Phase 10 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object
• Components
• The Ten Phases
• Setup
• A Turn
• Special Cards
• Going Out and Ending the Round
• Scoring
• Winning
• Variations

Object

Be the first player to complete all 10 Phases, in order.

Components

• 108 cards: 96 numbered cards (two sets of 1–12 in each of green, yellow, red, and orange), 8 Wild cards, and 4 Skip cards.
• 6 Phase Reference Boards (listing the ten Phases) and 6 Phase Trackers (pointers).

The Ten Phases

Phases must be completed in order, from 1 to 10:

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 one color
9. 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 2
10. 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 3

Definitions:

• Set: two or more cards of the same number, in any mix of colors.
• Run: four or more cards in consecutive number order, in any mix of colors.
• All one color: cards all sharing one color, not necessarily in number order.

Setup

1. Choose a first dealer. Give each player one Phase Reference Board and one Phase Tracker; each player sets their tracker to point at Phase 1. Advance the tracker each time you complete a Phase.
2. The dealer shuffles and deals 10 cards facedown to each player. Keep your hand hidden.
3. Place the remaining deck facedown as the draw pile, then turn its top card faceup beside it to start the discard pile.
4. The player to the dealer's left goes first; play proceeds clockwise.

A Turn

Each turn has four steps:

1. Draw a card — take the top card of either the draw pile or the discard pile into your hand.

2. Lay down a Phase (if able) — if your hand contains the current Phase, lay it faceup on the table. You may complete only one Phase per round, and you must hold the entire Phase before laying it down. In the first round everyone works on Phase 1. You get credit for a Phase the moment you lay it down—you do not have to go out to advance.

3. Hit (if able) — once your own Phase is down, you may "hit": play cards from your hand directly onto any laid-down Phase that they fit (your own or another player's). For example, add more matching numbers to a set, extend a run at either end, or add matching-color/Wild cards to a color Phase. You may make as many hits as you can on your turn. Hitting is how you get rid of your remaining cards.

4. Discard — end your turn by discarding one card faceup onto the discard pile.

Special Cards

Wild card — stands for any number and any color to help complete or hit a Phase. You may use as many Wilds as you like as long as at least one numbered card is also used. Once played into a Phase, a Wild cannot be moved for the rest of the round. If the dealer flips a Wild to start the discard pile, the first player may take it.

Skip card — its only use is to make another player lose a turn. On your turn, discard a Skip by placing it in front of a chosen player instead of on the discard pile; that player is skipped next turn (their only action then is to move the Skip onto the discard pile). Playing a Skip counts as your discard and ends your turn. A Skip may never be drawn from the discard pile, never used in a Phase, and never played on a player who already has a Skip in front of them. If the dealer starts the discard pile with a Skip, the first player's turn is skipped.

Going Out and Ending the Round

After laying down a Phase, players try to go out—get rid of all remaining cards by hitting and/or discarding the last card. The first player to go out wins the round, ending it for everyone.

Every player who completed their Phase this round (the winner and any others) advances their Phase Tracker to the next Phase. Anyone who did not complete their Phase must attempt the same Phase again next round—so players may be on different Phases.

Scoring

The round winner scores 0. Each other player scores penalty points for cards still in hand (lower is better):

• 5 points per card numbered 1–9
• 10 points per card numbered 10–12
• 15 points per Skip card
• 25 points per Wild card

Only cards still in hand are scored, not cards laid down. Record scores, pass the deal to the left, reshuffle, and begin a new round.

Winning

The first player to complete Phase 10 at the end of a round wins. If two or more finish Phase 10 in the same round, the one with the fewest total points wins. If still tied, those players replay Phase 10 and the first to go out wins.

Variations

• Ten rounds: every player advances a Phase each round regardless of completion; after ten rounds, lowest total score wins.
• Fewer Phases: agree before play on how many Phases are needed to win (e.g. five or seven) for a shorter game; all other rules stand.