1Sets, runs, and colors
A set is cards of the same number in any mix of colors, such as 7 7 7. A run is cards in consecutive number order in any mix of colors, such as 3 4 5 6. Runs stop at 12 and do not wrap around to 1. A color group is cards all of one color in any numbers.
The deck has 108 playing cards: two sets of 1 to 12 in each of four colors (96 cards), 8 wild cards, and 4 skip cards. That means there are 8 copies of each number and 24 number cards of each color. The examples below use W for a wild card.
2All 10 phases with a legal example
Each example is a complete, legal way to lay down that phase. Wilds can take the place of any number or any color.
| Phase | Requirement | Cards | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 sets of 3 | 6 | 7 7 7 + 11 11 W |
| 2 | 1 set of 3 + 1 run of 4 | 7 | 4 4 4 + 8 9 W 11 |
| 3 | 1 set of 4 + 1 run of 4 | 8 | 2 2 2 W + 5 6 7 8 |
| 4 | 1 run of 7 | 7 | 3 4 5 W 7 8 9 |
| 5 | 1 run of 8 | 8 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 W 8 |
| 6 | 1 run of 9 | 9 | 4 5 6 7 8 W 10 11 12 |
| 7 | 2 sets of 4 | 8 | 9 9 9 9 + 6 6 W W |
| 8 | 7 cards of one color | 7 | all blue: 1 3 3 7 9 10 + W |
| 9 | 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 2 | 7 | 12 12 12 W W + 5 5 |
| 10 | 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 3 | 8 | 8 8 8 8 W + 1 1 1 |
3Wild card and skip rules
A wild card can stand in for any number or any color. You can use as many wilds as you like in a phase, but the phase must include at least one numbered card. Once a wild is played in a phase, it stays there for the rest of the round; nobody can take it back or move it.
Skip cards are never part of a phase. When you discard a skip, you choose a player who loses their next turn. You cannot skip the same player two turns in a row, and a skip can never be picked up from the discard pile.
4Which phases are hardest, and why
Phase 6 is usually the wall. A run of 9 uses 9 of the 10 cards you hold, it can only start on 1, 2, 3, or 4 because runs stop at 12, and you need nine different numbers. Phase 5 is almost as demanding. Wilds help the most here, since one wild can fill any gap.
Phases 9 and 10 are hard for a different reason. A set of 5 needs five cards of one number, and there are only 8 of each number in the whole deck, several of which may already be in other players' hands or buried in the discard pile. Phase 10 also needs a set of 3 alongside it, which is 8 cards committed to two numbers.
Phase 8 feels easy at first because any seven cards of one color work, but players watch the discards, and once others see you collecting one color they stop discarding it. Phase 1 is the easiest: two pairs plus one match or a wild will often do it.
5Tips for each phase
The right discards depend on the phase you are working on. Use these as a starting point.
- Phase 1 (2 sets of 3): keep pairs, discard singles. Three pairs give you two chances to hit a set.
- Phase 2 (set of 3 + run of 4): build the run from middle numbers, which have more ways to connect.
- Phase 3 (set of 4 + run of 4): the set of 4 is the slow part, so save wilds for it.
- Phase 4 (run of 7): keep one of each number and throw duplicates. Duplicates are useless in a run.
- Phase 5 (run of 8): same as Phase 4, and start aiming for a run that sits in the middle of 1 to 12.
- Phase 6 (run of 9): hold every wild. Take useful cards from the discard pile, even if it tells others what you need.
- Phase 7 (2 sets of 4): keep your two biggest groups and let everything else go.
- Phase 8 (7 of one color): pick the color you hold most of early and do not switch unless the discards force you.
- Phase 9 (set of 5 + set of 2): the pair is easy; put every wild into the set of 5.
- Phase 10 (set of 5 + set of 3): watch which numbers other players pick up, and avoid chasing a number that is already scarce.
6Scoring leftover cards
When a player goes out, every other player adds up the cards left in their hand. The player who went out scores zero. Low scores are better, and they only decide the winner when more than one player finishes Phase 10 in the same round.
Anyone who laid down their phase during the round, including the player who went out, moves on to the next phase. Anyone who did not stays on the same phase for the next round.
| Card left in hand | Penalty |
|---|---|
| 1 through 9 | 5 each |
| 10, 11, 12 | 10 each |
| Skip | 15 each |
| Wild | 25 each |
7Worked examples
Laying down Phase 2 and hitting
Hand: 7 7 4 5 6 11 12 W skip 2; top discard 7
- Take the 7 from the discard pile. You now hold 11 cards.
- Lay down 7 7 7 as the set of 3 and W 4 5 6 as the run of 4, with the wild as a 3.
- Hit the 2 onto the low end of your run: 2 W 4 5 6.
- Discard the skip on the player furthest ahead. You keep 11 and 12.
Phase 2 complete; 20 points if caught with 11 and 12
Round-end penalty points
Player A goes out. B holds 11 12 skip W 3. C holds 2 5 9 10. D holds W W 12 4.
- A went out: 0.
- B: 10 + 10 + 15 + 25 + 5 = 65.
- C: 5 + 5 + 5 + 10 = 25.
- D: 25 + 25 + 10 + 5 = 65.
- Write each number on the score sheet and add it to that player's running total.
A 0, B 65, C 25, D 65
Phase 6 with two wilds
Hand: 2 3 5 6 7 9 10 W W 12, drawing an 8
- You need nine numbers in a row. After drawing the 8 you hold 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 plus two wilds.
- Use one wild as the 4: 2 3 W 5 6 7 8 9 10. That is nine cards in a row.
- Your second wild and the 12 are left. Hit the wild onto your run as an 11, then discard the 12. With no cards left, you go out and score 0.
Phase 6 complete and out, 0 points
Questions people ask
- What are the 10 phases in order?
- 1) two sets of 3, 2) set of 3 + run of 4, 3) set of 4 + run of 4, 4) run of 7, 5) run of 8, 6) run of 9, 7) two sets of 4, 8) 7 cards of one color, 9) set of 5 + set of 2, 10) set of 5 + set of 3.
- What is the hardest phase in Phase 10?
- Phase 6, the run of 9, stops most players, because it uses 9 of your 10 cards and needs nine different numbers. Phases 9 and 10 are also slow, since a set of 5 needs five of a number that has only 8 copies in the deck.
- Can a phase be made entirely of wild cards?
- No. A phase can use any number of wilds, but it must include at least one numbered card.
- Does a run wrap from 12 to 1 in Phase 10?
- No. Runs go in number order and end at 12. A run of 9 must start on 1, 2, 3, or 4.
- How many points are left-over cards worth?
- Cards 1 to 9 are 5 points each, 10 to 12 are 10 each, a skip is 15, and a wild is 25. The player who went out scores zero.
- Do you have to do the phases in order?
- Yes, in the official rules. You complete one phase per round, in order from 1 to 10. Some families play a house rule that lets you choose any phase you have not finished yet.
Phase 10 is a trademark of Mattel, Inc.
Sources
Checked by Morgan Hale against the sources below. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.
- Phase 10 Instructions (W4729), Mattel. Read September 28, 2026.
- Phase 10, Wikipedia. Read September 28, 2026.