How many fans do you need to win a hand?

In standard Mahjong Competition Rules (MCR), the minimum is 8 fans to declare a winning hand. Each fan roughly doubles the base point value, so higher-fan hands pay out significantly more. Local rules vary; some groups play with a minimum of 4 fans, others require no minimum at all. The Chicken Hand (0 fans) is technically a valid win in some rulesets but is usually penalized or restricted to discard wins only.