One set of identical sequences

Two identical sequences — same numbers, same suit — in a closed hand.

Value 1 han — closed hands only
How often common
Mahjong hand: 3 of characters, 3 of characters, 4 of characters, 4 of characters, 5 of characters, 5 of characters — 5 of circles, 6 of circles, 7 of circles — 9 of circles, 9 of circles — 6 of bamboo, 7 of bamboo, winning tile: 8 of bamboo
Two identical sequences: 3-4-5 of characters twice.

You rarely plan for iipeikou from the deal. It tends to appear on its own: you hold a finished sequence like 3-4-5 of a suit, draw a second 4 of the same suit, and a duplicate sequence is suddenly two tiles away. That is the moment to notice it. If the doubled tiles also work as a pair or as part of a different sequence, stay flexible for a few turns and let the draws decide which shape you keep.

Because it needs a closed hand, iipeikou lives alongside riichi and pinfu, and the three stack comfortably. Two identical sequences are still sequences, so a pinfu-shaped hand often carries iipeikou at no extra cost. The one pairing it refuses is seven pairs: a block like 3-3-4-4-5-5 can be read as two sequences or as three pairs, but never both at once, and the hand is scored on a single reading.

The classic mistake is calling. One chii or pon removes iipeikou along with everything else that depends on a closed hand. The quieter mistake is chasing it: at 1 han, it is rarely worth trading a good wait for.

Key points

Related yaku

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