What Is Push-Fold in Riichi Mahjong?

In Riichi Mahjong, a push-fold decision is the judgment you make every time an opponent declares Riichi: do you continue advancing your hand by discarding dangerous tiles, or do you fold and prioritize safety? This decision comes up in nearly every game and is widely considered the most important skill in Riichi Mahjong.

No matter how well you understand tile efficiency or hand building, poor push-fold judgment will cost you points. Folding when you should push lowers your win rate. Pushing when you should fold raises your deal-in rate. Many players who study strategy but still struggle to improve have solid knowledge in other areas while their push-fold instincts remain undeveloped.

The 10 problems below are designed for beginners. In each case, your opponent has declared Riichi, the tile you are considering discarding is a musuji (a tile whose danger level has not been reduced by suji counting), and there is no Ippatsu if you deal in.

The Core Rule: Are You Tenpai?

The single most important factor in push-fold judgment is whether your hand is in Tenpai. This one question determines your default action:

• If you are Tenpai: you should generally push. You have a real chance to win, and the risk of discarding a dangerous tile is offset by that chance.
• If you are not Tenpai: you should generally fold. Discarding a dangerous tile without being ready to win is almost always a losing play.

The logic is simple: pushing a dangerous tile when you cannot win means taking on all the risk of a deal-in with none of the reward of winning. Even if your hand could become excellent eventually, the expected value of continuing to push from a non-Tenpai state against a Riichi is negative in most situations.

When You Are One Step Away: The Shape-Value-Turn Framework

When your hand is at 1-shanten (one step from Tenpai), the decision is more nuanced. There are situations where pushing is correct even from 1-shanten—but only when three specific conditions are all met.

• Shape: Your 1-shanten must have two sets of two-sided waits (Ryanmen). This is called a "good shape" 1-shanten because reaching Tenpai will produce a strong wait.
• Value: Your hand must be worth 3-Han or more. This ensures the points you gain if you win justify the risk of dealing in.
• Turn: It must be the 9th turn or earlier. The later the round, the fewer draws you have remaining to complete your hand, and the less the risk is worth taking.

If all three conditions—Shape, Value, and Turn—are met, pushing from 1-shanten is correct. If even one condition is not met, you should fold. From 2-shanten (Ryanshanten), folding is almost always the right play because you must gamble on multiple dangerous tiles before even reaching Tenpai.

When You Are Tenpai: Wait and Value Rules

When your hand is in Tenpai against an opponent's Riichi, the decision depends on the quality of your wait and the value of your hand.

• Good wait (Ryanmen), any value: Push. A two-sided wait has a high probability of winning, making it worth pushing even when the hand value is low (1-Han).
• Bad wait (Kanchan or Penchan), 3-Han or more: Push. The lower probability of winning is offset by the high point value if you do win.
• Bad wait, bad value (1-Han for closed hand): Fold. The probability of winning is low and the reward does not justify the risk of dealing in.

A "bad wait" is defined as a wait with two or fewer winning tiles remaining in the undealt pool—either because the wait is structurally weak (kanchan, penchan) or because the winning tiles have already appeared in discards.

Problems 1–2: When to Fold Before Tenpai

Problem 1 — Far from Tenpai (Turn 5): Fold

Opponent is in Riichi on Turn 5. The choice is: push with West (a musuji), or fold by discarding the North triplet. The hand is far from Tenpai with multiple weak shapes. West may carry some safety as a wind tile, but the hand has no realistic path to a winning Tenpai in time. Pushing a dangerous tile with a hand that cannot win is a direct loss.

Problem 2 — 2-Shanten with Three Red Doras (Turn 5): Fold

The opponent is in Riichi on Turn 5. The choice is: push with 3-Man, or fold with the North triplet. This hand is at 2-shanten (Ryanshanten) and carries three Red Doras, guaranteeing 4-Han or more if completed. It also has no bad shapes—reaching Tenpai would produce a two-sided wait. The hand looks strong, but from 2-shanten you must discard dangerous tiles from three different suits before even reaching Tenpai. Each discard carries deal-in risk, and the cumulative risk far outweighs the potential reward.

