Member Portal: Game Instructions

Welcome to your Members Area! Below are the rules for every AlphaDeck game mode. Click a panel to expand and learn how to play.

Alphabet Mastery

Learn letters,sounds and spelling through interactive gameplay

Play Together

Solo, team or family, build social and strategic skills.

Create & Share

Invent a new game and share them in our community.

Games Instructions

Players: 2–6
Setup:

  • Shuffle the 104‑card AlphaDeck.

  • Deal 10 cards to each player.

  • Place remaining cards face‑down as the draw pile; flip one to start the discard pile.

  • All players begin on Phase 1.

Turn Sequence:

  1. Draw one card (from the draw pile or discard pile).

  2. Lay Phase: If you can exactly meet your current phase requirement, place those cards on the table.

  3. Add‑On (optional): After your phase is laid, you may play additional valid words or suit/runs onto any laid phase.

  4. Discard one card to end your turn.

Ending a Hand:

  • When a player goes out (lays their phase and discards their last card), the hand ends.

  • Players who laid their phase advance one phase; those who did not stay on the same phase.

  • Clear all cards and begin the next hand.

Phases:

  1. Two 3‑letter words

  2. One 5‑letter word + one pair

  3. Three words (3+ letters), same suit

  4. Run of 4 letters + one 4+ letter word

  5. Two rhyming words (3+ letters)

  6. One 6‑letter word using 3+ suits

  7. Run of 5 letters, same suit

  8. Three words starting with different vowels

  9. One 7+ letter word

  10. Two separate runs of 4 letters each

First to complete Phase 10 wins the game.

Players: 2–6
Setup:

  • Deal 10 cards each; remaining cards = draw pile, flip one to discard.

Turn Sequence:

  1. Draw one card (draw or discard).

  2. Lay Melds:

    • Word Melds: valid words of 3+ letters.

    • Set Melds: three cards of the same letter, different suits.

  3. Discard one card.

Winning:
First to shed all cards. Others tally penalty points (vowels = 5 pts, consonants = 10 pts). Lowest score after agreed rounds wins.

Players: 3–6
Setup:

  • Deal 7 cards each; rest is draw pile.

Turn Sequence:

  1. Ask: Request all copies of a specific letter you need to complete a word you name (e.g., “Do you have an ‘E’ for ‘TREE’?”).

  2. Receive or Draw:

    • If the player has any, they hand over all copies and you immediately lay the word.

    • If not, you draw one card.

  3. Lay Word: If you completed a word, place it face‑up.

Winning:
First to lay five words.

Players: 2 (or teams)
Setup:

  • Split the deck evenly; each player flips their pile’s top card as the starter letter.

Play (simultaneous):

  • Using cards from your hand, spell valid words that include the starter letter.

  • Words must be 3+ letters.

  • Slam each word onto the table as you form it.

Winning:
First player to play all their cards in that round wins.

Players: 2–4
Setup:

  • Select 36–52 cards; shuffle and lay face‑down in a grid.

Turn Sequence:

  1. Flip two cards.

  2. Match Check:

    • If they match by letter (same letter, different suit) or by sound (e.g., “C” & “K”), keep them and flip two more.

    • If not, flip them back down.

  3. Next Player: on mismatch.

Winning:
When all cards are paired, the player with the most pairs wins.

Players: 2–5
Setup:

  • Deal 8 cards each; rest form draw pile.

  • Agree on one target suit for the round.

Turn Sequence:

  1. Draw one card.

  2. Play Word: Spell any valid word; you score 1 point per letter if majority of letters match the target suit.

  3. Bonus: +5 points if all letters match the suit.

  4. Discard one card.

Winning:
Highest point total after agreed rounds wins.

Players: 2–6
Setup:

  • Deal 7 cards each; rest = draw pile.

  • Place one card face‑up as the starting word.

Turn Sequence:

  • On your turn, play a card whose letter begins or ends a new word that connects logically to the previous word.

    • Example: current word “CAT” → play T for “TREE” or C for “CAR.”

  • If you can’t play, draw until you can or draw pile is exhausted.

Winning:
First to run out of cards—or with the fewest when all players are blocked—wins.

Players: 1–4
Setup:

  • Shuffle deck; deal 16 cards face‑up in a 4×4 grid.

Play (timed):

  1. Start a 2‑minute timer.

  2. Players simultaneously search the grid for words by connecting adjacent cards (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally).

  3. Words must be 3+ letters; each card can be used once per word.

  4. Record each unique word.

Scoring (per player):

  • 3–4 letters = 1 point

  • 5 letters = 2 points

  • 6 letters = 3 points

  • 7 letters = 5 points

  • 8+ letters = 11 points

Winning:
Highest score at timer end wins. Optionally play best of three rounds.