Phase 10 Rules – Conventional & Easy Simplified Rules with Printable PDF

Phase 10 Rules

If you like playing card games like Uno, Rummy, Pocker, etc., you may have heard of Phase 10 too. Phase 10 is also a card game, usually played by 2 to 6 players, and has 10 phases. The game’s ultimate goal is to complete all the phases, and the player who can complete them first wins the game. 

But like most card games, Phase 10 also has some specific rules that may vary slightly from region to region. But in this guide, I’ll focus on the standard Phase 10 rules and score combination and share tips on how to play this game the right way.

Key Takeaways!

  • The game has 108 cards, and there are 24 cards of each color – red, green, yellow, and blue, 4 Skip cards, and 8 Wild cards. 
  • The Wild cards and Skip cards are special. You can use a Wild card to complete any set or run and a Skip card to make the opponent lose or skip a particular phase. 
  • The game has 10 phases, and the player who completes the 10th phase first wins the game. 
  • Cards 1 to 9 are equal to 5 points, cards 10 to 12 are equal to 10 points, each Skip card is worth 15 points, and each Wild card is worth 25 points. 
  • You can use Hit to complete any round faster.

 Bonus: You can download a printable PDF version of the Phase 10 rules for offline use.

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A Detailed Insight Into The Phase 10 Game: From Its Creation To Phase 10 Rules

A Detailed Insight Into The Phase 10 Game: From Its Creation To Phase 10 Rules

Phase 10 was released in 1982 by Fundex Games. The game was released as a variant of Rummy and was initially called Contract Rummy. The game can be played by 2 to 6 people and has two cards containing 108 cards. There are a total of 10 phases.

A phase is a combination of cards that meets a particular phase/round’s criteria. 

The original phase of the game has:

  • Phase 1: 2 sets of 3
  • Phase 2: 1 set of 3 and 1 run of 4
  • Phase 3: 1 set of 4 and 1 run of 4
  • Phase 4: 1 run of 7
  • Phase 5: 1 run of 8
  • Phase 6: 1 run of 9
  • Phase 7: 2 sets of 4
  • Phase 8: 7 cards of one color
  • Phase 9: 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 2
  • Phase 10: 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 3

There are four different colors of cards – red, yellow, green, and blue. Apart from the colored number cards, there are eight wild cards and four skip cards. 

Wild cards are versatile as they can be used as any number or any color to complete a set or run, as shown in the picture below. 

The Phase 10 Game: From Its Creation To Phase 10 Rules

A Skip card can make any opponent lose or skip a turn. 

Runs & Sets Of Cards 

New players often get confused between two terms – run and set. A set of cards means a group of cards with the same numbers (2,2,2). 

run and set.

And a run of cards is a group of sequential cards (1,2,3,4, Or 4,5,6). Color combination is not important; you can have sets and runs of cards with varying colors.

run and set.

For each phase, you have to lay down runs and sets of cards. For example, in Phase 1, you must have two combinations of 3s (A set of 1s and a set of 3s), and you must have the cards ready to form both sets before laying down the cards. You cannot lay one set first and the second one later.

Phase 10 rules points:

Phase 10 rules points
  • Cards 1 to 9 = 5 points 
  • Cards 10 to 12 = 10 points
  • Skip cards = 15 points 
  • Wild cards = 25 points 

Phase 10 scoring is done based on the remaining cards in players’ hands at the end of each phase. As each phase ends with the player clearing all cards, the winner gets the sum of card values remaining in the opposite player’s hand.

