Play Clock Solitaire Online - Beat the Fourth King

Clock Solitaire, also known as Clock Patience, Sundial or Travellers, arranges the cards in a circle that looks like the face of a clock. There is nothing to plan and nothing to weigh up, because you simply turn cards over and let the shuffle decide the outcome. A complete game takes only a minute or two.

How to Play Clock Solitaire

Goal: Turn all 52 cards face up before the fourth King shows up.

Game Setup

• Clock face: Twelve piles of 4 cards sit in a circle. They stand for the hours
• Centre pile: A thirteenth pile of 4 cards sits in the middle. It is the King pile
• Face down: All 52 cards start face down
• One rank per hour: Each hour position owns one rank

Clock Position Mapping

• 1 o'clock: Aces
• 2 o'clock: Twos
• 3 o'clock: Threes
• 4 o'clock: Fours
• 5 o'clock: Fives
• 6 o'clock: Sixes
• 7 o'clock: Sevens
• 8 o'clock: Eights
• 9 o'clock: Nines
• 10 o'clock: Tens
• 11 o'clock: Jacks
• 12 o'clock: Queens
• Centre: Kings

Basic Rules

• Start: Turn the top card of the centre King pile
• Place it: Slide that card face up under the pile that owns its rank
• Carry on: Now turn the top card of that pile, and place it the same way
• Kings: A King goes face up under the centre pile. Play then goes on from the centre
• You win: All 52 cards end up face up
• You lose: The fourth King turns while cards are still face down

How to Play on This Site

• The live pile has a gold border. Click or tap it to turn its next card
• The card flies to its hour pile, and the gold border moves there
• Other piles do nothing when you tap them. Only the live pile can be turned
• Undo steps the chain back one card, so you can replay a run

Clock Solitaire Gameplay Example

Sample Turn Sequence

1. Turn the top centre card. It is a 7
2. Slide the 7 face up under the 7 o'clock pile
3. Turn the top card of the 7 o'clock pile. It is a 3
4. Slide the 3 face up under the 3 o'clock pile
5. Turn the top card of the 3 o'clock pile. It is a Queen
6. Slide the Queen under the 12 o'clock pile
7. Turn the top card there. It is a King
8. Slide the King under the centre pile. That is King number one
9. Turn the next centre card and carry on

The chain always ends the same way, because when the fourth King arrives the centre pile has no face-down card left to turn. If every other card is already face up at that moment, you have won the game.

Is Clock Solitaire Winnable?

Win rate: about 1 game in 13, or close to 8%.

Clock Solitaire is a game of pure luck, since you make no choices at all and the shuffle decides the result before you turn the first card. The underlying mathematics is elegant: you win only when the final card turned happens to be the fourth King, which occurs in roughly one deal out of thirteen.

That makes it a good fit for:

• Quick play: A game runs 1 to 2 minutes
• No thinking: Relax and watch the cards fall
• A luck test: Fun when you want a coin flip with cards
• Casual time: Good with music or a podcast on

Why Play Clock Solitaire?

Advantages

• Very fast: Most games finish in under two minutes
• No strategy: No choices means no stress
• Nice reveals: The cascade of cards is fun to watch
• Clear layout: The clock face is easy to read at a glance
• Quick to teach: Anyone can learn it in 30 seconds

When to Play Clock

• When you have two minutes between tasks
• As a quick luck test before you decide something
• To clear your head with a simple task
• When you want solitaire without hard thinking
• To teach children how card ranks work

Variations and Related Games

Watch

A close cousin of Clock that uses only the twelve hour piles and dispenses with the centre pile entirely.

Four Seasons

A cross-shaped patience that offers genuine decisions, well worth trying if Clock feels too passive for you.

Perpetual Motion

Another luck-led patience in which the cards cycle repeatedly until matching ranks pair off and clear.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I improve my win rate?

No, because Clock Solitaire offers no decisions at all and skill therefore cannot influence the outcome. Every shuffle carries exactly the same odds of about 1 in 13.

Why is it called Clock Solitaire?

The layout is arranged to resemble a clock face, with twelve piles marking the hours and a thirteenth pile forming the hub at the centre.

What if I turn all the cards before the fourth King?

Then you win, and because the result is rare it feels genuinely satisfying when it happens. Every card finishes face up beneath the hour position that matches its rank.

Why does the game always stop on a King?

Kings are the only rank that sends play back to the centre pile, so that pile runs dry at precisely the moment the fourth King is turned. This is why the fourth King always brings the game to an end.

Is Clock Solitaire good for beginners?

Yes, it is one of the easiest patience games to learn and can be taught in half a minute. It teaches no tactics whatsoever, however, so it will not sharpen your Klondike or FreeCell play.

Can I play Clock Solitaire with real cards?

Yes, and it remains a favourite with a physical deck because the circular layout is enjoyable to build by hand. All you need is a standard 52-card pack.

Test your luck - play Clock Solitaire now.