What you need
- A Phase 10 deck: 96 numbered cards (two of each number 1 to 12 in each of four colors), 8 Wild cards and 4 Skip cards
- A list of the ten phases (the deck includes reference cards or boards)
- Pencil and paper, or the free score keeper, for scores
Players and time
2-6 players. About an hour or more.
The goal
Be the first player to complete all ten phases. A phase is a set combination of cards that you lay down on the table. You must complete the phases in order, and you only move on to the next phase when you have completed the one you are on.
The game is played in rounds. A round starts with the deal and ends when one player goes out. (Some players call a round a "hand"; Mattel's sheet says "round", and so do this page and the score keeper.)
Setup
- Choose a dealer. The deck is shuffled and each player is dealt ten cards.
- Put the rest of the deck face down in the middle as the draw pile. Turn the top card face up beside it to start the discard pile.
- The player to the dealer's left goes first and play moves clockwise.
- Everyone starts on Phase 1. A Skip card turned up at the start skips the first player. A Wild card turned up at the start can be picked up by the first player.
- After each round, the deal passes to the left.
A turn
- Draw one card, either the top card of the draw pile or the top card of the discard pile.
- Lay down your phase if you can. You may do this only once per round, and you must lay down the entire phase at once.
- Hit if you can. Once your own phase is on the table, you may add cards to any phase laid down by any player, including your own.
- Discard one card face up onto the discard pile to end your turn.
Special cards and combinations
- The ten phases
- 1: two sets of 3. 2: one set of 3 and one run of 4. 3: one set of 4 and one run of 4. 4: one run of 7. 5: one run of 8. 6: one run of 9. 7: two sets of 4. 8: seven cards of one color. 9: one set of 5 and one set of 2. 10: one set of 5 and one set of 3.
- Sets, runs and color
- A set is two or more cards with the same number, in any colors. A run is cards in consecutive number order, such as 3, 4, 5, 6, in any colors. For a color phase, all the cards must be one color, in any order. The two sets in a phase may use the same number. Mattel's sheet does not say that a run can wrap around from 12 to 1, and its examples only count upward, so play runs without wrapping unless your group agrees otherwise.
- Wild cards
- A Wild card can stand in for any number or color. You can use several Wild cards in a phase, but at least one card in it must be a numbered card. Once a Wild card is part of a laid-down phase, it stays there for the rest of the round and cannot be moved. If the dealer starts the discard pile with a Wild card, the first player may take it.
- Skip cards
- Playing a Skip means discarding it on your turn and choosing a player who loses their next turn. The Skip counts as your discard and ends your turn. A Skip can never be picked up from the discard pile and can never be part of a phase. You cannot play a Skip on a player who already has one against them, so nobody is skipped twice in a row. In the 40th anniversary edition, the Skip is placed in front of the chosen player, who takes it and discards it as their only action on their next turn.
- Hitting
- Hitting means adding a card from your hand to a phase on the table. A card of the same number can be added to a set. A card that continues the number order can be added to either end of a run, and a card of the right color can be added to a color phase. A Wild card can be added anywhere it fits. You must have laid down your own phase before you can hit. You may hit on your turn only, as often as you like, and on your own cards, other players' cards, or both.
- Going out
- When you have no cards left, the round ends for everyone. You can only go out after you have laid down your phase. You get rid of your remaining cards by hitting, by discarding your last card, or by a mix of both. Laying down and hitting are steps of the same turn, so you can lay down your phase, hit away the rest of your cards and go out in that one turn. Mattel's sheet does not say this in so many words, but its turn steps and going-out text allow it.
- Advancing to the next phase
- You move up one phase after any round in which you laid down your phase. You get credit as soon as the phase is on the table, so that includes the player who went out and any other players who got their phase down before the round ended. If you did not lay down your phase, you try the same phase again in the next round.
Scoring
The player who goes out scores zero. Every other player adds up the cards left in their hand. Cards you have already laid down or discarded do not count. The lowest total wins, so you want as few points as possible.
