Sanbaiman

Sanbaiman is the highest of the named Riichi limit tiers below yakuman, awarded to hands worth 11 or 12 han. It pays triple a mangan: 24,000 points for a non-dealer and 36,000 for a dealer. On a self-draw the amount is divided among the other players, 6,000 from each non-dealer for a non-dealer sanbaiman, or 12,000 each when the dealer wins by tsumo.

Like the other limits, sanbaiman is a flat band, so an 11-han and a 12-han hand pay identically and fu has no effect. Reaching it usually requires a large yaku combined with a heavy dora count, for example a closed chinitsu (6 han) layered with several dora, akadora, and ura dora, or a multi-yaku hand such as honitsu plus toitoi plus several dragons and bonus tiles.

Sanbaiman is the last tier reached purely by counting han before a hand becomes a counted yakuman at 13 han. It sits above baiman (8-10 han) and below yakuman, so a player one han short of sanbaiman has strong incentive to find the extra value, while a hand that climbs to 13 han graduates to the yakuman cap under most rules.

The term is exclusive to Riichi and Japanese-derived rules and has no equivalent in MCR, Hong Kong, or Taiwanese scoring. As an example, a closed chinitsu hand of 6 han with riichi (1), menzen tsumo (1), and three dora plus ura dora totaling 4 more reaches 12 han, paying a non-dealer sanbaiman of 24,000 points.