How to Play SET 3 Different Ways

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Learn how to set up the game and make sets
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SET is a fun, colorful card game that puts your pattern recognition skills to the test. The goal is to identify and collect more sets of cards than the other players. There are a few different ways to play, so we’ll walk you through 3 fun and exciting versions that’ll keep you playing for hours!

Quick Rules for SET Card Game

  • Number of players: 1+
  • Setup: Shuffle the deck and place 12 cards face-up in a grid. Set the other cards face-down in a pile.
  • Object of the game: Race to spot “sets” of 3 cards on the table, and spot more sets than the other players.
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Playing Classic SET

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  1. SET is typically played in a group, but you can also play the game solitaire-style. Unlike many other card games, SET isn’t turn-based—instead, you and any other players race to collect as many cards as you can. [1]
    • We think it’s best to play with about 1-6 players. Any more and the game can get a little too rowdy.
  2. Shuffle the cards so the deck is randomized. After, board game expert Derek Pederson tells us to lay out the cards in a rectangle. Then, flip the cards face-up in the middle of the play area, so every player can see them.
    • You may arrange the cards in a tall rectangle (a 3 x 4 grid) or a long rectangle (a 4 x 3 grid), as long as each player can clearly see all the cards.
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  3. Once the cards are on the table, every player races to search for a set. A “set” is a group of 3 cards with individual characteristics that, when considered 1 at a time, are either the same on each card or are unique on each card . These 4 characteristics are: shape, number of shapes, color of shapes, and shading of shapes. For example: [2]
    • A solid red oval, a solid red squiggle, and a solid red diamond are a set , since all 3 cards are red, all 3 are solid-colored, all 3 have only 1 shape, and all 3 have different types of shapes.
    • A card with 3 green outlined diamonds, a card with 2 solid purple squiggles, and a card with a single red, striped oval are a set , since the cards don’t share any characteristics at all.
    • An outlined red diamond, 3 outlined red diamonds, and 1 outlined purple diamond are not a set , since 2 are outlined and one is not, and also since 2 are red and one is not.
  4. Yell “set” as soon as you see something— SET is a competitive race to the finish, and isn’t turn-based at all. When you declare “set,” you get “control” of the board—simply point to all the set you’ve found, so players can see what your set is. [3]
    • If 2 people yell “set” at the same time, give control to the person who’s made fewer sets, or if they’re tied, to the person who is younger.
    • If nobody can find a set: Add 3 more cards to the table.
  5. Give your opponents a few seconds to review, just in case there was a mistake. Don’t collect any cards until the other players give you the go-ahead. [4]
    • If you falsely identify a set, subtract a point from your total score at the end of the game. Otherwise, continue playing the game as usual.
  6. Grab your set from the card grid and keep it close by. Each set you collect counts as 1 total point at the end of the game. [5]
  7. Fill the empty spaces in the grid, placing the new cards face-up. Pull these new cards from the shuffled deck. [6]
  8. Keep replacing the SET cards within the grid as more sets are called and collected. End the game once all the cards are gone, or there are no more possible sets. [7]
    • A SET deck has 81 total cards. Depending on gameplay, there might be 6 to 9 unmatched cards leftover at the end of the game.
  9. Convert each set of 3 cards into 1 point. Then, factor in any penalties you earned throughout the game. Compare your scores with the other players—whoever has the most sets/points is the winner! [8]
    • If you’re playing solitaire SET , try to collect as much of the deck as you can.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Playing the SETUP Variation

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  1. SETUP is a more strategic game that requires 2 or more players. Gather the players around the table, shuffle the SET deck, and deal each player 4 face-down cards. Then, place the rest of the deck face-down in the center of the table. [9]
    • Players look at their cards, but keep them secret.
    • The object of this version is to play cards that don’t make sets.
  2. Place these cards in the center of the table next to the deck. Players will play their cards next to these.
  3. The player to the left of the dealer goes first, placing a card from their hand face-up onto the table next to the 2 cards already on the table. The object is to avoid making sets with the cards already on the table, so play a card you think won’t make a set.
    • After you place a card, draw another from the deck.
    • Remember: “Sets” are groups of 3 cards where each individual characteristic (shapes, number, color, shading) is either shared or completely unique.
  4. After a player plays a card, every other player examines the cards on the table to find a possible set made by the last played card. (Note that the set must include the last-played card in order to count.) Then: [10]
    • If there is no new set: The next player plays a card next to the last-played card, and the game continues.
    • If there is a set: The player who played the card must take all the cards on the table, and 2 new cards are flipped over from the deck and onto the table.
  5. Players take turns playing cards, trying to identify sets, and drawing cards, until there are no more cards in the deck. Once that happens, the game ends immediately, and players count the cards they each took. The player who took the fewest number of cards wins! [11]
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Playing the ChipSET Variation

