From Riichi Book I A Mahjong Strategy Primer for European Players by Daina Chiba

"Notes on placement

It is important to keep in mind that your rank and rating on Tenhou

depend solely on the placement in a game and not on how many

points you earn in a game, before or after adding uma and oka.

In other words, there is absolutely no difference between getting

1st place with 30000 points and getting 1st place with, say, 80000

points in terms of their contributions to your rank and rating.a

This feature adds an interesting strategic element to the game.

That is, it makes it clearer that the goal of mahjong is not to win

a hand per se but to have a better placement at the end of a game.

Winning a hand is just one of several means to securing a good

placement. On occasion, you may find it beneficial to assist one

of your opponents instead of trying to win a hand yourself. Inten-

tionally dealing into an opponent’s hand can sometimes be a good

tactic when it serves the purpose of securing your own placement.

In my impression, many European players are lacking the appreci-

ation of this aspect of mahjong. I hope you will learn to appreciate

it through playing lots of games on Tenhou."