Phase 10 rules and phases

• The 10 phases
• A turn
• Wilds & Skips
• Scoring
• Score sheet

Work through ten phases in order, each a specific combination you have to collect and lay down. Complete your phase in a hand and you move on; fail and you're stuck repeating it while everyone else advances. First player to finish Phase 10 wins — points only break a tie.

The 10 phases

Phase	You need
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 color
Phase 9	1 set of 5 + 1 set of 2
Phase 10	1 set of 5 + 1 set of 3

A set is cards of the same number, any colors. A run is consecutive numbers, any colors — 4-5-6-7 in four different colors is a legal run of 4. Phase 8 is the only phase that cares about color: seven cards of one color, in any order.

The deck and the deal

• The deck has 108 cards: 1 to 12 in four colors, twice over, plus eight Wilds and four Skips.
• Deal ten cards each. The rest is the draw pile, with its top card turned face up to start the discard pile.

Taking a turn

• Draw one card, from the draw pile or the top of the discard pile.
• Lay down your phase if you hold all of it. Where a phase wants a set and a run, holding the set alone lays nothing.
• Hit: once your phase is down, add cards to any phase on the table — yours or anyone else's. That's the only thing spare cards can do; you can never start an extra set or run.
• Discard one card to end your turn.

The first player to get rid of every card ends the hand. Everyone who completed their phase that hand moves on to the next one, whether or not they went out.

Wilds and Skips

• A Wild stands in for any number or color. Use as many as you like in a phase, as long as there's at least one real numbered card in it. Once played, a Wild stays put for the rest of the hand.
• A Skip is played as your discard, in front of any player you choose: they lose their next turn. A Skip can't be used in a phase, can't be picked up from the discard pile, and can't be played on someone who already has one waiting.

Scoring

When a hand ends, everyone still holding cards adds up the penalty points below. The player who went out scores nothing.

Card	Points
1 – 9	5
10 – 12	10
Skip	15
Wild	25

Points are penalties, not a prize, and they only matter at the very end: if two or more players complete Phase 10 in the same hand, the lowest total wins.

Quick answers

Do runs have to be the same color?

No. Runs and sets ignore color entirely. Only Phase 8 asks for one color.

Can you hit before laying down your own phase?

No. You can only add to phases on the table once your own phase for that hand is down.

Can you complete more than one phase in a hand?

No. Lay down one phase per hand, then use leftover cards to hit. The next phase waits for the next hand.

Phase 10® is a trademark of its owner. Tallero is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the maker of Phase 10.