(Clock Solitaire)

History & origin of Clock Solitaire

Clock is one of the oldest and simplest patiences: 52 cards in thirteen piles that form a clock face, with twelve hours around the edge and one pile in the center. It has been played for generations, often as a fortune-telling amusement or a children’s pastime.

It is pure luck — there are no decisions to make. You simply turn cards and place each at the “hour” matching its rank, following the chain until every card is revealed… or you get stuck.

Because it needs no strategy, Clock is more a game of curiosity and relaxation than of challenge — a classic for meeting the basic mechanics of solitaire.

Facts about Clock Solitaire

• It is 100% luck: there is not a single decision to make, only turning cards.
• The piles form a clock — Ace at 1 o’clock, Jack at 11, Queen at 12, and Kings in the center.
• You lose if the four Kings (the center pile) come up before you reveal all the other cards.
• The chance of winning is about 1 in 13 — it is more fun than challenge.

How to play Clock Solitaire step by step

1. Goal: reveal all 52 cards before getting stuck. It is a game of pure luck, with no decisions.
2. The thirteen piles form a clock: Ace at 1 o’clock, 2 at 2 o’clock… Jack at 11, Queen at 12, and Kings in the center.
3. Click the center pile to turn its top card.
4. It goes to the pile at the hour of its rank; keep turning from the pile where the card landed.
5. You win if you reveal all 52 cards; you lose if the four Kings come up first (the center locks).
6. There is no strategy — just follow the chain and hope for luck.