UnderTen scoring and matches
A single round of UnderTen has a simple winner: the lowest hand. Online games string rounds together into a match to 50, where low hands keep you alive and high ones knock you out. Here is exactly how the numbers work.
Card values
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Ace | 1 |
| 2 to 10 | Face value |
| Jack, Queen, King | 10 |
Your hand total is the sum of every card you hold. Suits do not matter. An empty hand is worth 0.
Who wins a round
A round ends in one of two ways.
- Someone declares. Everyone shows their hand. The declarer wins only if their total is lower than every other player's. If any other player has the same total or less, the declarer loses and the lowest of the other hands wins.
- Nobody declares for 12 turns each. The round stops and the lowest hand wins.
When two or more winning hands have the same total, those players share the win.
Examples
| Declarer | Other hands | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Ana, 5 | 12, 8, 20 | Ana wins |
| Ana, 7 | 7, 15, 9 | Ana loses. The player with 7 wins |
| Ana, 9 | 4, 4, 18 | Ana loses. The two players with 4 share the win |
| Nobody (12 turns each) | 6, 11, 6, 13 | The two players with 6 share the win |
A match to 50
Quick matches and private rooms are played as a match.
- Everyone starts at 0.
- After each round, every player adds their own hand total to their score. That includes the winner of the round.
- A declarer who is matched or beaten adds 20 more on top of their hand.
- A player whose score goes over 50 is out. A score of exactly 50 is still in.
- The last player left wins the match. If the final round puts everyone who was left over 50, the lowest score among them wins.
So in a match, a low score is good. Winning a round with a hand of 3 adds 3 to your score. Losing a round with a hand of 30 adds 30.
A worked match
Ana, Ben, Cy and Di play a match.
| Round | What happened | Ana | Ben | Cy | Di |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ana declares at 4 and wins. Others hold 16, 9 and 27. | 4 | 16 | 9 | 27 |
| 2 | Ben declares at 8. Cy also has 8, so Ben is beaten: 8 + 20. Ana holds 13, Di 21. | 17 | 44 | 17 | 48 |
| 3 | Cy declares at 2 and wins. Ana holds 10, Ben 7, Di 5. | 27 | 51, out | 19 | 53, out |
| 4 | Nobody declares. After 12 turns each Ana holds 6 and Cy holds 11. | 33 | 30 | ||
| 5 | Ana declares at 3 and wins. Cy is caught holding 24. | 36 | 54, out |
Ana wins the match. Notice round 2: Ben's hand was only 8, but the failed declare cost him 28 points and that decided his match one round later.
Why the +20 matters
Without a penalty, the best play would be to declare the moment you are under 10. The 20 points make a careless declare the most expensive mistake in the game. A hand of 9 that gets matched costs 29, more than half of your 50. It is why experienced players wait for a lower hand when the table is full.
One round games
In a private room the host can switch from Match to One round. Then there are no scores: the winner of the round wins the game. Games against bots are single rounds too, and the game keeps count of how many rounds each player has won.
If a player leaves or runs out of time
Online, each move has a 20-second timer. If it runs out, the game draws or throws your highest card for you. After two turns like that the game keeps playing for you until you tap I'm back. It never declares for you, and your score carries on as normal.
Want to use these numbers to your advantage? Read the strategy guide.
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