Definition
A pung is a set of three identical tiles, which jokers may fill and which can be completed by calling a discard.
On the card a pung appears as the same number or letter printed three times together. Exposing a pung on a call tells the table which tile you are collecting.
At the table
Apart from the tile that wins the hand, a discard can only be called to complete a set of three or more, so the pung is the smallest set you can finish from somebody else's discard. The mistake is calling one too early. The moment it sits on your rack the table knows your number, your supply of it dries up, and any joker inside it can be bought by anyone holding the real tile.
Read the full guide: Pung, Kong, Quint, and Pair: The Sets That Make Up Every Hand.
See it on real tiles. The AI coach reads a dealt hand, free, and names the direction it goes for, what to keep and what to pass, at the free read.
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Related: Kong, Quint, Pair, Charleston. All 52 terms.