Phase 10 scoring is done based on the remaining cards in players' hands

How Do You Play Phase 10? The Rules Explained in Detail

Mentioned below are the official rules of Phase 10:

  • Shuffle the cards and deal ten cards to each player. 
  • Keep the rest of the card as a draw pile. Flip the top card from the draw pile and keep it next to it as the discard pile. 
How Do You Play Phase 10? The Rules Explained in Detail
  • The main object of the game is to be the first player to complete all ten phases of the game. 
  • To complete a phase, players need to show certain card combinations using sets of cards, runs of cards, or cards of the same color. 
  • Sets of the card mean- cards of the same rank, runs of cards mean cards in sequential order, and cards of the same color are self-explanatory. 
  • The wild card can be used as any number or color. 
  • The skip card is used to make the opposite player skip the following turn.
  • During the game, the players will keep the cards hidden from each other. 
  • Usually, the player to the left of the dealer starts the game, and when playing with two players, the non-dealer starts the game. The game continues in a clockwise motion. 
  • During the first stage, the players will try to get two sets of three cards, for example- a set of 3s or a set of 5s. 
  • The game begins with a player drawing the top card from the draw pile or the discard pile. For example, player 1 draws from the draw pile and gets a 3. If he already has two 3s, he now has one set of matching cards, and he will lay down that set and keep it in the middle. Each time a player draws a card, he has to discard one of their cards. 
How Do You Play Phase 10? The Rules Explained in Detail
  • In the following turn, player 2 will draw a card and see for matching pairs. And the game continues likewise. 
  • If a player wants to stop his opponent from playing the next turn, he will discard a Skip card. For instance, if player 2 does not get any matching combinations even after withdrawing a card from the withdraw pile, he can discard a Skip card to stop player 1 from playing the next round. As a result, player 2 gets another chance to withdraw a card and check for matching combinations again. 
  • Each round continues until a player has laid down all the cards in his hand. The winner of the round scores the sum of card values remaining in the opposite player’s hand. 
  • If there is a draw between two or more players, then the player with the lowest score wins the game. 
  • Once a round or phase is over, only the players who have completed the phase can move on to the following phase. And the ones who couldn’t complete it have to play the same phase again. For example, if players 1 & 2 complete Phase One, which is 2 sets of 3, they can move on to Phase two, which is 1 set of 3 and 1 run of 4
How Do You Play Phase 10
  • At the end of the 10th and final phase, scores from all the previous rounds are added, and the player with the lowest score wins the game. 

Other Important Rules Of The Game

  • When played among more than 4 players, players discarding a skip card can choose any player to skip that round. 
  • Once a Wild Card is laid down, it can’t be withdrawn. 
  • If a Skip card is the first card laid by the dealer, then the player left to the dealer has to skip that round. 
  • Your goal should be to play out as many cards as possible. There is no point in keeping more cards. 
  • Play Hit on completed rounds. 
  • Remember that you can play cards on your opponent’s sequence or sets.

Check out this video for a better understanding of the game rules:

 

What Is Hitting? 

Hitting is discarding matching cards in a player’s hand by adding them to one’s own or another player’s completed phase. If a player has two or more cards in hand, they can use hitting to get rid of the remaining cards immediately after laying their phase. This is done in order to win the phase faster.

For example, you completed Phase 1 by laying two sets of matching 3s: 3,3,3 & 7,7,7. And you have two cards left, 3, 7 & 1. You can discard 3 and 7 in your completed phase immediately after laying down the combination for that round. You’re now left with a single 1 card that you can discard in the discard pile to finish off the round. Thus, you can get rid of all the cards faster and win a phase.

Phase 10 Rules FAQs

  1. How Do You Keep Score On Phase 10?

You can keep the scores for each phase simply by writing them down on paper. 

  1. How Many Cards Are There In Phase 10? 

There are 108 cards- 24 cards of each color red, green, yellow, and blue, 4 Skip cards, and 8 Wild cards. 

  1. Can I Play Phase 10 With Uno Cards? 

No, you can’t play Phase 10 with Uno cards. They are different and do not match the Phase 10 rules or scoring combinations. 

You Are All Set to Play Phase 10! 

Phase 10 may look a little mind-boggling at the beginning, but once you understand its rules, the game isn’t that complicated. Take note of the rules I mentioned; alternatively, you can download this guide. Phase 10 is super fun to play with friends or family members. Group games can get a bit long; it’s more fun when played in a group of two or three.

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