Clock Solitaire** (sometimes called Sundial or Clock Patience) is a simple, single-player card game that’s entirely based on luck – no complex strategies or planning required. In this game, cards are laid out in a circle to mimic the face of a clock, which is how it gets its name. You won’t be making any choices during play; instead, you’ll flip cards and place them where they belong in the “clock” layout. The appeal of Clock Solitaire lies in its quick setup and the suspenseful race to avoid drawing all four Kings too early (since drawing the final King can end the game). Even though it’s purely chance-driven, there’s something oddly satisfying about moving the cards around the circle and hoping luck is on your side. It’s a great little pastime for both kids and adults when you want a fun card game without heavy rules.
History of the Game
Clock Solitaire has been around for quite a long time. In fact, it was known in the 19th century simply as “The Clock,” and it likely originated as a variation of an older European patience game called Wandering Card. This means people have been enjoying the “clock” layout solitaire since at least the Victorian era! Over the years, the game has appeared in various card game collections – an early reference is in an 1870 book of solitaire games (patiences) which lists “The Clock” among its contents. Clock Solitaire has also been referred to by other names in different sources, such as Dial, Travelers, Hidden Cards, or Four of a Kind. (Don’t be confused by “Four of a Kind” in this context – some books used that name for Clock Solitaire, even though a different game also goes by Four of a Kind.) The key takeaway is that Clock Solitaire is a classic solitaire/patience game with roots in Europe and a history spanning over a century. It’s a testament to the game’s charm that it’s still played today, both with physical cards and in digital form.
Rules of Clock Solitaire – How to Play
The rules of Clock Solitaire are straightforward, and setup takes only a minute or two. To play, you’ll need one standard deck of 52 playing cards (no jokers). Follow these steps to set up and play a round of Clock Solitaire:
Deal the Layout: Shuffle the deck thoroughly. Deal 13 piles of cards face-down. Place 12 piles in a circle as if they were at the hour marks on a clock, and 1 pile in the center of the circle. The 12 outer piles represent 1:00 through 12:00, and the center pile represents the clock’s hands (this will be the pile for Kings). Each pile (including the center) will have 4 cards since 52 cards divided by 13 piles gives 4 cards per pile.
Start the Game: Begin by flipping over the top card of the center pile (the middle pile). This will be your first active card.
Place the Card on the Clock: Take the card you just revealed and place it face-up under the pile at its corresponding clock number. For example, if it’s an Ace, put it under the 1 o’clock pile (Ace = 1); if it’s a 3, put it under the 3 o’clock pile; ... a Jack goes to 11 o’clock, a Queen to 12 o’clock. (Picture the card’s rank as the hour on a clock. Kings are special – more on that in a second.)
Reveal the Next Card: After placing the card, go to the pile you just added it to (the pile matching that card’s rank). Now flip over the top card of that pile.
Follow the Card’s Rank: Take the newly revealed card and likewise place it under its matching pile. For instance, if you flipped a 9, place it under the 9 o’clock pile and then flip the top card of that pile. Keep doing this “reveal and place” process. Important: If you reveal a King at any point, place the King face-up under the center pile (the King pile). Kings belong in the middle.
Continue Until End: Proceed with this cycle. Each time you reveal a card, move it to the appropriate pile and then flip the next card from that location. You’ll be moving around the circle (hence the name Clock Solitaire) as cards direct you to their respective positions.
Winning or Losing: The game ends when you reveal all 52 cards, or when you can’t continue because of Kings. You win if you manage to flip over all cards and place them in their correct piles (which means you’ve successfully placed all four of each rank in their respective spots). In a win scenario, the last card you turn over will be the fourth King, completing the clock. However, if the fourth King appears before you have revealed all the other cards (i.e. some piles still have face-down cards when that last King shows up), then the game ends and you lose. Essentially, drawing the fourth King is like the timer going off – you want that to happen only after everything else is uncovered!
