What feed creates liability?
This profile uses specified exposed Dragon, Wind and same-suit feeds. Other tables may use a smaller set, a late fresh-tile rule, or no trigger.
Rules Atlas · Liability
Bao 包 in Singapore Mahjong
Bao is not extra Tai. It is a liability override that can move the entire winning-hand payment onto one player. The trigger and duration must be agreed before play.
Written by Wong Hong Wei · Reviewed · Scope: Wong practice table v1
Direct answer
On this site's default table, feeding the tile that completes an opponent's third exposed Dragon set, fourth exposed Wind set, or fourth exposed same-suit set triggers Bao. The feeder remains liable for that opponent's eventual winning-hand settlement. Bao changes the payer, not the Tai.
The practice-table rule, in order
- Read the exposed sets. The risk is visible before the discard: two exposed Dragon sets, three exposed Wind sets, or three exposed sets in one suit.
- The discard completes the dangerous set. The opponent exposes the third Dragon, fourth Wind, or fourth same-suit set using your tile.
- Liability attaches immediately. You become the Bao payer for that opponent.
- The liability persists. Their later win can come from you, somebody else, or self-draw; the Bao payer still covers the whole settlement.
- Score first, redirect payment second. The hand's Tai and five-Tai cap are calculated normally. Bao then replaces the ordinary payer split.
Worked scenario
5 Tai self-draw
96 points
96 points
Visible warning: South already has exposed Red and Green Dragon Pongs. East discards White Dragon, allowing South to expose the third Dragon set. East is now the Bao payer.
Later: South self-draws a capped five-Tai hand. The normal self-draw total is 16 × 2 from each of three opponents = 96 points. Under this profile, East alone pays all 96; West and North pay zero.
What did not change: Bao added no Tai. If the hand had scored three Tai, the same liability rule would redirect the smaller three-Tai total instead.
Separate the three Bao dimensions
How long does it remain?
The default here is persistent to the eventual win. The companion also represents a narrower convention where only the dangerous winning discard is covered.
What does the payer cover?
Here the liable player covers the complete ordinary discard or self-draw table total. Earlier Kong and animal awards remain separate.
Common alternatives to name explicitly
| Convention | Result | Available in companion? |
|---|---|---|
| Persistent Bao | The dangerous-set feeder pays the opponent's eventual winning-hand total. | Yes - Wong default |
| Winning-discard only | Liability applies only when the dangerous discard itself completes the win. | Yes |
| Bao off | Ordinary discard or self-draw payment applies even after a dangerous feed. | Yes |
| Different trigger list | Only named feeds or additional late-danger rules create liability. | Not fully represented yet |
Source comparison and provenance
- App behaviour: the current game applies persistent full liability through its tested settlement function after configured dangerous exposed feeds.
- Site specification: Payments and Bao gives the trigger list, persistence rule and five-Tai examples used above.
- External comparison: SingaporeMahjong.com rules, SPGG competition rules, and the Singaporean scoring reference describe their own scopes and are not silently merged into this default.
Review note: source links establish comparison points. The direct answer on this page is an implementation claim about the Wong practice table, verified against its current guide, game and companion.
Bao FAQ
What does Bao mean?
Bao is a full-liability settlement rule: after a specified dangerous feed, one liable player may have to pay the winner's entire table settlement instead of only that player's normal share.
How long does Bao last here?
It persists after the triggering exposed set until that opponent's eventual win, even if the winning tile later comes from another player or by self-draw.
Does Bao add Tai?
No. Bao changes who pays; it does not add Tai or change the hand's score.