Sendai-hana [仙台花] is a Koi-koi variant for 3 players. It is named after the city of Sendai, in the Miyagi prefecture in Japan, where it is attested to be played.
Just like in Koi-koi, card points are not counted in this game. Points are obtained only by forming Yaku.
¶ Distributing the Initial Cards
Seven (7) cards are distributed to each player, and six (6) to the table, and the remainder of the deck is placed face-down to form the draw pile.
If four cards of the same month are dealt on the field, then a misdeal is declared, and the dealer reshuffles and deals again.
¶ Checking for Teyaku
After the cards are dealt, each player checks if they possess any sets in hand called teyaku [手役 - てやく].
| Value (in points) | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
¶ Group A: Set Teyaku |
||
| 150 | Three Pairs 喰付 [くっつき, kuttsuki] (lit. sticky?) |
Three pairs of cards- a pair being two cards from the same month. |
| 150 | Triplet and Two Pairs 跳剣 [はねけん, haneken] (lit. jumping sword?) |
A Triplet (or Standing Triplet) and two pairs. |
| 150 | Four-Three 四三 [しそう, shisou] |
Four of a kind and a Triplet (or Standing Triplet). |
| 50 | Four of a Kind 手四 [てし, teshi] |
Four cards from the same month. Only  Wisteria,  Iris,  Bush Clover,  Susuki Grass, and  Paulownia are counted. |
¶ Exposing the Teyaku
A player who has a Teyaku may choose to expose it.
What happens after exposing a Teyaku is not explained; Decide first whether to stop the round and claim the points, or to claim the points and continue playing before starting the game. (NEEDS MORE DOCUMENTATION)
¶ Gameplay (Koi-koi mechanics)
The gameplay is similar to Koi-koi in that as soon as a Dekiyaku is formed, the player who has formed the Dekiyaku has a choice whether to “stop” the round and claim the points, or continue the round (“go”) in hopes of forming another Dekiyaku.
Also, if a player continued the round, and the opponent then formed a dekiyaku and stopped the round, then the player’s Dekiyaku is forfeited.
¶ Dekiyaku
All Dekiyaku stack except for Dekiyaku in the Bright Yaku group (only the highest scoring Bright Yaku is counted).
| Value (in points) | Yaku Name | Composition |
|---|---|---|
¶ Bright Yaku |
||
| 500 | Five Brights 五光 [ごこう, gokō] |
     |
| 300 | Four Brights (Dry 4) 本四光 [ほんしこう, honshikō, ‘real four brights’] |
|
| 200 | Rainy Four Brights 四光 [しこう, shikō, ‘four brights’] |
plus 3 of: |
¶ Ribbon and Willow Yaku |
||
| Value (in “yaku”) | Yaku Name | Composition |
| 150 | Poetry Ribbons 赤短 [あかたん, akatan] |
   |
| 150 | Blue Ribbons 青短 [あおたん, aotan] |
   |
| 100 | Five Ribbons 五短 [ごたん, gotan] |
Any 5 Ribbon cards. |
¶ Chaff Yaku |
||
| Value (in “yaku”) | Yaku Name | Composition |
| 10 | Chaff カス役 [かすやく, kasuyaku] |
Any Chaff cards: 7 Chaff for dealer, 8 Chaff for 2nd, 9 Chaff for 3rd. This yaku is worth 10 extra points for each additional Chaff card. |
¶ Bibliography
- Takeshi Ichinose, “Atarashii Hanafuda Nyuumon”