There’s no decision-making beyond flipping the next card, so it’s an easy game to play. It’s mostly about the anticipation: you’ll find yourself hoping “please don’t be a King yet!” as you flip each card. Clock Solitaire is purely mechanical and chance-driven, which is why the odds of winning are relatively low – only about 1 in 13 games on average will result in a win. Don’t let that discourage you, though; each playthrough is quick, and it’s fun to test your luck.
Figure: The typical Clock Solitaire layout – 12 piles arranged like a clock (Ace at 1 o’clock, 2 at 2 o’clock, ... Queen at 12 o’clock) and a center pile for Kings. This visually appealing setup is what gives Clock Solitaire its name. Each number position corresponds to a card rank (Ace = 1, Two = 2, ..., Jack = 11, Queen = 12) and the King pile is in the middle. The objective is to move all cards to their matching positions in this circle before the four Kings derail your game!
How to Play Clock Solitaire Online (Free Options)
With the rise of online card games, you don’t even need a physical deck to enjoy Clock Solitaire. Playing Clock Solitaire online is a convenient way to experience the game, and you can do it for free on various websites. One popular option is solitaireX.io, which offers Clock Solitaire among its collection of solitaire games. On solitaireX.io, you can play Clock Solitaire free right in your browser – no download or sign-up needed.
The online version automates the dealing and flipping for you, which makes the game even quicker to play. Typically, the interface will lay out the cards in the familiar clock face and you simply click to flip the next card. It’s perfect when you’re taking a short break or want to challenge your luck a few times. Plus, playing digitally can track your wins, helping you see if you beat that 1-in-13 odds over time!
Aside from solitaireX.io, many other free game sites have Clock Solitaire available as well. Just search for “Clock Solitaire online” and you’ll find choices like CardGames.io, Solitaire Paradise, and others. But whichever site you choose, the gameplay remains the same. Give it a try online and see if you can complete the clock – it’s surprisingly addictive to see if this is the round when all the cards will finally align in your favor.
Tips and Tricks for Clock Solitaire
Since Clock Solitaire is purely luck-based, there aren’t strategies in the usual sense (no amount of skill can change the outcome). However, there are some tips and ways to enhance your experience and ensure you get the most fun out of each game:
Set Up Neatly: If you’re playing with real cards, arrange the 12 piles clearly in a circle and remember which pile is which hour. It can help to think of the positions as on a real clock: maybe label the 12 o’clock pile with a Queen card, 11 o’clock with a Jack, etc., until you remember the mapping. A tidy layout prevents any confusion about where a card should go, especially for new players learning that Jack = 11 and Queen = 12.
Memorize the Card Positions: Aces correspond to 1 o’clock, numbers 2–10 go to 2–10 o’clock, Jack to 11, Queen to 12, and Kings to the center. After a few rounds you’ll likely memorize this. If playing online, the game usually highlights or automatically places cards for you, but it’s still nice to know the positions by heart when playing with a physical deck.
Enjoy the Suspense: Part of the fun is the pure suspense of not knowing when a King will show up. Take your time flipping each card and savor the anticipation. Since you have no decisions to make, Clock Solitaire is a great “relax and watch” kind of game. Don’t rush through the cards – it can be amusing to slow down and build the drama as the piles slowly fill up.
Don’t Be Discouraged by Losses: Remember, the odds of winning are only about 7.7% (roughly one win in every 13 games). It’s normal to hit a King early and lose many rounds in a row. Treat each attempt as a quick, casual gamble. When you do win, it feels special! Some players even joke that a win in Clock Solitaire is a lucky omen because of its rarity.
Try the “Watch” Variation: If you want to extend the play or make the game last a bit longer, there’s a common variation called “Watch.” In this variant, if the fourth King appears before you’ve finished, you don’t stop the game immediately. Instead, you replace the fourth King with one of the remaining face-down cards and continue playing as if nothing happened. Essentially, you get a second chance – the game only truly ends when that fourth King reappears on a later flip. Watch mode doesn’t increase your chances of ultimate victory (you’ll still lose when the King comes back out), but it gives you a bit more playing time and suspense, which can be fun if you just want to reveal all the cards regardless.
