How to Play Phase 10 — The Card Game
Phase 10 is played with a special deck of numbered and wild cards. Each hand, you try to lay down one specific “phase” — a required mix of sets and runs. Complete it and you move on to the next phase; fail and you repeat it.
The ten phases are always attempted in order, so the game is a steady climb where a single unlucky hand can leave you stuck a phase behind.
Last reviewed 2026-07-27
What's in the box
- 108 cards
- Number cards 1–12 in four colors (two of each per color)
- 8 Wild cards
- 4 Skip cards
- A phase reference / instructions
Setup
- Shuffle and deal 10 cards to each player.
- Place the rest face down as the draw pile and flip the top card to start the discard.
- Everyone begins on Phase 1.
- The player to the dealer’s left goes first.
How to play — the rules
Sets, runs, and colors
- A set (group) is two or more cards of the same number — color does not matter.
- A run is two or more cards in consecutive numbers — color does not matter.
- An “all one color” phase needs the required number of cards sharing a color, regardless of their numbers.
- Wild cards stand in for any number or color; Skip cards cannot be part of a phase.
The ten phases (in order)
- Phase 1 — two sets of 3
- Phase 2 — one set of 3 + one run of 4
- Phase 3 — one set of 4 + one run of 4
- Phase 4 — one run of 7
- Phase 5 — one run of 8
- Phase 6 — one run of 9
- Phase 7 — two sets of 4
- Phase 8 — seven cards of one color
- Phase 9 — one set of 5 + one set of 2
- Phase 10 — one set of 5 + one set of 3
Laying down and hitting
You may lay down your phase only when you can complete the entire phase at once, on your turn, after drawing. You cannot lay down a partial phase.
Once your phase is down, on later turns you can “hit” — add matching cards to any laid-down phase on the table, yours or an opponent’s — to shed cards faster.
Skip cards
Play a Skip card onto the discard pile to make the next player lose their turn. Skip cards can never be drawn from the discard pile and are never part of a phase.
A turn, step by step
- Draw one card, from either the draw pile or the top of the discard.
- If you can complete your entire current phase, lay it down.
- If your phase is already down, hit extra cards onto any laid-down phases.
- Discard one card to end your turn (a Skip skips the next player).
How to win
A hand ends when one player gets rid of all their cards. Everyone who laid down their phase that hand advances to the next; everyone who didn’t must attempt the same phase again.
The first player to complete Phase 10 and go out wins. If more than one finishes Phase 10 in the same hand, the lowest total penalty score breaks the tie.
Strategy tips
- Watch the discard pile — grabbing a needed card there can be faster than gambling on the draw pile.
- Don’t hoard wilds; use them to complete the phase you’re on rather than saving them for a future phase you may never reach.
- Once your phase is down, dump your remaining cards fast (including hitting others’ phases) so you go out before opponents complete theirs.
- Save a Skip for the player who is one card from going out.
- The all-one-color phase (8) trips people up — start collecting a single color early when you’re near it.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to complete the phases in order?
Yes. Everyone attempts Phase 1 first, then Phase 2, and so on. If you fail a phase in a hand, you try the exact same phase again next hand.
Can you lay down part of a phase?
No. You can only lay down a phase when you have every card needed to complete all of it at once. Until then, you hold the cards.
What is “hitting” in Phase 10?
After you’ve laid down your phase, you can add matching cards to any laid-down phase on the table — yours or another player’s — to get rid of your cards more quickly.
How does scoring work?
You score penalty points for cards left in hand when someone goes out: 5 each for cards 1–9, 10 each for 10–12, 15 for a Skip, and 25 for a Wild. Lowest score wins any Phase 10 tie.
House-rule ideas
- Free phases: let players attempt any phase they choose each hand rather than in strict order, for a faster game.
- No hitting until Phase 5 to slow down early runaway leaders.
- Masters edition: play the harder alternate phase list included in some editions.
Buy Phase 10 Classic
Phase 10 Card Game
The original ten-phase rummy race — a road-trip and family staple.
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