Cards left in your hand score against you whether or not you completed your phase.
| Card left in hand | Points |
|---|---|
| Numbered 1 to 9 | 5 each |
| Numbered 10 to 12 | 10 each |
| Skip | 15 each |
| Wild | 25 each |
Worked example
Four players finish a round. Ana goes out, so she scores 0 and moves on to the next phase. Ben, who had laid down his phase, is left with a 3, a 7, an 11 and a Skip: 5 + 5 + 10 + 15 = 35 points. He also moves on. Cy never got his phase down and is left with a Wild, a 9 and a 12: 25 + 5 + 10 = 40 points. He repeats his phase next round. Dee had laid down her phase and holds two 4s: 5 + 5 = 10 points. She moves on.
Points for the round are 0, 35, 40 and 10. These add to each player's running total.
Keep score with the Phase 10 score keeper
How to win
The game ends after the round in which a player completes Phase 10 and goes out. The player with the lowest total points among those who completed Phase 10 in that round wins.
If two or more players complete Phase 10 in the same round, the lowest total wins. If those players are still tied on points, they replay Phase 10 against each other. The first of them to go out wins.
Common house rules
These are house rules. They are not part of the official rules, so agree on them before you start.
- Everyone advances each round (Mattel variation) House rule
- Mattel lists a variation in which every player moves to the next phase after each round whether they completed their phase or not. After ten rounds, the player with the lowest total score wins. It is a published variation, not the standard game.
- Fewer phases (Mattel variation) House rule
- Mattel also lists a shorter game: before you start, agree to complete fewer than ten phases, such as five or seven. All other rules stay the same. The score keeper lets you change the last phase.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to finish your phase to move to the next one?
Yes. You only move on after a round in which you laid down your phase. If you did not manage it before another player went out, you try the same phase again in the next round. You do not have to go out to advance.
Can you hit before you lay down your own phase?
No. You must lay down your own phase first. Then you may add cards to any phase on the table, including other players' phases. You may lay down only one phase per round, and you must put the whole phase down together.
Can you lay down your phase and go out on the same turn?
Yes, as far as the Mattel sheet goes. A turn runs draw, lay down, hit, discard, and the sheet says you go out by hitting, by discarding your last card, or both. It does not say "same turn" outright, so this reading is not spelled out.
How many Wild cards can you use in a phase?
As many as you like, as long as at least one card in the phase is a numbered card. Once a Wild card is laid down, it cannot be taken back.
Can you play a Skip on the same player twice in a row?
No. You cannot skip a player who already has a Skip against them. You also cannot use a Skip in a phase, and you cannot pick a Skip up from the discard pile.
How is Phase 10 scored?
Add up the cards left in your hand at the end of the round: 5 points for a card numbered 1 to 9, 10 points for 10 to 12, 15 for a Skip and 25 for a Wild. The player who goes out scores zero. The lowest score is best.
What happens if two players finish Phase 10 in the same round?
The one with the lowest total score wins. If they are also tied on points, those players replay Phase 10 and the first to go out wins.
Can a run wrap around from 12 to 1 in Phase 10?
The Mattel sheet does not say. It defines a run as cards in consecutive number order and only shows runs that go up. We found no published rule that lets a run turn the corner from 12 to 1, so play it as not allowed unless your group agrees.
Sources
- Mattel instruction sheet, Phase 10 card game (W4729, 2018) (The ten phases, definitions of sets and runs, turn steps, Wild and Skip rules, hitting, going out, scoring values, tie rules, variations and the trademark line.)
- Mattel instruction sheet, Phase 10 40th anniversary edition (HHR41, 2021) (Read in full for the same rules: phases, turn steps, Wild and Skip rules, hitting, going out, scoring, winning, variations and the trademark line.)
Phase 10 is a registered trademark of Kenneth R. Johnson in the United States and of Mattel, Inc. outside the United States, as stated on the Mattel rules sheet. Rules and Scores is not affiliated with or endorsed by either of them.