Problems 3–6: Iishanten and the Three-Factor Test

Problem 3 — 1-Shanten, Bad Shape, Good Value, Good Turn (Turn 9): Fold

Opponent is in Riichi on Turn 9. This hand is at 1-shanten with 3-Han if completed (Riichi + Dora 2). The turn is good (Turn 9). However, reaching Tenpai would not produce a two-sided wait—the shape is weak. Result: Shape ✗, Value ✓, Turn ✓. Not all three criteria are met.

Problem 4 — 1-Shanten, Good Shape, Bad Value, Good Turn (Turn 9): Fold

Opponent is in Riichi on Turn 9. The 1-shanten has two two-sided waits (good shape), and it is Turn 9. However, reaching Tenpai would produce only Riichi (1-Han). Result: Shape ✓, Value ✗, Turn ✓. Not all three criteria are met.

Problem 5 — 1-Shanten, Good Shape, Good Value, Late Turn (Turn 13): Fold

Opponent is in Riichi on Turn 13. The 1-shanten has two two-sided waits (good shape) and 3-Han value. However, it is Turn 13—too late to justify the risk. Result: Shape ✓, Value ✓, Turn ✗. Not all three criteria are met.

Problem 6 — 1-Shanten, Good Shape, Good Value, Good Turn (Turn 9): Push

Opponent is in Riichi on Turn 9. The 1-shanten has two two-sided waits (good shape) and 3-Han value. Turn 9 is within the acceptable range. Result: Shape ✓, Value ✓, Turn ✓. All three criteria are met.

Problems 7–10: Tenpai Decisions

Problem 7 — Tenpai, Good Wait, Good Value (Turn 9): Push

Opponent is in Riichi on Turn 9. Discarding Red 5-Pin reaches Tenpai with a two-sided wait on 1-4 Man for Riichi + Dora 2 (3-Han). Red 5-Pin is a high-danger tile—middle tiles are generally dangerous, and a Red tile makes the deal-in cost heavier. However, a two-sided wait with 3-Han is a strong combination. The wait quality and hand value justify the risk.

Problem 8 — Tenpai, Bad Wait, Good Value (Turn 9): Push

Opponent is in Riichi on Turn 9. Discarding 5-Man reaches Tenpai with a kanchan (middle wait) on 6-Sou for Chun + Dora 2 (3-Han). A kanchan wait has a lower probability of winning than a ryanmen. However, with 3-Han or more, the reward is large enough to justify pushing even from a bad wait.

Problem 9 — Tenpai, Good Wait, Low Value (Turn 9): Push

Opponent is in Riichi on Turn 9. Discarding 5-Sou reaches Tenpai with a two-sided wait on 4-7 Man for Chun only (1-Han). The hand value is low, but the wait is a strong ryanmen. A two-sided wait is efficient enough to justify pushing even at 1-Han. This is an important case for players whose deal-in rate is low but win rate is also low. Folding from a ryanmen Tenpai, even a low-value one, leaves you exposed to losses from an opponent's tsumo or no-ten penalty without the compensating chance to win a round yourself.

Problem 10 — Tenpai, Bad Wait, Bad Value, Dead Tiles (Turn 9): Fold

Opponent is in Riichi on Turn 9. Discarding 8-Pin reaches Tenpai with a kanchan on 3-Man for Riichi only (1-Han). However, two 3-Mans have already been discarded by another player, leaving only two 3-Mans remaining in the entire game. The wait is structurally bad (kanchan) and made worse by the dead tiles—at most two winning tiles exist. The value is also 1-Han only. Both wait and value are poor.

Summary: Push-Fold Decision Framework

Use this framework as your default guide when facing an opponent's Riichi.

Definitions: