Clock Solitaire Guide
Clock Solitaire is the odd one out among solitaire games: there is nothing to decide. The cards you turn tell you where to go next, so the result is fixed the moment the deck is shuffled. This guide explains the layout, how a game flows, the real odds of winning and the few things you can do to make the game more fun.
The clock layout
Fifty-two cards are dealt face down into 13 piles of four. Twelve piles are the hours of a clock, with Ace as 1 o'clock, the 2 to 10 as themselves, Jack as 11 and Queen as 12. The thirteenth pile, in the centre, belongs to the Kings.
- Hour labels: this page prints the hour above every pile so you never have to remember the mapping.
- Four cards per pile: each rank has exactly four cards, so every pile can fill up completely, and the centre pile fills when the fourth King comes out.
How a game flows
You turn the top card of the centre pile. That card goes face up beside the pile of its rank, and you then turn the top face-down card of that pile. The same step repeats until the fourth King lands in the centre.
- Every move is forced. There is only ever one card to turn, so the game can be played by tapping any pile.
- A King sends you back to the centre. Each King you turn brings you back to the middle pile for the next card.
- The game ends on the fourth King. At that point you win only if no card is still face down.
The odds of winning
A deal is won only if the fourth King is the very last face-down card in the whole layout. In theory this happens in exactly 1 deal out of 13, about 7.7%. We checked it: of 16,000 random deals played out by computer, 1,234 were won, which is 7.7%.
New games and the Daily Challenge on this site only use deals that we know are won, so you can always reach the end with all 52 cards face up. The rest of the random deals are lost no matter what you do.
Why there is no strategy
The card you turn over fixes the next pile, and that pile's top card was fixed when the deck was shuffled. You cannot choose a different card, skip a pile or change the order. For the same reason the Solver and the Watch Demo options are not offered for Clock: there are no choices for them to find.
- Hint simply points at the pile you turn next.
- Undo only steps back; the same cards will come out again.
Making the most of it
- Follow the labels. Watch which hour each card lands on; seeing the chain of piles is the fun part.
- Count the Kings. After the third King, the end is close. Check how many piles are still face down.
- Play it as a quick break. A game takes under a minute and needs no concentration.
- Try the daily challenge. It is a deal that is certain to be won, so every player gets a win.
Practice and play
Clock is best played in a relaxed mood: tap, watch the piles fill and see how close you get. If you want a game where your choices matter, try Golf or FreeCell.