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I assume you already know how to play Phase 10. I've written this guide to help you win at playing Phase 10.
I've been playing Phase 10 for more than a year now, and play it several times a week either with my husband, or with friends around our neighborhood. I've played against as many as six people at once.
While there is a lot of luck involved, there is room for strategy. Sometimes, the right situation has to present itself.
1. Lay down a phase as soon as you have it
If you able to complete a phase, lay it down immediately. There are two reasons for this. First, you don't want to risk having another player go out completely when you're holding on to a completed phase. The goal is to complete all 10 phases, you can't do that if you elect to hold on to a phase. Second, laying down a completed phase actually makes it more difficult for the opponent who plays immediately before you. That person is now limited in which cards he or she can discard, that is they cannot discard cards that allow you to discard yours.
There is a philosophy that it is better to hold on to a phase until you are ready to go completely out. I've put this theory to test many times, and learned than just as often, you get burned.
This strategy has its best effect on Phase 8 (7 cards of the same color).
2. Focus on the cards you need to complete a phase
If you are on Phase 7, for example, which requires two sets of four, and you already have one set of the four collected, you don't need to turn that into a set of five. That is, don't pick up a card from the Discard pile just because you can turn a set of four into a set of five. That won't help you complete the phase.
Completing the phase as quickly as possible is the primary goal, not getting rid of all your cards.
So, assuming you're on Phase 7, and you have three 7s and four 10s, and the person before you discards a 10, do not pick it up. Instead, pull from the deck to get that additional 7 card to complete the phase.
This rule is the same for all phases. It's so tempting for people to pick up cards they really don't need, simply because they want to lay down as many cards as possible at once. But that won't win games. Completing phases as quickly as possible will win games.
3. Don't necessarily get rid of your high cards
That is, don't give up on the 10, 11, and 12 cards, just because those cards are worth 10 points each. Players have a tendency to dump all the high cards early in each phase. Because of this, you can expect to see a lot of 10, 11, and 12 cards being discarded early. Knowing this, you can elect to build a set of 2, 3 or 4 using the high cards.
More often than not, it is not points that win games, but completing the phase. When you're playing with only 1 opponent, the points become more of a winning factor. But when playing against 2 or more opponents, completing the phase becomes more the sole winning factor.
4. Help your opponent complete their phase
This strategy only works when you have about 4 or more people playing. It can work with 3 people playing, but it doesn't provide optimal effect. It does not work with only 2 people.
Once you have laid down a completed phase, but you still have one or more cards left to discard, try to help the person playing immediately after you by discarding cards that they want. If you are paying attention, then you will know which cards he or she wants and does not want.
By helping them complete their phase more quickly, it puts the other players in greater jeopardy of not being able to complete their phase before someone goes out.
This is how you win. You force your opponents to get stuck multiple times on the same phase, while you advance quickly.
When two or more people have completed their phase, that accelerates the time it takes for one of you go completely out. The faster that happens, the more likely other opponents will get stuck on a phase.
Sometimes this strategy can be used even if you have not completed a phase. If you have a really bad hand, and the player immediately after has already completed a phase, discard the cards that they want, to make sure the other players are not allowed to complete their phase. This only works in certain situations, primarily where the player immediately after you is well behind you in phases, and your other opponents are threatening to win.
5. Skip the person immediately before you
If you have a Skip card, and you can't make up your mind on which person you want to skip, then skip the person playing immediately before you.
This is because that person is the only player who is keeping track of which cards you want and don't want. If that person gets skipped, then the person playing before him or her is burdened with trying to figure out which cards are safe to discard. More often than not, that person is not keeping track of you, and there is a greater chance they will discard something you want.
6. Keep the Straights open-ended
If you are on a phase that involves a straight (Phases 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6), and you have the luxury of having a Wild card at one of the far ends of the straight, then make sure that Wild does not take the place of a 1 or 12.
That is, let's say you're on Phase 4 (run of 7), and you have in your hand, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and Wild. Then use the Wild as an 8, not a 1. This way, you can discard your remaining cards at either ends of the straight. If you use the Wild as a 1, that closes off the lower end of the straight, making it harder for you to discard your cards.
Copyright © 2003, Lisa Johnson
Lisa Johnson is the editor of LisaJohnson.com, which provides a variety of articles and resources for housewives, parents, and homemakers.
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Suggested Links
· Phase 10 Rules
· More Phase 10 Rules
· Google's links to Phase 10 sites
· Phase 10 reviews at ePinions
· Buy Phase 10 online
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