Play Online for Convenience: If you’re practicing or just casually playing, the online version can be your friend. It deals the cards instantly (no shuffling cleanup!) and often has an “undo” or restart button to quickly play another round. While you can’t influence the outcome, you can certainly play multiple games faster online, which might get you to that lucky winning game sooner. On solitaireX.io and similar sites, games are typically tracked, so you might see statistics like how many games you’ve won or your win percentage – a neat way to challenge yourself or a friend (“Hey, I won 2 out of 20 games – can you beat that?”).
Fun Facts and Trivia about Clock Solitaire
Clock Solitaire might be a simple game, but it comes with a few interesting tidbits that make it stand out among card games:
Pure Chance: Unlike most card games, Clock Solitaire involves no skill at all – it’s often cited as a “purely mechanical” process. This makes it more like a little experiment in probability each time you play. If you ever win twice in a row, consider buying a lottery ticket!
Winning Odds: As mentioned, the probability of winning a game of Clock Solitaire is exactly 1 in 13 (about 7.7%). Why 1 in 13? Because essentially the only winning scenario is if the very last card you flip is the final King. There are 4 Kings in 52 cards, so the chance that the last card in the sequence of flips ends up being that last King is 4/52 (simplified to 1/13). In other words, on average you’ll succeed roughly once for every 13 attempts. This low win rate makes Clock Solitaire one of the hardest solitaire games to win consistently, but that’s part of its quirky appeal.
Alternate Names: Over the years, Clock Solitaire has been known by a variety of names. Some people call it “Clock Patience” (especially in the UK), and it’s also been referred to as Round the Clock, Dial, Travelers, Hidden Cards, or Four of a Kind in different books and locales. The core idea is always the same clock-face layout, though a few of those names have also been used for closely related games. So if you hear someone talk about “Dial” or “Travelers” in a solitaire context, they might be talking about this very game.
Fortune-Telling Folklore: In the 19th century, patience games like Clock Solitaire were sometimes used playfully as fortune-telling devices. People would make a wish or think of a question before playing, and then interpret a win as a good omen or a loss as a sign of “not yet”. Of course, this was all in good fun – a way to make the game more entertaining. If you’re feeling whimsical, try it yourself: ask a yes/no question in your mind, then play a round of Clock Solitaire. If you manage to win (reveal all cards), there’s your “yes”! If not, well, try again later. 😉
No Actual Clock Needed: Despite the name and the clock-face layout, there’s nothing time-related in the gameplay. There’s no timer; you’re not racing against an actual clock – the phrase “race against time” in descriptions is just metaphorical. The game is as slow or fast as you want it to be. The clock theme is purely about how the cards are arranged, which is actually pretty unique among solitaire games and makes for a nice visual. It’s one of the few solitaire games that uses a circular layout instead of rows or columns.
Visual Appeal: Speaking of that layout, many players find Clock Solitaire appealing because of its aesthetic setup. Laying out the cards in a perfect circle (with the backs up) has a sort of satisfying symmetry. It’s a great way to show off a fancy deck of cards! Even online, the circular arrangement stands out from the usual solitaire layouts and can be oddly pleasing to play with.
If you’re looking for a quick, relaxing card game that anyone can play, Clock Solitaire is definitely worth a try. Its combination of simplicity and suspense – will that next card be the dreaded King or not? – gives it an enduring charm. Whether you prefer shuffling real cards at your kitchen table or tapping cards on your phone, the game delivers the same little thrill of chance.
Clock Solitaire is also a great way to introduce kids to card games or patience games because it requires no reading or complex decisions, just the ability to recognize card ranks and follow the sequence. It’s purely about enjoying the process. And since you can play it solo, it’s perfect for those moments when you want to pass the time by yourself.
So why not give Clock Solitaire a go? You can set it up the old-fashioned way or head over to solitaireX.io to play Clock Solitaire online for free anytime. See if you can beat the odds and complete the clock – and when you do, celebrate that small victory! If you find it fun, share the game with friends or family and compare your luck. After all, everyone has a clock to beat in this game. Enjoy, and may the Kings stay hidden until the very end!