Published card games
Phase 10
Complete the ten phases in order, without falling behind.
- players
- 2–6
- minutes
- 45
- variants
- 4
You’ll need the game box. Marquoir sums up the rules and keeps score.
Setup
- A 108-card deck: four colours from 1 to 12, twice each, eight Wild cards and four Skip cards.
- Each player is dealt ten cards. One card is turned over to start the discard pile.
- Everyone starts on phase 1 and attempts the phases in order.
- Phase 1: 2 sets of 3. Phase 2: 1 set of 3 + 1 run of 4.
- Phase 3: 1 set of 4 + 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 colour.
- Phase 9: 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 2. Phase 10: 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 3.
How to play
- On your turn, draw a card, then discard one.
- As soon as you can complete your current phase, lay it down in front of you, in full and all at once.
- A Skip card makes the targeted player miss their turn; it cannot be used in any combination.
- A Wild card replaces any card, but a combination cannot be made of Wild cards alone.
- Once your phase is down, you may play cards onto your own and other players' laid-down phases.
- Anyone who did not complete their phase tries it again in the next round.
Scoring
- Cards left in hand: 1 to 9 are worth 5 points, 10 to 12 are worth 10, Skip 15, Wild 25.
- The lowest total breaks ties between players who finish phase 10 together.
End of the game
- The first player to complete phase 10 wins.
House rules and pitfalls
- The game does not stop after ten rounds: whoever misses their phase starts it again, and a full game often takes fifteen.
- A Skip card is best saved for whoever is about to lay down.
Variants
Phase order
In order (official)
Everyone starts at phase 1 and moves up one phase with each success.
Phases in any order
Each player announces the phase they are attempting. You still need all ten, but you pick the one your hand allows.
Game length
All 10 phases
5 phases (short game)
Stop after phase 5: about an hour shorter.
chosen when starting, the scorer follows
Frequently asked questions
What are the ten phases of Phase 10?
2 sets of 3; 1 set of 3 + 1 run of 4; 1 set of 4 + 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 + 1 set of 2; 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 3.
What happens when you miss your phase?
Count the points of the cards left in your hand, and play the same phase again in the next round while the others move on. That is the real engine of the game: you do not lose points, you lose ground.
Can you lay down part of your phase?
No. The phase is laid down whole, in a single turn. Once it is down, however, you can play cards onto your own combinations and those of the other players.
What is the Skip card for?
It makes the player of your choice miss their turn. It cannot go into any combination and is worth 15 points if it stays in your hand at the end of the round.
Can a Wild card replace any card?
Yes, in a run as well as in a set, but a combination cannot be made up only of Wild cards. In hand, it costs 25 points, the most in the game.
Who wins if two players finish phase 10 in the same round?
The one with the lowest points total. That is the only role of the score in this game: breaking ties.
The box
- Released
- 1982
- Age
- Ages 8+
- Designer
- Ken Johnson
- Artwork
- Lüders & Baran
- Publisher
- Mattel
- Mechanics
- Combinaisons poséesCollection
- Contents
- 108 cartes : 96 numérotées, 8 jokers et 4 cartes Passe
Where to find it
Specialist French shops. Marquoir earns nothing from these links.