BoardGameArchivePhase 10 Wild, Skip, Hitting & Scoring Rules
Phase 10 special-card and scoring rules explained: Wild cards, Skip cards, hitting completed phases, going out and leftover-card points.
Phase 10’s two special card types are Wild and Skip .
Phase 10’s two special card types are Wild and Skip.
At a glance
Phase 10 special-card and scoring rules explained: Wild cards, Skip cards, hitting completed phases, going out and leftover-card points.
About this guide
Phase 10’s two special card types are Wild and Skip .
What this guide covers
Wild cards
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Skip cards
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What is hitting?
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Who goes out?
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Wild cards
A Wild can substitute for a needed number and can also satisfy a color requirement. Use it as part of the Phase you lay down or where hitting is legal.
Skip cards
A Skip makes the chosen opponent lose a turn. Skip cards are not ordinary numbered cards and do not satisfy sets, runs or color phases unless a specific edition says otherwise.
What is hitting?
Once you have laid down your own Phase for the hand, you may add cards to legal sets/runs/color groups already on the table to reduce your hand.
Who goes out?
The first player to get rid of every card ends the hand.
Scoring
Players receive penalty points for cards still in their hands. Lower total score is better when players reach the final Phase together; completing all ten Phases remains the primary progression goal.
Phase 10 scoring table with a worked example
At the end of a hand, the player who goes out scores zero. Everyone else adds penalty points for the cards still in their hand; cards already laid down on a Phase do not count toward their hand penalty.
| Card left in hand | Points |
|---|---|
| Number 1–9 | 5 |
| Number 10–12 | 10 |
| Skip | 15 |
| Wild | 25 |
Example: when a rival goes out, you are holding a 4, an 11 and a Wild. Your penalty is 5 + 10 + 25 = 40 points. If your Phase was already laid down, you can still advance to the next Phase next hand despite those points. If it was not laid down, you repeat the same Phase.
Wild cards in sets, runs and colours
A Wild can stand for a needed number or colour when building a Phase, subject to the game’s Wild-card conditions. It can help complete a set of equal values or fill a missing number in a consecutive run.
Example: for a four-card run, 5–6–Wild–8 can be treated as 5–6–7–8. For a set of three 9s, two actual 9s plus a Wild can complete the set. The numbers and card colours must still satisfy the specific Phase’s requirement.
A Wild is especially valuable during the hand but expensive to leave unused: its 25-point penalty is the highest in the standard scoring table.
Skip cards: use and restrictions
A Skip forces the chosen player to lose their next turn. It does not count as a numbered or Wild card, and it cannot be laid down as part of a normal Phase. A Skip is played as your discard and ends your current turn.
Example: Red plays a Skip against Blue. Blue misses the relevant turn while play continues to the next player; Red cannot use that same Skip as part of a numbered run.
The standard rule also restricts skipping the same player on consecutive turns. Check the card and the rule sheet for your particular edition before using alternate Skip rules from the mobile app.
Hitting: when and where you can add cards
Once your own Phase has been laid down, you may play compatible remaining cards onto any completed Phase on the table, including another player’s. This is called hitting. You cannot hit before laying down your own Phase, even if a rival has space for the card you want to play.
Example: another player laid down a run 3–4–5–6. After laying down your own Phase, you can hit their run with a 7 if it is legal. You cannot extend a run past 12 or before 1, however. Hitting helps reduce the number of penalty cards left in your hand.
As with laying down a Phase, hits must obey the specific numbers, colours or sets required by the cards already on the table.
Going out, advancing and winning
A hand ends when somebody has laid down their Phase and gets rid of every remaining card by hitting and/or the final discard. Anyone who completed their assigned Phase during that hand advances to the next Phase; those who did not complete it repeat their current Phase.
Example: Blue lays down Phase 4 but still holds two cards. Red then goes out, ending the hand. Blue advances to Phase 5 on the next hand because Phase 4 was complete, even though Blue receives penalty points for the two remaining cards.
The first player to complete Phase 10 wins. If more than one player finishes Phase 10 in the same hand, the player with the lowest accumulated penalty score wins; further ties use the rulebook’s tiebreak procedure. Source: Phase 10 official FAQ.