How to play Phase 10

Objective

Be the first player to complete all ten phases. A phase is a combination of cards, such as two sets of three. Each round you try to lay down your current phase and then get rid of your remaining cards.

This page follows Mattel’s 108-card deck: 96 numbered cards (two sets of 1 to 12 in four colours), eight Wild cards and four Skip cards. It covers the standard card game, not the dice, Flip or Masters versions.

Setup

Choose a dealer. Each player keeps track of their current phase, with a pencil and paper or the phase board in the box.

Shuffle and deal ten cards face down to each player. Put the rest face down as the draw pile and turn its top card face up beside it to begin the discard pile. The player to the dealer’s left goes first, and play runs clockwise.

If the starting discard is a Skip, the first player’s first turn is skipped. If it is a Wild, the first player may pick it up.

The ten phases

Phases must be made in order, from 1 to 10.

Phase	What to lay down
1	2 sets of 3
2	1 set of 3 and 1 run of 4
3	1 set of 4 and 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 one colour
9	1 set of 5 and 1 set of 2
10	1 set of 5 and 1 set of 3

• A set is cards with the same number, in any colours. The two sets in a phase may use the same number.
• A run is cards in consecutive number order, in any colours. A run of 4 could be 3, 4, 5, 6.
• One colour means cards of the same colour, in any order.

Turns

Each turn has four steps:

1. Draw one card: the top of the draw pile or the top of the discard pile.
2. Lay down your phase face up, if you can. You may do this once per round, and you need the whole phase in your hand first.
3. Hit, if your phase is already laid down: add cards from your hand to any laid-down phase.
4. Discard one card face up on the discard pile to end your turn.

You get credit for a phase as soon as you lay it down. You do not have to win the round to move on.

Hitting

Once your own phase is down, you may add one or more cards to your own laid-down phase or to another player’s, as long as they fit. You can make as many hits as you like on your turn, and only on your turn.

You may add a 4 to any set of 4s, a 2 to a run of 3, 4, 5, 6, or a further 7 and 8 to that run. In Phase 8 you may add any card of the matching colour.

Wild cards

A Wild stands in for any number card, or for any colour in the one-colour phase. You may use as many Wilds as you like in a phase, as long as you also use at least one numbered card. A Wild that has been played in a phase cannot be taken back out for the rest of the round.

Skip cards

A Skip makes another player lose their next turn. Instead of discarding it on the pile, place it in front of the player you choose. That player’s only action on their next turn is to take the Skip and put it on the discard pile.

• Playing a Skip counts as your discard and ends your turn.
• You may never pick a Skip up from the discard pile.
• You may never use a Skip in a phase.
• You may not play a Skip against a player who already has one in front of them.

Worked example

You are on Phase 2 (a set of 3 and a run of 4). Your hand is 8, 8, 8, 3, 4, 6, Wild, 11, 12 and a Skip. You draw a 7.

Lay down the three 8s as your set, and 3, 4, Wild (as the 5) and 6 as your run. Then hit your 7 onto the end of the run, making 3 to 7. You still hold 11, 12 and the Skip. Discard the Skip in front of an opponent, which ends your turn.

If another player goes out before you can, your 11 and 12 score 10 points each, 20 in all.

Winning

Going out

You go out when you have no cards left, by hitting, by discarding your last card, or both. Going out ends the round for everyone. The player who goes out scores zero.

Scoring a round

Every other player scores the cards still in their hand. Only cards in hand count, not cards already laid down.

Card	Points
Numbered 1 to 9	5
Numbered 10 to 12	10
Skip	15
Wild	25

Lowest total score is best. After scoring, the player to the dealer’s left deals the next round.

Moving on

The player who went out, and anyone else who laid down their phase, moves on to the next phase. Everyone else repeats the same phase. Players are often on different phases.

Winning the game

The first player to complete Phase 10 at the end of a round wins. If two or more complete it in the same round, the lowest total score wins. If still tied, those players replay Phase 10 and the first to go out wins.

Common mistakes

• Laying down phases out of order. You must complete Phase 1 before Phase 2, and so on.
• Hitting before your phase is down. You may only hit once your own phase is laid down.
• Hitting on someone else’s turn. Hit only during your own turn.
• Picking up a Skip. A Skip can never be taken from the discard pile.
• Building a phase out of Wilds. You need at least one numbered card in the phase.
• Thinking you must go out to advance. Laying down your phase is enough. Going out only ends the round.
• Counting laid-down cards. Only cards left in your hand score.

Variants

Mattel’s sheet gives two shorter ways to play. In the first, you play exactly ten rounds and every player advances one phase each round, whether or not they completed it. After ten rounds, the lowest total score wins. In the second, you agree before play how many phases must be completed to win, such as five or seven, and all other rules stay the same.

Phase 10 is built from sets and runs, as in Rummy, but players lay down a fixed combination rather than melding freely.

Common questions

What are the 10 phases in Phase 10?

In order: 2 sets of 3; 1 set of 3 and 1 run of 4; 1 set of 4 and 1 run of 4; 1 run of 7; 1 run of 8; 1 run of 9; 2 sets of 4; 7 cards of one colour; 1 set of 5 and 1 set of 2; and 1 set of 5 and 1 set of 3.

Do you have to go out to move to the next phase?

No. You move on as soon as you lay your phase down and the round ends, even if another player goes out. Players who did not lay down their phase must repeat it.

Can you use more than one Wild card in a phase?

Yes. You may use as many Wilds as you want, provided the phase also contains at least one numbered card. Once a Wild is played in a phase, it stays there until the round ends.

How do Skip cards work in Phase 10?

You discard a Skip by placing it in front of the player you choose, and that player misses their next turn. You can never pick a Skip up from the discard pile or use it in a phase, and you cannot skip a player who already has a Skip in front of them.

How is Phase 10 scored?

The player who goes out scores zero. Everyone else scores the cards left in their hand: 5 points for each 1 to 9, 10 for each 10 to 12, 15 for each Skip and 25 for each Wild. The lowest score is best.

Can both sets in Phase 1 use the same number?

Yes. Mattel’s rules say the two sets may be different numbers or the same number, such as three 10s and three more 10s.

What happens when the draw pile runs out?

Mattel’s sheet does not say. Agree a rule before you start. A common approach is to leave the top discard in place, shuffle the rest of the discard pile and use it as the new draw pile.

Can a run go from 12 round to 1?

Mattel’s sheet describes a run as cards in consecutive order and does not mention wrapping. Treat 1 as the lowest card and 12 as the highest, unless everyone agrees otherwise before play.