Lesson 4 of 5
Detailed Rules:
Special Melds & Modes
Advanced maneuvers, unique wins, and special game modes.
Special Meld: Secret
A Secret is when you draw a four-of-a-kind in your hand. You play all 4 tiles face-down and draw a tile from the flower wall.
In Hand (hidden)
You draw the 4th tile
Declare Secret
Played face-down
Then draw a tile from the flower wall.
Special Meld: Sagása
A Sagása can be declared if you already have an open Pong and you draw the fourth matching tile. You add it to the Pong and draw a tile from the flower wall.
On Table (revealed)
You Draw
Declare Sagasa
Then draw a tile from the flower wall.
Special Claim: Rob the Kang
If another player declares Sagása, but the tile they use will win you the game, you can still call TODAS. This is known as Robbing the Kang.
Another player declares SAGASA using:
5 Character
Your Hand:
That was the last tile you needed to complete your hand.
TODAS!
Special Win: Siete Pares
Siete Pares is a special way of winning. Your hand must contain seven pairs and exactly one meld.
7 Pairs
1 Meld
Special Game Mode: Jai Alai
Jai Alai tracks wins and ambitions across multiple hands in a session. The first player to collect 5 markers gets a payout!
Earning Markers
- Standard Win+1 Marker
- Win by Bunot+1 Extra
- For each Ambition+1 Extra
Example: Win by Bunot with Siete Pares = 3 markers (1 + 1 + 1).
Jai Alai Payout
| Jai Alai Payout | $1.00 |
| Others Pay | -$1.00 |
| Total Winnings | +$3.00 |
After the payout, everyone's markers reset to 0.
Carry Over
If your win earns you enough markers to exceed 5, the excess is carried over to the next round.
Special Game Mode: Joker
The Joker is a tile chosen every hand which acts as a wild card (can be used as any tile).
Choosing the Joker
The joker is chosen after everyone has finished replacing their flower tiles.
- The máno rolls the dice again and counts stacks from the flower-side of the wall.
- They flip that tile. If it's not a flower, that is the joker for the round.
- If it is a flower, the máno takes it and keeps flipping until a non-flower appears.
Using the Joker
- Acts as a wildcard to complete winning hands.
- Cannot be used when claiming tiles (Chow, Pong, Kang).
- Claims must be completed using actual tiles.
- Joker tiles cannot be discarded.
Restrictions
- If there is a joker in your hand, special payouts (like Paningit) will not apply.
- The flipped face-up Joker tile cannot be drawn from the wall; it is skipped.
- Only 3 Joker tiles can be drawn and used during the game.