Phase 10 takes about two minutes to explain and then eats an hour of your evening. Everyone works through the same ten phases in the same order, and whoever finishes first isn't necessarily the winner. That last part is where new players get burned.
Below: what's in the deck, all ten phases in order, how a round plays out, how penalty points work, and three mistakes we watch beginners make over and over.
What you need
- The Phase 10 deck, 108 cards: 96 numbered cards (two of each number 1–12 in four colors), 8 Wilds, and 4 Skips.
- 2 to 6 players. Four is the sweet spot. Six works, but rounds get long.
- Paper and a pen for scoring.
- 45 to 60 minutes for a full ten-round game.
Can you use a regular deck instead? Not really. You'd need two full 54-card decks to get anywhere near 108, and the Wild-to-Skip ratio still won't line up. Buy the real deck if you plan to play more than once.
The goal
Every player works through the same ten phases in order. No skipping ahead. On each round you either complete your current phase and move on, or you fail and try that same phase again next round.
And here's the part that trips people up: the first player to finish Phase 10 ends the game, but finishing first doesn't win it. The winner is whoever has the lowest total penalty points when the game stops. We've watched players sprint through all ten phases and then lose to someone who advanced more slowly and kept their hand clean.
All 10 phases, in order
| # | Phase | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Two sets of 3 | 5-5-5 + 9-9-9 |
| 2 | One set of 3 + one run of 4 | 4-4-4 + 3-4-5-6 |
| 3 | One set of 4 + one run of 4 | 7-7-7-7 + 2-3-4-5 |
| 4 | One run of 7 | 3-4-5-6-7-8-9 |
| 5 | One run of 8 | 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 |
| 6 | One run of 9 | 4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 |
| 7 | Two sets of 4 | 2-2-2-2 + 11-11-11-11 |
| 8 | Seven cards of one color | Any mix, all the same color |
| 9 | One set of 5 + one set of 2 | 6-6-6-6-6 + 12-12 |
| 10 | One set of 5 + one set of 3 | 3-3-3-3-3 + 8-8-8 |
Three things that apply to every phase:
- A set is three or more cards of the same number, any colors.
- A run is four or more consecutive numbers, any colors. Runs don't wrap, so 12-1-2-3 doesn't count.
- A Wild stands in for any card, and you can use more than one in a single phase.
How a round works
- Deal 10 cards to each player. The rest go face-down as the draw pile, and one card is turned face-up to start the discard pile.
- On your turn, draw one card from either the top of the draw pile or the top of the discard pile.
- Optional: lay down your phase. If the cards in your hand complete your current phase, you can lay them face-up in front of you.
- Optional: hit. Once your phase is down, you can add cards onto your own sets and runs, or onto anyone else's.
- Discard one card to end your turn.
Going out
Once your phase is down, your job is to empty your hand. Play your last card and the round ends right there. Every other player counts what's still in their hand as penalty points. You take zero.
Skip cards
Play a Skip instead of a normal card and the next player loses a turn. Skips can't be used to complete a phase, and you can't pick one up from the discard pile. You have to draw it.
Scoring
At the end of a round, everyone still holding cards adds up their penalty:
| Card | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Numbers 1–9 | 5 |
| Numbers 10–12 | 10 |
| Skip | 15 |
| Wild | 25 |
Add each round's penalty to that player's running total. First player through Phase 10 ends the game, and the lowest cumulative score wins.
That scoring table is basically the whole strategy of the game. One Wild left in your hand costs 25 points, the same as five low number cards. If you're not going to go out, dumping your Wilds and your 10s, 11s and 12s onto the discard pile is almost always worth more than squeezing out one more hit.
Three mistakes beginners keep making
- Hoarding Wilds. A Wild in your hand at the end of a round is a 25-point liability. Use it to finish your phase the moment you can.
- Laying down too early. If your hand is heavy with high cards, dropping Phase 1 on turn two can lock you into a big penalty. Sometimes it's better to build for one more turn.
- Ignoring the discard pile. Players who only ever draw from the deck give up the fastest route to completing a phase. If the top card of the discard pile helps you, take it.
The shuffling problem
In a six-player game you shuffle and deal roughly ten to twelve times per session. A proper shuffle of 108 cards takes 30 to 45 seconds if you do it right. That's five to eight minutes of every game spent on the least interesting part of it, usually while five people sit and wait.
An automatic card shuffler and dealer runs the full 108-card deck in one pass and deals to up to 12 players, so the next round starts in seconds. For smaller Phase 10 nights, the Dealtron X1 does the same job at a lower price.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards do you deal in Phase 10? Ten per player, no matter how many people are playing.
Can you go out on the same turn you lay down your phase? Yes. If your whole hand completes the phase, lay it all down and the round ends with zero penalty for you.
What happens if two players finish Phase 10 on the same round? Whoever went out first ends the game, and lowest cumulative score wins.
How long does a game take? Around 45 minutes with two or three players, closer to 90 with five or six.
Can you play with more than 6 players? Not officially. The 108-card deck doesn't stretch that far. Use two decks and make up your own phase list, or split into two tables.
The Dealtron MAX6 handles 2 decks and up to 12 players, with 8 wireless remotes, 30-day returns and a 6-month replacement guarantee.