Phase 10

How to play a turn: draw, lay down, discard

Each player starts a hand with 10 cards. On your turn, draw one from the face-down deck or the top of the discard pile, then, if you can complete your assigned Phase, lay down that entire Phase. After laying it down, you may add suitable cards to completed Phases on the table (“hitting”). Finish your turn by discarding one card unless you go out by a legal play that empties your hand.

Example: you are on Phase 1 (two sets of three). Your 10-card hand already contains three 4s and two 9s. You draw a third 9, enabling you to put down both sets together. You cannot put down the three 4s on an earlier turn and wait for the last 9: the entire Phase must be complete before laying any of it down.

All 10 standard Phase 10 phases

A set is cards of the same number, regardless of colour. A run is consecutive numbers, regardless of colour. A colour Phase requires the same colour, not sequential numbers. Every player works on their own current Phase in the listed order.

Scoring example: why unused Wilds are costly

When someone goes out, each player counts cards remaining in their own hand. Cards already placed on the table as part of their Phase do not count. The player who goes out scores zero for that hand.

Example: you hold a 6, a 12 and a Wild when the hand ends. That costs 5 + 10 + 25 = 40 points. If you had already laid down your assigned Phase, you still advance next hand; if not, you repeat it. Points serve as a tie-breaker when multiple players complete Phase 10 in the same hand.

Wild, Skip and hitting: three rules to remember

Wild: substitutes for a required number or colour in a Phase, subject to the normal card restrictions. Skip: makes a chosen player miss a turn but cannot serve as a numbered card in a set or run. Hitting: only becomes available after you have laid down your own complete Phase; you can then add valid cards to any player’s completed Phase.

Example: if another player has laid down a run 3–4–5–6 and you have already laid down your own Phase, you may hit that run with a 7. If your own Phase is still in your hand, you cannot hit their run yet.

Players sometimes mix the printed card-game rules with special rules from the Phase 10 mobile app. This guide follows the physical Mattel game. For a focused explanation, see Wild, Skip, hitting and scoring.

When does Phase 10 actually end?

The first player to complete Phase 10 wins at the end of that hand. If two or more players complete Phase 10 in the same hand, the player with the lower accumulated penalty score wins. If still tied, the tied players replay Phase 10 under the printed rules.

Do not confuse “going out” (emptying your hand and ending the current hand) with completing Phase 10, which is the game-wide victory condition. Someone can go out on an early Phase and still be far from winning the overall game.

Publisher rules: Mattel Phase 10 rule sheet. Check the card list included with your edition for alternate phases or printed differences.