All I Ever Wanted Was to Beat My Grandmother at Phase 10

Some grandmothers teach their grandkids how to sew. Mine taught me how to play cards.

I moved in with my mother’s mother, Delores, when I was 8 years old. We spent hours together, talking like old friends during the day and falling asleep to Murphy Brown at night.

My ideal Saturday was spent mowing through one of her tuna salad sandwiches, downing Country Time Lemonade, and playing our favorite card game, Phase 10. My mother would be at work, my siblings would be watching Nickelodeon, and I’d be in the kitchen with Grandma, sharpening my strategy.

This rummy-inspired game is equal parts strategy and chance. And with 10 rounds, you have plenty of opportunities for redemption.

Phase 10, a standalone card game, blends the best qualities of Uno (unpredictability and card-pulling) with rummy (runs and sets) to offer an hour-plus of intense concentration and fun. You can have as few as two players and as many as six.

After starting a game-manufacturing company in his parents’ basement in 1979, Ken Johnson crafted Phase 10 after observing the smashing success of Uno. His game caught on with retailers and went on to become his most popular creation.

Players start the game with 10 cards in their hands. Most cards have a color and number, but there are also wild cards (to be used in any color or number combination) and skip cards (which skip your opponent’s turn). Players then try to get through 10 phases, taking turns drawing from a shared pile and discarding excess cards in their attempt to create sets (groups of the same number) and runs (numbers in consecutive order).

Each phase, which must be followed in order from 1 to 10, comes with a set of simple instructions, such as “two sets of three” (putting down three number cards that are the same and then doing it again with another set of number cards), “seven cards of one color,” or “a run of seven” (seven number cards in consecutive order).

As players take turns drawing and discarding, they race to be the first to complete a phase. If your opponent finishes a phase before you, with no cards left in their hand, you have to repeat the phase, while they move on to the next one. You may even redo one phase multiple times. This is the most infuriating — and rousing — part of the game.

To help you keep track, the deck comes with two cards spelling out all 10 of the phases. (If you lose one or both of the cards, they’re also on the back of the card box, as well as in the rule pamphlet.) You earn points (not a good thing) by having cards left in your hand once your opponent puts down their final card at the end of each phase. Cards with a value of 1 to 9 are worth five points, cards with 10 to 12 are worth 10, and skips and wilds are worth 25.

The first player to complete all the phases, or to do so with the lowest number of points (as a tiebreaker), wins.

If it sounds a little complicated, well, it is. I think of it as the chess of card games. But that didn’t stop 8-year-old me. I was determined to keep up.

I’d pay close attention to each phase, while also keeping an eye on the phase my granny was on. At that age, my little hands could barely shuffle the cards between rounds, but she was patient, mixing her lemonade with her pinky as I tried to figure it out. Over the years, I picked up strategies and experience, slowly learning until I was a full match for my grandma.

Now, Phase 10 is a constant at our family gatherings. Perfect for post-dinner digestion and rainy afternoons, it’s a great game for passing time and winding down. It’s a slam-dunk housewarming gift, too, especially for families with older children.

It’s also good for travel, as it consists of only a single deck of cards, which makes it easy to tuck into a purse or carry-on. That said, the standard box is made of thin cardboard and will wear over time. If you’re planning to travel regularly with this game, consider buying the version that comes in a tin case, which costs about $5 more.

And the box isn’t the only snag.

I love Phase 10, but it is tedious. A full game takes about an hour, especially if you’re still familiarizing yourself with it. I’m always keen to finish, but there have been times my husband has thrown in the towel early, choosing sleep over victory.

This is also a card game where thorough shuffling is required. Because you deal out new cards at the beginning of each round, if the shuffling is lackluster, you run the risk of dealing cards that are too similar to the last round, which can rig the phase. I no longer have the hands of a third-grader, so the task is easier than it once was, but it is something to take into consideration.

These days, my grandmother and I live several hours apart. Our visits are much less frequent, but every year we reunite for Thanksgiving, spending the day playing Phase 10 and nibbling on Italian cream cake. (She’s a bit camera-shy, but I’ll make it a goal to try to get a good shot of us playing together.)

Next year, my oldest daughter will be the same age I was when I first learned to play. Between courses of ham and cake, Delores and I will do what we do best — deal out the cards and move through the phases — this time welcoming our newest player to the table. And who knows? Maybe one day, I’ll be playing with my great-grandchildren, too.

This article was edited by Hannah Rimm and Annemarie Conte.