Somerset
A hundred-year-old card game with a deck unlike any other. Bid, take tricks, try not to get set.
PlayFree · no sign-up · 3 computer opponents
It is not a normal deck
Seven suits, all different lengths. The bottom number is the suit, the top number is its rank. Not a fraction.
Read it bottom-up
This is the nine of the twelve suit. The twelve suit has thirteen cards; the two suit has three.
Red cards score
Seven count cards carry 12 points. The circled number is what it is worth.
The Rover
Playable any time, even out of suit. Turns every double on the trick into a trump.
One hand, start to finish
- 1
Bid
Say how many of the 24 points in the deal you and your partner can take.
- 2
Name trump
Win the bidding and you choose which of the seven suits rules the hand.
- 3
Take tricks
Twelve tricks. Follow suit if you can. High card wins unless someone trumps.
- 4
Score, or get set
Make your bid and you score it. Miss and you lose double — hence the name.
The real rules
Transcribed from Hodges 1913 and Parker Brothers, and where the old rulebooks disagree you pick which version your table plays.
Opponents worth beating
Three difficulties. They lead their length, save the S/S, throw count to a partner and remember who is out of what.
Just play
No account, no ads, no download. Close the tab and your hand is still there when you come back.
Where Somerset came from
Arthur J. Hodges of Carroll, Iowa invented it in 1903 and published it himself; the fifty-card Double Somerset followed in 1913. Parker Brothers bought the rights around 1934 and printed it until about 1960. It has been out of print ever since, and is still played in Minden, Nebraska and Ludington, Michigan.
That is the reason this exists. The decks are gone and the people who know the game are not getting younger.
Also written Some’R’Set, Some R Set, Some-R-Set and SomeRset — all the same game.
Questions people ask
›What is the Somerset card game?
Somerset is a bidding and trick-taking card game for two to six players, invented by Arthur J. Hodges of Carroll, Iowa in 1903. It uses a special 50-card deck of seven unequal suits rather than a standard pack. Players bid how many of the 24 points in a deal they can take, then play twelve tricks to make that bid. The first side to 66 points wins.
›Can I play Somerset online for free?
Yes. This site lets you play Double Somerset in your browser against three computer opponents, free, with no account and no download. It works on a phone, tablet or computer, and your game saves automatically if you close the tab.
›Why is the game called Somerset?
The name is a pun on the phrase "some are set". In Somerset you bid how many points you expect to take, and if you fall short you are said to be set, losing double the shortfall. As the original 1903 rules put it, in bidding, zeal to win sometimes outweighs judgment and some are set.
›What is the difference between Single, Double and Triple Somerset?
Single Somerset is the original 1903 game, played with 28 cards in suits 0 through 6, scoring 14 points a deal and 50 to win. Double Somerset arrived in 1913 with 50 cards in seven unequal suits, 24 points a deal and 66 to win, and is by far the most played version. Triple Somerset is a modern 92-card version created by Jerry Childs in 2009 for six to eight players, scoring 99 to win.
›How many cards are in a Somerset deck?
A Double Somerset deck has 50 cards: seven suits of unequal length, plus the S/S card. The /0 suit holds one card, /2 holds three, /4 holds five, /6 holds seven, /8 holds nine, /10 holds eleven and /12 holds thirteen. Seven of the cards are printed in red and carry point values totalling 12.
›What are the count cards in Somerset worth?
Seven red count cards carry 12 points between them. The 1/2, 2/4 and 3/6 are worth one point each, the 4/8, 5/10 and 6/12 are worth two each, and the S/S card is worth three. Add one point per trick, and every deal is worth exactly 24 points.
›What does the 0/0 Rover card do in Somerset?
The 0/0, called the Rover, can be played at any time, even when you hold the suit that was led. If it lands on a trick where no trump has been played, it turns every double on that trick into a trump for that trick only, and the highest double takes it. The Rover is a double itself but ranks below all the others, and any real trump beats it.
›What is the S/S card in Somerset?
The S/S belongs to no printed suit. It joins whatever suit is named trump as that suit's lowest card, below even the zero, which means it must be played if trump is led and you hold no other trump. It is worth three points, the most of any single card. Under a No Trump bid it has no capturing power and may be discarded on any suit at any time.
›Where can I buy a Somerset deck?
The physical decks are long out of print from Parker Brothers, who published the game until about 1960. somersetgame.com lists remaining sources and offers a printable template so you can make your own deck.
›How do you win at Somerset?
The first partnership to reach 66 points wins. You score the points you take only if you make your bid; if you fall short you are set, losing double the difference while your opponents bank double what they took. Because being set is so expensive, sound play means bidding what your hand is genuinely worth rather than what you hope it is.