Choose which hidden card to reveal next.
Somerset deals all 52 cards into ten columns of eight, eight, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one. Only each column’s top card starts face-up. There is no stock, so uncovering the hidden tableau cards drives the game.
Last updated: September 2026
Compare reveals before making a transfer
Tableau builds down in alternating colors; foundations build up by suit from Ace. A face-up descending alternating-color run can move together when its leading card fits the destination. Moving a tail off a column reveals the next covered card. When several transfers are legal, compare how many covered cards remain and which newly exposed card will have a destination.
A column has a covered Ace of Hearts beneath a face-up Eight of Hearts–Seven of Clubs run. A Nine of Clubs heads another column. Moving the Eight–Seven run onto the Nine is legal and reveals the Ace. Moving only the Seven would leave the Eight covering it. The Ace can then start the heart foundation.
Use empty columns with a King route
An empty column accepts only a King or a legal run headed by a King. Check which King is exposed, or which move would expose one, before clearing a column. A gap can create space for a King-led transfer, but it cannot hold an arbitrary blocker as in FreeCell.
A move to a foundation can expose a new tableau top, but it also removes a card that might have accepted a lower rank. Compare that cost with the reveal it creates; avoid fixed rules about always advancing or always holding a foundation card.
How this branch relates to FreeCell
The FreeCell family guide teaches how working space changes future access. Somerset has no free cells and hides most tableau cards initially, so each legal reveal supplies new information. Plan the next move after seeing the newly exposed card.