Play Clock Solitaire online
Clock Solitaire is the gentlest game here. There are no decisions, just luck. Thirteen piles sit around a clock face, and you turn cards one at a time to see whether the Kings come up too soon.
How to play
- The layout. Thirteen face-down piles of four. Twelve sit round a clock, with the Ace at one o'clock and the Queen at twelve. The Kings' pile is in the middle.
- Start in the middle. The first card turned is the top card of the centre pile.
- Follow the cards. Each card goes face up to the pile for its rank, and the next card comes from that pile. A 7 goes to seven o'clock, and so on. Kings go in the middle.
- Tap anywhere on the table to turn the next card. The glowing card shows where it comes from.
- The end. The game stops when the fourth King turns up. If every other card has been turned by then, you win.
What are the odds?
Your chance of winning any deal is exactly 1 in 13, because a win needs the very last card turned to be a King. There is nothing you can do to change it, which is rather the point. It's a game for winding down, not for thinking.
Questions people ask
- Is there any skill in Clock Solitaire?
- No. Every move is decided by the cards, so it's pure luck. That makes it a calm game to play when you don't want to think.
- What are the chances of winning?
- One in 13. You win only if the last card turned up is a King, and any of the 52 positions is equally likely to hold the final King.
- Does Clock Solitaire have other names?
- Yes. It's also known as Clock Patience, Travellers and Hidden Cards.
Related articles
More solitaire games
Every game has its own rules and its own page. The spades show how hard each one is.
Klondike The classic. Turn 1 or Turn 3. Klondike Turn 3 Three cards at a time. The classic challenge. Vegas Klondike played for pretend dollars. Yukon No stock. Move any face-up stack. Russian Yukon, but every build stays in suit. Spider (1 suit) Two decks, one suit. The gentle Spider. Spider (2 suits) Keep two suits apart to build runs. Spider (4 suits) The full Spider. A real test. Spiderette Spider with one deck and seven columns. Scorpion Untangle seven columns into four suits. FreeCell Every card face up. Almost always winnable. Eight Off Eight free cells, build in suit. Baker's Dozen Thirteen open piles, Kings at the bottom. Pyramid Pair cards that add up to 13. TriPeaks Clear three peaks, one rank up or down. Golf Play one rank up or down. Quick rounds. Canfield A reserve, a random start rank. Tough. Forty Thieves Two decks, one card at a time. Tough.
Clock Pure luck. Turn every card before the Kings. You're playing this one
Accordion Squeeze the deck into a single pile. Aces Up Throw out cards until only the Aces are left. More from our games network
Same team, same idea: free, no sign-up, play straight away.