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  1. This variation is also played with 2 or more players. Shuffle the SET deck, then place it face-down on the table between you. Give the other players 2 face-down cards, then give yourself 2 face-down cards. Then, lay 2 face-up cards next to the deck. [12]
    • The object of this version is to bet on how many sets you can make with your hand.
  2. This variation uses poker chips for betting. Give each player an equal number of chips. Distribute as many as you like, but 20 is a good starting number. [13]
  3. players look at the 2 cards they were dealt, and keep them a secret. Compare your cards to the cards on the table, and see if you can make a set of 3 using both the cards in your hand and those on the table. [14]
    • Remember: “Sets” are groups of 3 cards where each individual characteristic (shapes, number, color, shading) is either shared or completely unique.
  4. Now, place bets like you’re playing Poker. The more sets you can make with your cards, the better your hand is. Whoever didn’t deal makes the first bet, and players keep raising or matching the bet until they agree on a maximum bet. [15]
    • If no players wish to bet, another card is dealt onto the table, and players then bet using that additional card.
    • If you don’t wish to bet but other players do, you “fold” and sit out the round.
  5. The player whose hand can make the most sets when combined with the cards on the table takes all the chips that were bet. [16]
    • If there’s a tie, both players split the chips evenly.
  6. After the round, reshuffle and deal the cards again. Then, you can choose to end the game in a few ways. First, you might decide that whoever wins all the chips wins the game. Or, play a predetermined number of hands, and then see who has the most chips at the end. [17]
    • Or, just play until you get bored!
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      wikiHow Video: How to Play Set

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      Tips

      • If you’re playing with younger children, play the game in turns instead of making it a race. This will make it easier for the kids to identify and collect different sets. [18]
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      • The easiest way to check if 3 cards form a set is to remember: If two cards are ___ and one isn’t, then it’s not a set!
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      • If you’d like the game to last longer, tally up your current sets and hand the cards back to the dealer. The dealer will then re-shuffle and place the cards down, and gameplay will continue.
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      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about playing card games, check out our in-depth interview with Derek Pederson .

      References

      1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20061021102612/https://www.setgame.com/set/rules_set.htm
      2. ↑ https://wiki.math.wisc.edu/images/Set_sol.pdf
      3. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20061021102612/https://www.setgame.com/set/rules_set.htm
      4. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20061021102612/https://www.setgame.com/set/rules_set.htm
      5. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20061021102612/https://www.setgame.com/set/rules_set.htm
      6. ↑ https://wiki.math.wisc.edu/images/Set_sol.pdf
      7. ↑ https://wiki.math.wisc.edu/images/Set_sol.pdf
      8. ↑ https://wiki.math.wisc.edu/images/Set_sol.pdf
      9. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120315232218/http://magliery.com/Set/SETUP.html
      1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120315232218/http://magliery.com/Set/SETUP.html
      2. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120315232218/http://magliery.com/Set/SETUP.html
      3. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120316015422/http://magliery.com/Set/ChipSET.html
      4. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120316015422/http://magliery.com/Set/ChipSET.html
      5. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120316015422/http://magliery.com/Set/ChipSET.html
      6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120316015422/http://magliery.com/Set/ChipSET.html
      7. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120316015422/http://magliery.com/Set/ChipSET.html
      8. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120316015422/http://magliery.com/Set/ChipSET.html
      9. ↑ https://www.gamesforyoungminds.com/blog/2018/1/4/set

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      SET is a fun card game for 1 or more players. The goal of the game is to make a set of 3 cards from the 12 face-up cards on the table. A set is any group of 3 cards that have all of the same features or all different features for each individual feature. There are 4 features on each card: shape, color, number, and shading. A set would be 3 cards that have all the same shapes or all different shapes, all the same colors or all different colors, all the same numbers or all different numbers, and all the same shading or all different shading. A group of 3 cards where 2 are the same and 1 is different in any feature would not be a set. To start the game, one player deals 12 cards face-up in a rectangle. Then, all of the players try to locate a set within the 12 face-up cards. When a player finds a set, they call out “set” and remove those 3 cards from the rectangle, placing them face-up in front of them. The other players double-check that the three cards do in fact make up a set, and if they do, the player gets 1 point and the 3 cards are replaced in the rectangle by the dealer. If the 3 cards don’t actually make up a set, the player loses 1 point and the cards are returned to the rectangle. The game continues like this until there are no more cards left in the deck. If at any point all of the players agree that there are no sets in the rectangle, the dealer places 3 more cards face-up on the table. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins!

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