If a player has Reached on the following hand:
And at the same time has the following discard:
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If a player has Reached on the following hand:
And at the same time has the following discard: |
     
 
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Then this player has committed a Foul Reach. This is because the Wait for the hand is
 -- and one of these tiles, 9 Balls, is in the
player's discard pile. Recall the rule that if ANY tile that a player is waiting on is in his
discard pile, he may not go out Ron off any player (even if the winning tile is different
from the one in the discard pile).
This creates the potential for committing a foul. If the player goes out Ron off any player, then this is ruled as a foul, and he must pay the appropriate penalty. There is a way out, however: the player may go out Tsumo without any penalty. In fact, in some cases, players will purposely foul Reach for strategic purposes. Also, if a player Reaches, and later passes up a chance to go out, the Reach becomes a Foul Reach. This can be passing up a Ron tile, or a Tsumo tile. This is a choice that is left to the player. If he desperately needs extra Han, he may pass up a Ron or Tsumo tile in hopes that he will later draw a more valueable tile off the wall (he can no longer go Ron). If a player reaches on the following hand:   
Then he has committed an Illegal Reach, since the hand is not a legal configuration. Once this is revealed to the other players (for example, tiles run out and he is required to show the hand), then it is ruled a Foul and the appropriate penalty is imposed. However, the player is not required to volunteer the information. Therefore, even if a player commits an Illegal Reach, if another player goes out before the end of the hand, then he is relieved from paying the penalty (as he is never required to show his hand). This keeps players from being in the awkward situation of having to volunteer information that does not benefit them, and it creates less opportunity for cheating. |
