Phase 10 Card Game: An Overview

Game Summary

Phase 10 uses a 108-card deck and is modeled after contract rummy.

Players race to complete 10 phases, which consist of completing specific tasks (e.g., 1 run of 7; full list below).

The winner is the player who completes all 10 phases first, with any ties going to the person with the least points.




# of Players: 2-6

Time to Play: Games generally last 45 minutes.

Recommended Minimum Age: 8 years old

Game Designer: Kenneth Johnson


Game Contents

  • Reference Cards (list of phases)
  • 108 Card Deck: 24 of each color (red, blue, yellow, green), 4 skip cards, and 8 wild cards

Game Setup

  1. Select a dealer.
  2. The dealer shuffles the deck, and then deals 10 cards face down to each player
  3. All remaining cards are placed in the middle of the player to be used as a draw pile.
  4. Place the top card next to the draw pile; this becomes the discard pile.

Phase 10 Card Game Rules


Getting Started

The player to the left of the dealer starts each turn.

On each player’s turn, they may either add the top card of the draw or discard pile to their hand.

Each turn ends with a player placing a card on the top of the discard pile.

Each player attempts to complete their current phase, which can any one (or more) of: sets, runs, cards of one color, or a combination of sets and runs.

Only one phase may be completed by each player during a turn.

Playing a Hand

For each hand, a player attempts to complete his or her current phase. Players can only complete one phase per hand, and as the game progresses players may each be attempting to complete different phases.

Players must have the entire phase completed before laying down their cards; that is, if you only have one set of 3 for Phase 1, then you would not be able to lay down any cards.

A hand is completed once a player no longer has any cards.

Players may use their cards on their initial laydown when they complete a phase, or they may play their cards on other player’s completed phase (known as hitting in Phase 10), but the latter can only be done once the player has completed their phase. To do so, players simply add their card to the player’s meld (e.g, if a player has completed phase 7 using the color blue, then you would be able to add any of your blue cards.

Scoring a Hand

Scores will need to be tracked through pen/paper or digitally.

The winner of the hand scores zero points, whereas all other players score points based on the cards remaining in their hand:

  • Cards numbered 1-9: 5 points
  • Cards numbered 10-12: 10 points
  • Skip cards: 15 points
  • Wild cards: 25 points

Only cards left in hand are scored. Once scores are tallied, the next hand begins with the player on the left becoming the dealer.

Winning the Game

The winner is the first person to complete all ten phases.

If two or more players complete phase 10 during the same hand, then the player with the least points wins the game. If the game is still tied, then the players who are tied play one last hand; the winner is the player who can complete phase 10 first.

List of Phases

  1. 2 sets of 3
  2. 1 set of 3 + 1 run of 4
  3. 1 set of 4 + 1 run of 4
  4. 1 run of 7
  5. 1 run of 8
  6. 1 run of 9
  7. 2 sets of 4
  8. 7 cards of 1 color
  9. 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 2
  10. 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 3

Useful Definitions

Sets

Sets are made of two or more cards with the same number. The cards in a set may be any combination of colors, including the same color.

Two sets may be also be comprised of the same numbers.For example, a hand of seven 10s could be laid down as a set of 5 + set of 2

Runs

A run consists of 4 or more cards in sequential order; for example, a run could be “5”, “6”, “7”, and “8”. Like sets, a run can consist of any combination of colors, including all of the same color.

All One Color

All One Color (or flush for poker players) is just as it sounds: all of your cards match the same color. So, for phase 8, you would need to lay down at least 7 cards that are all red (or blue, green, or yellow).

Wild Cards

Wild cards may represent any number or color. Once played, they may not be replaced by the number/color they represent.

Skip Cards

Skip cards are the ultimate grief tool: they cause one player to skip his or her next turn. A few notes about skip cards:

  • They cannot be used to complete a phase.
  • They cannot be taken from the discard pile.
  • No one player can have multiple skips cards played against him or her in a single round, where a round is defined by everyone having had a turn played or skipped.
  • If the first card turned over from the draw pile at the beginning of the game is a skip card, then the first player’s turn is skipped.

    Download Phase 10 Checklist


    Downloadable Phase 10 Checklist from Ludologists

About Wesley Lyles 117 Articles
Wesley is a jack of all trades hobbyist. Though much of his spare time is spent playing board games (especially solo card games like Legendary), Hearthstone, Rocket League, and MLB The Show.e He also enjoys most sports, but pays way too much attention to baseball and football.

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