Quick Rules
Clock Solitaire, also called Clock Patience, is a one-player card game played with a standard 52-card deck. The cards are dealt face down into 13 piles of four: twelve piles around a clock face, one at each hour, and one pile in the center. Your goal is to turn every card face up before the fourth King appears.
- Start in the center. Turn over the top card of the center pile.
- Send each card to its hour. A 7 goes to 7 o'clock, an Ace to 1 o'clock, a Jack to 11 and a Queen to 12. Kings go back to the center.
- Turn the next card from that pile. Wherever you just put a card, turn over the top face-down card of that same pile, and carry on.
- Watch the Kings. Each King sends you back to the center. When the fourth King arrives, the center has no card left to turn and the game stops.
- Winning. You win if all the other cards are already face up when the fourth King shows. If any card is still face down, the deal is lost.
How to play here: tap the pile marked "Turn" to turn its top card, then tap the pile where the card belongs, or drag the card there. If you would rather not tap, the big button under the table does the next step for you, and Auto-play plays the whole deal at a calm pace while you watch. The counts above the table always show how many Kings have been found and how many cards are still face down.
Good to Know
- It is a game of pure luck. There are no choices in the strict game, so nobody can play it well or badly. You will win about 1 game in 13.
- Losing is normal. Twelve games out of thirteen end early. Many players simply enjoy seeing how far the clock gets.
- Want a decision to make? Turn on the one-swap house rule in Settings. It gives the fourth King a second chance and lets you win more than one game in three.
- Using your swap. Hide the King under the pile with the most face-down cards. The Hint button tells you which one and what your chances are.
- Let it play itself. Auto-play is restful to watch with a cup of coffee, and you can pause it at any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this Clock Solitaire free?
Yes. You can play as many games of Clock Solitaire as you like for free. There is no account to create, nothing to download, and no ads pop up between games.
Can every deal be won?
No, and it is not up to you. Under the strict rules there are no choices to make, so the shuffle decides everything. A deal is won only when the fourth King happens to be the very last card turned, which works out to exactly 1 deal in 13, or about 8 percent. If you would like to win more often, turn on the one-swap house rule in Settings.
Is there any skill in Clock Solitaire?
Not in the strict game. Every card has only one place to go, so a beginner and an expert win equally often. That is its charm: nothing to work out, just the fun of watching the clock fill in. With the one-swap house rule there is one real decision, and choosing well lifts your chances from about 29 percent to about 37 percent.
Where does each card go?
Each card goes to the hour that matches its rank. An Ace goes to 1 o'clock, a 2 to 2 o'clock, and so on up to the 10. A Jack goes to 11 o'clock and a Queen to 12 o'clock. Kings go on the pile in the center. Every pile on our table is labeled, so you never have to remember.
What does the one-swap rule do?
It gives you a second chance. When the fourth King comes up while other cards are still face down, you may tuck that King face down under any pile around the clock and take the top card of that pile instead. You can do this once per game. The best pile is the one with the most face-down cards.
Do I have to tap every card myself?
No. The big button under the table does the next step for you, and Auto-play turns and places the cards at a calm pace while you watch. In Settings you can also ask the game to put each card on its pile for you, so one tap plays one card.
Can I play a specific deal number?
Yes. Every deal has a number, shown above the table. Open Settings, type any number from 1 to 999,999 under Play a specific deal, and you get exactly that shuffle. A friend who types the same number gets the same cards.
Does the game save my progress?
Yes. Your game is saved in your browser after every card, so you can close the page and pick up where you left off later on the same device. Your statistics are saved the same way.
Looking for a solitaire where your choices matter? Try Klondike solitaire, the classic, or FreeCell, where nearly every deal can be won with careful play.
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