The first player to complete phase 10 wins. The numbers you write after each hand are only the points left in everyone else’s cards, and those totals break a tie when two people finish on the same hand.
That mix of “finish the phases” and “add up the leftovers” is what confuses new players. This post walks through the common Mattel-style rules our Phase 10 score sheet uses. Groups do vary, so ask before you play at someone else’s table.
What you are racing to finish
You work through ten phases in order. You cannot skip ahead. A set is cards of the same number (any colors). A run is cards in number order (any colors). Wild cards can stand in for a missing card in a phase. Skip cards cannot.
| Phase | What you need |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 sets of 3 |
| 2 | 1 set of 3 + 1 run of 4 |
| 3 | 1 set of 4 + 1 run of 4 |
| 4 | 1 run of 7 |
| 5 | 1 run of 8 |
| 6 | 1 run of 9 |
| 7 | 2 sets of 4 |
| 8 | 7 cards of 1 color |
| 9 | 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 2 |
| 10 | 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 3 |
When someone goes out, everyone who laid down their phase that hand moves on. Anyone who did not make it stays on the same phase next hand.
What leftover cards are worth
Only the cards still in your hand count. The player who went out writes 0 for that hand. Everyone else adds these values:
| Card | Points each |
|---|---|
| 1 through 9 | 5 |
| 10, 11 or 12 | 10 |
| Skip | 15 |
| Wild | 25 |
Wilds hurt. Holding one when the hand ends costs as much as five low cards.
One worked hand
Sam goes out. You still hold a 4, a 9, an 11 and a Skip.
- 4 → 5
- 9 → 5
- 11 → 10
- Skip → 15
That is 35 points for the hand. Add 35 to your running total. If you also laid down your phase before Sam went out, mark that phase as done and move to the next one. If you did not, you stay put and try the same phase again.
Keep a Phase column and a Total column for each player. Write the phase number you completed (or leave it blank if you missed), then the new total. Our printable sheet already has both columns, with the phases listed under the grid so nobody needs the reference card.
Who wins, and when the total counts
The race is to finish phase 10. The first player who does ends the game.
If two or more players complete phase 10 on the same hand, look at their totals. The lowest total among those finishers wins. If those totals match too, the tied players replay phase 10 until one of them comes out ahead.
So the points are not a separate contest. They are a tie-breaker for people who crossed the finish line together, and a running record of how costly each missed hand was.
On the printable sheet, leave the Phase box blank when someone misses, and write the phase number only when they made it. That keeps the next hand honest: you can see at a glance who is still stuck and who has moved on.
Print one page for 2 to 6 players, or keep score on screen and let the page track each phase.
Open the Phase 10 score sheetA few scoring habits that help a group
Pick one scorekeeper. After each hand, have that person ask two questions out loud: who made their phase, and what is left in each hand. Read the total back once before you deal again. A phone calculator is fine; so is the card-point counter built into the on-screen keeper.
If someone is holding a Wild near the end of a hand, they usually want to hit it onto a phase on the table or go out themselves. That 25-point hit is the usual reason a late hand swings a total.
For other card-night scoring, see our large-print score sheets, including Yahtzee and Hand and Foot. Plain-language rules for Hand and Foot, Canasta and Mexican Train are in this earlier post.
Frequently asked questions
Do the points decide who wins Phase 10?
No. Completing phase 10 decides it. Points only decide a winner if two or more players finish phase 10 in the same hand: then the lowest total among those players wins.
Do I need to go out to move to the next phase?
No. Laying your phase down is enough. Everyone who made their phase that hand moves on, even if someone else went out.
What if two players finish phase 10 with the same score?
Those tied players replay phase 10. Keep going until one of them finishes with a lower total than the other.
Are these the only Phase 10 rules?
No. These are the common official Mattel-style rules our score sheet follows. Some groups shorten the game, change how Wilds work, or play a fixed number of hands. Ask about house rules when you sit down.
Phase 10 is a trademark of Mattel. Large Print Play is not connected with Mattel; the score sheet is a blank tool for your own game.