Check the line after each possible removal.
Decade starts with three face-up cards in a line. Remove any consecutive run totaling exactly 10, 20, or 30. You can also draw one card from the stock onto the right end, even while a removal is available. Both decisions change the adjacent groups you can make next.
Last updated: September 2026
Compare the line left behind
Ace counts as 1, numbered cards at face value, and 10, Jack, Queen, and King as 10. A single 10-value card may leave on its own. Longer groups are legal only when their cards are adjacent and total one of the three target sums.
For example, in a line of 2–8–10, you can remove 2–8 for 10, remove the 10 alone, or remove all three for 20. Clearing all three is useful if those are the last cards. Earlier in a deal, compare what each choice leaves next to the remaining cards before committing. Removing a middle run closes the gap, which may create another legal group.
Choose when to draw
Drawing is a separate move, not an automatic consequence of removal. The next card joins the right end of the line; it does not fill a gap left by a removed group. If a current removal exposes another useful run, take that sequence before drawing. If drawing could complete a group at the right edge, keeping a present removal available may give you another choice later. The stock order is hidden, so this is a tradeoff rather than a guaranteed improvement.
When the stock is empty, only consecutive groups can clear the remaining line. The win requires both line and stock to be empty. A nonempty line with no legal group after the final draw is lost.
How this differs from sum-pair games
Elevens selects available cards in a grid. Decade permits runs of one or more cards but requires every chosen card to be adjacent in one line. Counting possible 10, 20, and 30 groups after a gap closes is more useful than looking only for a rank complement.