are prohibited and the scoring system is simplified.

There are numerous possible house rules meaning three-player mahjong can be as simple or complex as players prefer.

There are basic rules common among the three-player Mahjong variations played in Korea and Japan.

By convention all players should participate in shuffling using both hands moving the tiles around the table rigorously and loudly for a lengthy period.

The order of play is traditionally anticlockwise (counterclockwise) but some house rules may go the other direction.

Melds can also consist of four tiles under certain conditions and there are a few uncommon and very specific winning hands that have a unique composition that break all the rules.

It can only be made of circles or characters as the remaining bamboo suit allows for no consecutive numerical sequence anymore.

Unlike in four-player mahjong, chows can only be formed through the deal and drawing from the wall (and not by another player's discard), with the usual exceptions for the final move of a win.

The player must then draw an extra tile from the end of the wall (to have a full hand after completing a kong).

The player must then draw an extra tile from the end of the wall (to have a full hand after completing a kong).

A player's discards are usually arranged in neat rows of six to ten tiles (depending on table preferences).

(Note that it is not possible for two players want to steal the same tile at the same time to form a pong or kong.)

Serious flaws like having too many tiles (long hand or "big husband") typically involve having points deducted.

Unlike other versions of mahjong, being East (or not) does not give any special bonuses (or penalties).

Points are counted based on the individual sets a player has, if they are made of simples or honours (e.g. circles or dragons), if these sets match the players seat (wind tiles), how the hand is composed as a whole (e.g. only one suit or all pongs and an eye), and special patterns.

Unlike many other mahjong variations, only the winner scores and the other players take no points regardless of the content of their hands.

The winner then counts his/her bonus points and collects them from both players (even if the game was won on a discard).

(Both opponents pay) Playing with all the points above and all possible variations is impracticable and complicated.

Players chose which points they want to use and will periodically change or add some as long as there is a full consensus.

Experienced players will raise the minimum hand-points needed to four points or more (each time becoming exponentially more challenging).

If playing for stakes, the limit may be low to avoid having to pay large amounts to each other.

The next tile in sequence is considered a dora (having any of those pieces in a hand will give a bonus point).

If table rules include both dora tiles, care should be taken not to mix the points scored for having them in their winning hand but to do so separately.

The North wind also acts as a dora (Pei-dora) when it is exposed and set aside, or it may also be discarded as a safe tile (although an opponent may rob a concealed kong or a declared / discarded North tile to win with kokushi musou).

A full set of bonus tiles in one's starting hand also earns an immediate 100 points, or 50 if drawn later.

The game dynamics in three-player mahjong, regardless of the rule set vary based on speed, the use of tiles, point keeps, using ghost players or not and how the lack of a fourth seat wind is dealt with.

When there is a seat dragon, East is green, South is red and West is white (fortunately it follows in alphabetical order in English from dealer to last player).

Only pongs and kongs in three-player games can be melded (or declared) meaning a chow can only be formed by a discard on winning.

[10] Korean/Japanese three-player mahjong, played in east Asia is an amalgamation of Old Korean mahjong rules (which traditionally omitted the bamboo suit and did not allow melded chows and had a very simple scoring system) with some elements of Japanese rules including sacred discard (a player cannot rob a piece to win if he discarded it before) and many bonus points.