Playing UnderTen with real cards

UnderTen is made to play online, but its rules only need an ordinary deck of cards, so it works just as well at a real table. Here is how to run a game at home, on a trip or anywhere there is a flat surface.

Or play online free

What you need

One standard 52-card deck. Take out the jokers.
2 to 6 players. Four is a great number for a first game.
For a match to 50: a pencil and paper, or the score sheet below.

Dealing

Shuffle well. A good riffle shuffle matters more here than in many games, because thrown sets go back into the deck together when it is reshuffled.
Deal 7 cards to each player, one at a time, face down.
Put the rest of the deck face down in the middle.
Turn the top card face up next to it. This starts the discard pile.

Pick a first player any way you like. After each round, the next player to the left starts. This is how the online game does it too, so nobody gets to go first every time.

Taking turns

Play goes clockwise. On your turn:

If your hand adds up to 9 or less, you may declare instead of drawing. Say "Declare" out loud before you touch the deck.
Otherwise draw one card: the top of the face-down deck, or the top card of the discard pile.
Throw one card face up on the discard pile, or several cards of the same rank together. You cannot throw back the single card you just took from the discard pile.

Card values: Ace = 1, 2 to 10 = face value, Jack, Queen and King = 10. The full rules are on the how to play page.

Tips for the physical game

Spread your throws a little. When you throw a set, fan it slightly on the pile so others can see how many cards went down. Only the top card can be picked up.
Keep your card count visible. Online, everyone sees how many cards each player holds. At the table, hold your cards so others can count them, or just say your count when asked.
Count turns for the 12-turn limit. If nobody declares, the round ends after 12 turns each. The easiest way to track it is for the first player to move a coin or a token each time play comes back to them. After the twelfth time around, everyone shows their hand.
Running out of deck. When the face-down deck is empty, leave the top discard where it is, shuffle the rest of the discard pile and turn it face down as the new deck.

Checking a declare

When someone declares, everyone lays their hand face up and adds it up. Do it out loud, it is half the fun. The declarer wins only if their total is lower than everybody else's. If anyone ties or beats them, the declarer loses and the lowest hand wins instead. Players tied for the lowest share the round.

If a player throws their last card, they have 0 and declare automatically when their next turn comes.

Keeping score to 50

A single round takes a few minutes. For a longer game, play a match to 50:

After each round, every player adds the total of the cards still in their hand to their score. The winner of the round usually adds very little.
A declarer who loses adds 20 more on top of their hand.
Anyone whose score goes over 50 is out. They can deal, keep score or heckle.
The last player still in wins the match.

See UnderTen scoring for a complete worked match.

A score sheet you can copy

Write the player names across the top. After each round, write the points each player adds and their new running total. Circle the total when someone goes over 50.

Round	Player 1	Player 2	Player 3	Player 4
1	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___
2	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___
3	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___
4	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___
5	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___
6	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___	+ ___ = ___

Here is how the first two rounds of a game might look:

Round	Mia	Raj	Lu	Tom
1	+ 4 = 4	+ 12 = 12	+ 19 = 19	+ 31 = 31
2	+ 27 = 31	+ 2 = 14	+ 8 = 27	+ 9 = 40

In round 1, Mia declared at 4 and won. In round 2 she declared at 7, but Raj had 2, so she lost and added 7 + 20 = 27. Tom is now in danger: one bad round and he is out.

Short on time?

Play single rounds instead of a match. If you still want a winner at the end of the evening, one easy house idea is to tally round wins and stop when someone reaches five. Online, a room host can switch a room to One round.

Want to play with friends who are not in the room?

The online game does the dealing, the adding up and the score keeping for you. Create a room, send the link, and up to six people can play from their own phones with no accounts and nothing to install.

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