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Tens card game rules (2026) — “Tens” is the name for two different standard-deck games: Tens solitaire, a one-player game where you clear pairs that add up to ten, and Chinese Ten, a two-to-four player fishing game where you capture cards that make ten and score the red ones. Both need one 52-card deck and about five minutes to learn. Here are the full rules for each, plus strategy, variations, and the deck we use.
Our top pick: Bicycle Rider Back Playing Cards (12-pack) (about $25 on Amazon)
Both versions of Tens run on a plain 52-card deck. The 12-pack keeps a fresh, easy-shuffling deck on hand for every table, with spares for a second game.
If the night turns into a party
Tens is a quiet thinker. When the group wants something louder, these are our go-tos.
- Drinking-card upgrade: King’s Cup Extreme — 120 waterproof cards with the rule printed on each one (about $12)
- Family chaos: Exploding Kittens — a fast draw-and-dodge card game for 2–5 players (about $20)
What is the Tens card game?
If someone says “let’s play Tens,” ask which one they mean. Tens solitaire is a patience game you play alone, with the goal of clearing the whole deck. Chinese Ten (known in Chinese as Jiǎn Hóng Diǎn, “pick up red spots”) is a competitive game for two to four players, where you capture cards and score points for the red ones you collect. Both games are built on the same idea: two cards that add up to exactly ten belong together.
In both games, number cards count at face value and an Ace counts as one. Tens, Jacks, Queens and Kings cannot be paired to make ten, so each game has its own rule for clearing them.
How to play Tens solitaire (1 player)
Setup
- Shuffle a standard 52-card deck.
- Deal 13 cards face up in a grid. Any layout works as long as you can see every card.
- Keep the rest of the deck face down as your stock.
How to play
- Remove any two face-up cards that add up to ten: Ace + 9, 2 + 8, 3 + 7, 4 + 6, or 5 + 5.
- Tens and face cards come off only as a set of four of the same rank: four 10s, four Jacks, four Queens or four Kings, all face up in the grid at the same time.
- Fill every empty space with a card from the stock.
- Keep pairing and refilling. There is no redeal: when you have no legal move left, the game is over.
You win by clearing all 52 cards. Most games are lost because the grid fills up with tens and face cards waiting for their fourth match, so treat those as the real enemy.
How to play Chinese Ten (2–4 players)
Setup and deal
Divide 24 by the number of players to get the hand size: 12 cards each for two players, 8 each for three, 6 each for four. Then turn four cards face up in the middle as the layout and put the rest of the deck face down beside them.
Capturing cards
- Ace through 9 capture a layout card that adds up to exactly ten with them: Ace takes a 9, 3 takes a 7, 5 takes a 5, and so on.
- 10, Jack, Queen and King capture only a card of the same rank (Queen takes Queen).
- One capture per card. A card can take exactly one layout card. You can’t combine an Ace, 3 and 6 to make ten.
- Suits don’t matter for capturing, only for scoring.
A turn, step by step
- Play one card from your hand. If it captures a layout card, put both face down in your won pile. If not, it stays in the layout.
- Flip the top card of the deck. It captures the same way; if it matches nothing, it joins the layout.
- Play passes to the next player. The layout grows and shrinks as you go.
Two special cases keep the game from jamming. If the starting layout holds three cards of the same 10, J, Q, K or 5 rank, the fourth one captures all three. If it holds all four, the dealer takes them straight away. Played correctly, the last card flipped from the deck always captures the last card in the layout.
Scoring
| Card you captured | Points |
|---|---|
| Red 2 through 8 | Face value |
| Red 9, 10, J, Q, K | 10 each |
| Red Ace | 20 each |
| Ace of spades | 30 with three or four players |
| Ace of clubs | 40 with four players |
| All other black cards | 0 |
Compare your total with the break-even score: 105 in a two-player game, 80 with three players, 70 with four. The difference is how much you won or lost by. For example, with two players, 130 points means you won by 25, and your opponent, holding the other 80, lost by 25.
Strategy tips
- Solitaire: clear the hard cards first. Pairs are common; four-of-a-kind sets are not. When you have a choice, take the move that opens a space next to a waiting face card.
- Solitaire: don’t rush a pair. If two different pairs are available, take the one that keeps a matching card in the grid for the next refill.
- Chinese Ten: chase red. Black 2s through Kings score nothing, so spend your captures on red cards and the scoring Aces.
- Chinese Ten: watch the flip. The deck card can steal the capture you were setting up. Take a sure red capture now rather than hoping for a bigger one next turn.
- Chinese Ten: count the fives. A 5 captures only another 5, so a lone 5 in the layout is easy points for whoever holds the match.
Popular variations
- Red Frog Black Frog (Thailand): same play as Chinese Ten, but black cards score instead: black 2–9 face value, black 10–K 10 each, Ace of spades 50, and red cards nothing.
- Taiwan scoring: four players, the Ace of clubs scores nothing, and the break-even is 60.
- Timed solitaire: race a friend on two decks and see who clears more cards in ten minutes.
- Party scoring: lowest Chinese Ten score picks the next game, or deals the next round.
Want a drinking game for the same deck instead? Here are our King’s Cup rules and more drinking games with just a standard deck.
FAQ
How many players can play Tens?
Tens solitaire is for one player. Chinese Ten is for two to four; with more people, run two tables.
Do I need a special deck?
No. Any complete 52-card deck works for both games. A fresh deck from a Bicycle 12-pack just shuffles better than the sticky one from the junk drawer.
Is Tens the same as Ten-Twenty-Thirty?
No. Ten-Twenty-Thirty is a different solitaire where you collect three cards that total 10, 20 or 30. Tens solitaire uses pairs that make ten, plus four-of-a-kind sets for tens and face cards.
Deal 13 for solitaire, or four to the layout for Chinese Ten, look for pairs that make ten, and you are playing Tens.
