Is there a stock or waste pile in Somerset?

No. All 52 cards are dealt face up to the tableau at the start. There is no stock to draw from, no waste pile, and no redeal - every move happens between the tableau piles and the foundations.

Can I move a sequence of cards together?

No. Somerset is strictly one card at a time. Even a perfect red-black run must be moved card by card, which is a big part of the game's difficulty.

What can I put on an empty pile?

Any single available card. Unlike Klondike, empty spaces are not reserved for Kings, which makes them powerful maneuvering tools - treat them like free cells.

How is Somerset different from Klondike?

Both build down in alternating colors, but Somerset deals the whole deck face up into ten piles, has no stock or waste, moves only one card at a time, and lets any card fill a space. Klondike hides cards, draws from a stock, moves sequences, and restricts spaces to Kings.

Are all Somerset deals winnable?

No. Many deals are impossible from the start - the deep eight-card piles and the single-card-move rule can lock critical cards away permanently. If a deal dead-ends, the game tells you; starting a fresh deal is the normal rhythm of Somerset.

Somerset Solitaire - Play Online & 100% Free

Play Somerset Solitaire Online - Every Card in Sight

Somerset Solitaire is a fully open single-deck patience. All 52 cards are dealt face up into ten tableau piles before your first move, so nothing is hidden and nothing is drawn: there is no stock, no waste pile, and no redeal. What you see at the deal is the whole puzzle.

How to Play Somerset Solitaire

Objective: Move all 52 cards to the four foundations, building each suit up from Ace to King.

Game Setup

10 Tableau Piles: Dealt in rows of ten, nine, eight and so on, giving piles of 8, 8, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 cards
All Cards Face Up: Complete visibility from the first move
4 Foundations: One per suit, all empty at the start - the Aces begin buried in the tableau
No Stock or Waste: Nothing is held back and nothing is redealt

Basic Rules

Tableau piles build down by one rank in alternating colors - a red 7 goes on a black 8
Move one card at a time - only the top card of a pile, never a sequence
An empty pile accepts any single card - no King restriction
Foundations build up by suit from Ace to King, and cards played there stay there

Winning Strategy Tips

Plan before you move - With every card visible, the game rewards reading the whole board first
Dig for the Aces - Nothing reaches a foundation until its Ace is free
Guard the shallow piles - The one- and two-card piles are your fastest route to empty spaces; don't refill them carelessly
Use spaces as free cells - An empty pile takes any card, so it works like a FreeCell cell
Don't rush the foundations - A low card sent up too early can strand the opposite-color card that needed it

Why Is Somerset So Hard?

Somerset looks like open Klondike but plays much tougher. The three eight-deep piles bury nearly half the deck, single-card moves make rearranging slow, and there is no draw pile to bring relief. Many deals cannot be won no matter how well you play, so a loss is often the deal's fault, not yours - the honest response is a fresh deal. Winning one is a genuine achievement.

Somerset vs. Usk

Somerset is the stricter member of a small family. Usk deals the same layout but builds regardless of suit and allows one redeal; Somerset builds in alternating colors and gives you a single attempt. If you enjoy Somerset's open information but want more mobility, FreeCell offers a similar feel with dedicated free cells.

Deal Somerset Solitaire and see the whole battle before the first move!