Ten Phases

Full rules

1. Overview
2. The cards
3. The ten phases
4. Setup
5. Playing a turn
6. Skips
7. Going out
8. Winning the game
9. Tips for beginners
10. Variants

Overview

Ten Phases is a rummy game: you draw and discard cards to collect sets (cards of the same rank) and runs (cards in rank order). Every player works through the same list of ten phases – ten tasks such as "two sets of three" or "a run of seven". In each hand you try to complete your current phase and lay it down; only then do you move on to the next one. The players move at their own pace, so you may be on phase 6 while your neighbour is still stuck on phase 3. Whoever completes phase 10 first wins.

• Players: 2–6 (best with 3–5).
• You need: two standard 52-card decks shuffled together with four jokers – 108 cards – and paper and pencil (or the score pad).

Ten Phases is our own adaptation for ordinary decks, inspired by Phase 10 (Kenneth Johnson, 1982; today published by Mattel).

If you know Contract Rummy: there, everybody plays the same contract in the same deal, and after seven deals the game is over. Here each player only moves on after completing their phase, so the table is spread over different phases; the phases also include long runs and a phase of one suit, and there are skip cards.

The cards

• A set is cards of the same number, in any suits: 7♣ 7♥ 7♥.
• A run is cards in number order, in any suits: 4♦ 5♠ 6♥ 7♣. The Ace is always 1 and the Queen always 12, so a run goes at most from A to Q – there is no K in a run except as a wild card, and no wrapping round.
• A suit group is cards of the same suit, of any numbers (phase 8).

Kings are wild: a King can take the place of any number card in a set, run or suit group. Every set, run or suit group needs at least one real number card. A King laid down stays what it was used as – it can't be swapped out later.

The ten phases

Everyone starts on phase 1. Keep track of each player's phase on the score sheet.

Setup

1. Choose a dealer; afterwards the deal passes clockwise.
2. The dealer shuffles all 108 cards and deals 10 cards to each player, one at a time, face down.
3. The rest is the stock (draw pile), face down. Turn its top card face up next to it: this starts the discard pile. - If that card is a King, the first player may take it as usual. - If it is a joker, the first player misses their first turn.

Playing a turn

The player to the dealer's left begins; play goes clockwise. On your turn:

1. Draw one card: the top card of the stock, or the top card of the discard pile. A joker on the discard pile can never be taken.
2. Lay down your phase (optional): if you hold your whole phase, lay it face up in front of you. You may add extra cards if they fit (a set of 4 when 3 are needed, for example). You lay down your phase only once per hand, and all at once.
3. Hit (optional): once your phase is on the table – already this turn or on a later turn – you may add cards to any laid-down phase, your own or other players': a card of the same number to a set, the next card at either end of a run, a card of the same suit to a suit group.
4. Discard one card face up onto the discard pile.

If the stock runs out, shuffle the discard pile except its top card to make a new stock.

Example: Ben is on phase 2. He holds 7♣ 7♥ 4♦ 5♠ 7♦ and two Kings, plus three other cards. He draws the Q♥ from the stock. He lays down 7♣ 7♥ + K♠ (a King as the third 7) and 4♦ 5♠ K♥ 7♦ (the King as the 6). Then he hits the Q♥ on Anna's set of Queens and discards a card. He has completed phase 2.

Skips

When you discard a joker, choose another player: they miss their next turn. Each player can be skipped only once per hand; if every other player has already been skipped this hand, a discarded joker has no effect. With two players, a skip simply gives you another turn.

Going out

You go out when you have no cards left – by discarding your last card or by hitting with it. The hand ends at once.

• Every player who laid down their phase in this hand moves on to the next phase.
• Everyone who didn't must try the same phase again in the next hand.
• Everyone scores penalty points for the cards left in their hand:

The player who went out scores 0.

Example: Carla goes out. Ben laid down phase 2 but still holds 3♠ and J♦: 5 + 10 = 15; he moves on to phase 3. Dan never completed his phase 2 and holds a King, a joker and 8♣ 8♥ 9♠ 2♦ 6♣: 25 + 15 + 5 × 5 = 65, and he stays on phase 2.

Winning the game

The game ends after the hand in which a player completes phase 10. That player wins. If several players complete phase 10 in the same hand, the one with the lowest penalty total over all hands wins. If that is tied too, the tied players play one more hand of phase 10; the first to lay it down wins.

Tips for beginners

• Keep your options open. For sets, collect pairs; for runs, keep cards near each other in number.
• Watch the discards. If the player after you is on a set phase, don't give them the number they're collecting.
• Don't hoard Kings. A King left in your hand costs 25 when someone goes out – use it.
• Hit to go out. Once your phase is down, every card that fits on a phase on the table is one card less to pay for.
• Skip the leader – the player closest to going out, or furthest ahead in phases.

Variants

All optional – agree before you start.

• Choose your phase: in each hand, you may attempt any phase you haven't completed yet; say which before you lay it down, and tick it off on the sheet. The first to complete all ten wins.
• Even phases / odd phases: for a shorter game, play only phases 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 – or 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9.
• Fewer jokers: if your decks have fewer jokers, simply play with fewer skips.