Skip Card in Phase 10: How Skips and Wilds Work
Quick answer
A Skip card in Phase 10 makes the player you choose lose their next turn. You play it as your discard, so it ends your turn, and it can never be picked up from the discard pile.
The deck has 4 Skips and 8 Wilds. A Wild stands for any number or any color in a phase.
A Skip makes one player miss their next turn
- How to play it: discard the Skip on your turn and name the player who will lose a turn.
- It is your discard. Playing a Skip ends your turn.
- Never from the discard pile. You can only get a Skip by drawing it from the draw pile.
- Never in a phase. A Skip can’t be part of a set, run or color.
- Not twice in a row. You can’t skip the same player two turns running. They get one normal turn first.
- First card a Skip? If the dealer turns up a Skip to start the discard pile, the first player loses their first turn.
- You discard a Skip and pick Ann.
- Ann’s turn is skipped.
- Play goes on to Bob, as usual.
- Next time round, Ann plays a normal turn, even if someone holds another Skip.
When to play it: skip the player closest to going out, or the one who just laid down a phase. Don’t hold it too long: a Skip costs 15 points if it is still in your hand when someone goes out.
How many Wilds and Skips? 8 Wilds and 4 Skips in 108 cards
8 Wild cards
4 Skip cards
In a 10-card deal, you get at least one Wild 55% of the time and at least one Skip 33% of the time. See the whole deck on how many cards are dealt.
A Wild fills any spot: any number, any color
- Any number: in a set of 7s it is a 7; in a run it fills a gap or an end.
- Any color: in Phase 8 (7 cards of 1 color) it counts as the color you need.
- As many as you like, but every phase needs at least one numbered card.
- It stays put. Once a Wild is in a phase on the table, nobody can take it out that round.
- Hit with it. After your phase is down, a Wild can be added to any set, run or color group on the table.
- First card a Wild? The first player may pick it up from the discard pile.
Phase 5: a Wild in the middle
The same cards need 2 Wilds for a run but 3 for a color
Wilds go furthest when your hand is close. Pick a phase and add Wilds one at a time to see where each one lands.
Try it: how many Wilds does this hand need?
Your 7 cards: Blue 3, Blue 4, Red 6, Blue 8, Green 9, Blue 11, Yellow 12. Choose a phase, then add Wilds.
Phase 4 (1 run of 7) with 1 Wild: 1 more card needed: a 7 (Wilds work too).
A Wild left in your hand costs 25 points, a Skip 15
| Card left in your hand | Points |
|---|---|
| Cards 1–9 | 5 |
| Cards 10–12 | 10 |
| Skip | 15 |
| Wild | 25 |
Low score is good, so Wilds and Skips are the worst cards to be caught holding. Use a Wild in your phase or hit with it, and play your Skip before someone goes out. Count the points with our Phase 10 score keeper.
If you like Phase 10, try
Hand and Foot
2–6 players · 90 min · Learn in a game or two
Canasta’s big-family cousin: play your hand, then pick up your foot.
Canasta
2–6 players · 60 min · Learn in a game or two
Meld sevens of a kind with your partner. Red threes are a bonus.
Gin Rummy
2 players · 20 min · Easy to learn
Build runs and sets, then knock when your leftovers are low.
Questions people ask
What does a Skip card do in Phase 10?
You discard it and choose a player. That player loses their next turn. Playing the Skip counts as your discard, so it ends your turn.
How many Wild cards are in Phase 10?
8 Wild cards, along with 4 Skip cards and 96 numbered cards, for 108 playing cards in all.
Can you pick up a Skip from the discard pile?
No. A Skip can never be picked up from the discard pile, and it can never be part of a phase.
Can you skip the same person twice in a row?
No. A skipped player must get one normal turn before anyone can skip them again.
Can a phase be all Wild cards?
No. You may use as many Wilds as you like, but every phase needs at least one numbered card.
Can you swap a Wild on the table for the real card?
No. Once a Wild is played in a phase, it stays there for the rest of the round.