Phase 10 is one the oldest and the most engaging card games that actively combine elements like strategy and luck. It induces friendly competition among the players and is ideal for family or friends reunions. The game challenges a player to complete ten different phases, each phase requires a different combination of cards. This article will teach you how to play the classic game with the help of its detailed explanation along with some highly useful gaming tips that will guide both new and seasoned players toward mastery.
History of Phase 10
Phase 10 was originally created in the year 1982 by the designer Kenneth Johnson and was widely sold by Mattel, the same company that now sells UNO. In the year 2010, the American toy and game company Fundex Games purchased the rights to Phase 10. The game is basically a variant of a type of rummy which is known as the contract rummy. It consists of a special deck of cards which is equal to two decks of regular cards. The players, as the name of the game suggests, have to complete ten phases of cards, each of different combinations, to win the game. Phase 10 easily became one of the best-selling products of Fundex games making it the second-best card game after UNO.
Step-By-Step Guide on How to Play Phase 10 Like a Pro
Phase 10 is usually played by 2 to 6 players and the main objective of the game is to complete 10 phases of cards, one round at a time. As the round ends, the players will then add up their scores which will be based on the types and the number of cards left with them. The score must be the lowest. If the player fails to complete their phase in one round, they must repeat the phase in the next round. Following is the set of steps the players have to follow while playing Phase 10.
Step 1: An Introduction to the Cards
The special deck of Phase 10 consists of numbered cards from 1 to 12 in four colors namely red, blue, green, and yellow. There are 2 cards of each number for all colors along with 8 wild cards that can represent any number or any color and 4 skip cards that can be used to make any designated player skip their turn chosen by the person who is playing the skip card.
Step 2: The 10 Phases
As we know by now, the players have to complete 10 phases of cards each of different combinations. The orders in which the phases can be are 2 sets of 3, 1 set of 3 along with 1 run of 4, 1 set of 4 along with 1 run of 4, 1 run of 7, 1 run of 8, 1 run of 9, 2 sets of 4, 7 cards of similar color, 1 set of 5 along with 1 set 0f 2, and 1 set of 5 along with 1 set of 3, where a set is the group of cards having the same number, and a run is cards having sequential number group. Wilds can be used in place of any number or color card.
Step 3: Game Set Up
Once you have the number of players needed to start the game, you may then distribute 10 cards to each player, and the player may start preparing the phase based on the type of cards they have in hand and order the cards accordingly so that they know what cards they still need to complete the phase. The cards that remain in the deck are then placed in the middle as a stack with their face down and the top card is flipped next to the pile.
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Step 4: Turns
When taking turns, the players must draw one card from the face-down pile or the shown pile in order to start their turn, and at the end of the turn, they must discard a card with a face-up next to the draw pile. Then the turn will be passed to the next player.
Step 5: Phase Lay Down
Once the player has the required phase, they may lay the phase down. This is done by placing the cards required to complete a phase face-up. After the phase is laid down the players can now use all the cards as the new goal is to discard all the cards in their hand. Laying the phase down is not a must but discarding a card at the end of their turn is. Once the player has gotten rid of all the cards, they are said to have gone “out,” and the hand finishes.
Step 6: Scoring
Once the round is over, the cards in the hands of the remaining players will be assigned scores that will then be added up and recorded. The cards that have a numeric value from 1 to 9 will be assigned 5 points and the ones with numeric values 10 to 12 will be assigned 10 points, while the skip and wild cards will be assigned 25 points. The main goal is to have the lowest scores at the end. After scoring, the players may move on to the next round.
Step 8: Ending the Game
After a player has completed the ten phases and has gone out in the last round, the players then add the score for the last round and the player who has the least scores will win the game.
Conclusion
Some additional tips on how to play Phase 10 will be holding the middle cards when the other players need to complete a run, taking notes of the cards in the opponent’s hands, playing phase as early as possible, prioritizing phases over fewer points, and discarding cards with high values.
