Hand Types

Open hand

Also called: called hand, 副露

A hand with at least one declared meld from calling chi, pon, or kan.

An open hand has at least one meld declared by calling another player's discard. Opens are faster — you skip waiting for the right draw — but forfeit closed-hand bonuses. In Riichi, many yaku become impossible (no pinfu, no menzen tsumo). In MCR/HK/Taiwanese, you lose the concealed-hand bonus.

Related terms

Concealed hand
A hand with no open melds — every meld is formed from your own draws.
Chi (call)
Claim a discard from the player to your left to form a chow.
Pon (call)
Claim a discard from any player to form a pung.
Kan (call)
Declare a kong — either by claiming a discard or upgrading a pung.