Clock Solitaire
Turn up every card before the fourth King appears.
How to play Clock Solitaire
Clock Solitaire, also called Clock Patience, Travellers or Sundial, is a gentle game of pure luck. A deck of 52 cards is dealt face down into 13 piles of four cards. Twelve piles sit round a clock face, one for each hour, and the thirteenth pile sits in the middle.
Which pile is which
- The pile at 1 o'clock is the Ace pile, 2 o'clock is the 2 pile and so on up to 10.
- 11 o'clock belongs to the Jacks and 12 o'clock to the Queens.
- The pile in the middle belongs to the Kings.
Goal
Turn every card face up, so each hour holds the four cards of its own rank, before the fourth King comes out.
Turn by turn
- The game starts with the top card of the middle pile turned face up.
- Move this card to its own pile: a 5 goes to 5 o'clock, a Queen to 12 o'clock, a King back to the middle. It is tucked face up under that pile.
- Then turn over the top face-down card of the pile you just went to. That is your next card.
- Keep going. Each card sends you to a new hour on the clock.
End of the game
Every King you turn up goes to the middle. When the fourth King arrives there, the middle pile has no face-down cards left and the game stops. If that was the very last card, you win. If any card is still face down, the clock has beaten you. Only about one deal in thirteen comes out, so a win is a real treat.
Playing on this site
Tap the glowing card, press Enter, or drag it to its hour. Hint lights up the right pile. Auto play plays the whole deal for you, card by card, and you can stop it at any time. Undo works too, and your game is saved after every move.
Strategy tips
- Relax, it is all luck. The deal decides the result before the first card moves. There are no choices, so enjoy the ride and see how far the clock goes.
- Learn the clock face. Jacks at 11 and Queens at 12 trip up new players. Saying the hour out loud helps you move fast.
- Watch the Kings count. The status bar shows how many Kings are out. Three Kings with many cards still down means the end is near.
- Use it as a break. Clock Solitaire takes a minute or two. Use Auto play for a quick round between harder games like FreeCell.
- Count your wins. Since about one game in thirteen comes out, try to beat that rate over a long run of deals.
Clock Solitaire FAQ
Is there any skill in Clock Solitaire?
No. Every move is forced, so the order of the cards decides the result. It is a relaxing game of chance, not of skill.
What are the odds of winning Clock Solitaire?
Exactly one in thirteen, about 7.7 percent. The game is won only when the last card turned up is the fourth King.
Where do Jacks, Queens and Kings go?
Jacks go to 11 o'clock and Queens to 12 o'clock. Kings go to the pile in the middle of the clock.
What does Auto play do?
It moves the cards for you one by one until the game ends. Press it again to stop, and you can still use Undo afterwards.
