UnderTen strategy guide

UnderTen is easy to learn, but good players win a lot more often than lucky ones. These are the habits that make the difference, from your first throw to the moment you declare.

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1. Count your hand in points, not cards

A hand of two Kings is worse than a hand of five small cards. What matters is the total, so look at what each card costs you. Jack, Queen and King cost 10 each. An Ace costs 1. Getting rid of a single face card does as much for you as getting rid of a 4, a 3, a 2 and an Ace together.

2. Throw high cards first, unless they are a pair

On most turns the right throw is your highest card. The exception is a pair. Two 9s are 18 points you can throw in a single turn, so they are worth less trouble than a lone 9 and a lone 8. Keep the pair, throw the single high card, and throw the pair next turn.

3. Sets are the fastest way down

You only throw once per turn, so throwing two, three or four cards in one go is how hands shrink quickly. A player who throws one card a turn needs many turns to get from 7 cards to a low hand. A player who throws two pairs and a set of three gets there in three turns. When you can choose between two cards to keep, keep the one that matches something else in your hand.

4. Use the discard pile to make pairs

The deck is a gamble. The discard pile is a known card. If the top discard matches a card you hold, taking it gives you a pair to throw on your next turn, which removes two cards for the price of one draw. Take a low discard, such as an Ace or a 2, even without a match, because it will probably stay in your final hand.

Remember the one limit: you cannot throw back the single card you just took from the discard pile. Plan to throw something else that turn.

5. Do not feed the next player

Whatever you throw becomes the next player's option. If you saw them pick up a 6 earlier, throwing a 6 hands them a pair. When two throws are equally good for you, pick the one the next player is less likely to want. Low cards are always welcome to everyone, so throw a low card only when it is part of a set or when you have no better choice.

6. Watch what people take

Cards taken from the discard pile are public. A player who takes a 3 is holding at least one 3 and is likely building low. A player who has drawn from the deck all game and thrown high cards every time is probably getting close. Opponents show their card count as a number, and a player with two or three cards left could declare at any moment.

7. Declare on the table, not on your hand

You may declare at 9 or less, but you only win if your hand is strictly the lowest. A tie counts against you. So the real question is not "am I under 10?" but "is anyone else this low?"

• 3 or less is almost always safe. Declare.
• 4 to 6 is good in the first few turns, when others are still carrying face cards. Later, look at the card counts first.
• 7 to 9 is a risk at a full table and reasonable against one opponent who still holds many cards.

The more players there are, the more chances that one of them is lower than you. Be braver with two players and more careful with six.

8. Declare early when you can

Every turn you wait, the other players shrink their hands too. A 6 on turn three usually beats the table. A 6 on turn ten often does not. If you reach a low total quickly, declaring at once is often better than spending two more turns to shave off a point.

9. In a match, think about the score

In a match to 50 you add your hand total every round, even when you do not win it. That changes the best play:

• Losing small is fine. Ending a round with 6 points in your hand costs almost nothing. Ending it with two face cards costs 20. Lower your total every turn even when you cannot win the round.
• A failed declare costs 20 extra. Declaring at 9 and being matched adds 29 to your score. If you are already at 22 or more, that puts you out. Take fewer risks when you are close to 50.
• Pressure the leader. When another player is close to 50, a quick declare that catches them with a full hand can knock them out.

10. Mind the clock

A round ends after 12 turns each if nobody declares, and the lowest hand wins. Late in a long round, stop building sets that need another draw and simply throw your highest card each turn. Online you have 20 seconds for each move, so decide what you will throw while the others play.

Common mistakes

• Holding a single King hoping for a second one. It rarely arrives, and it costs 10 points while you wait.
• Breaking up a pair to throw one card of it. Throw both together.
• Declaring at 9 on the first chance at a table of five or six.
• Always drawing from the deck without looking at the discard pile.

New to the game? Start with the rules, then practise against bots before you join a quick match.