Rules for Clock Patience

Clock Patience is a simple and quick solitaire game where the cards are laid out in the shape of a clock face. The goal is to turn over all 52 cards and sort them by rank into the correct position on the clock. It is a game of pure luck with no room for strategy, which makes it perfect for when you want a bit of excitement without too much thinking.

The odds of winning are exactly 1 in 13, or about 7.7%. That might sound low, but it makes the wins all the more satisfying. A single game only takes a few minutes, so there is always time for another round.

You need a standard deck of 52 cards (no jokers). Shuffle well and deal the cards face down into 13 piles of 4 cards each:

• 12 piles are placed in a circle like the numbers on a clock face, from position 1 (1 o'clock) to position 12 (12 o'clock)
• The 13th pile goes in the centre of the circle

You can deal the cards one at a time around the circle (position 1, 2, 3 ... 12, centre, 1, 2, 3 ... and so on) until all cards have been distributed. All piles should be face down.

Each card belongs at a specific position on the clock, based on its rank:

• Ace = 1 o'clock
• 2 = 2 o'clock
• 3 = 3 o'clock
• 4 = 4 o'clock
• 5 = 5 o'clock
• 6 = 6 o'clock
• 7 = 7 o'clock
• 8 = 8 o'clock
• 9 = 9 o'clock
• 10 = 10 o'clock
• Jack = 11 o'clock
• Queen = 12 o'clock
• King = centre

Suit (♠️♦️♣️♥️) does not matter in this game. Only the rank of the card counts.

Here is how the game works:

• Turn over the top card from the centre pile.
• Place the card face up underneath the pile that matches the card's rank on the clock. For example, if you turn over a 7, place it under the pile at 7 o'clock.
• Then turn over the top card from the pile you just placed the card under.
• Repeat: place the new card under the correct pile and turn over the top card from there.
• If you turn over a King, place it under the centre pile and turn over the top card from there.

The game continues in this purely mechanical fashion. You never choose where a card goes. The card's rank determines its destination.

The game is won if you manage to turn over all 52 cards. When that happens, each pile on the clock will contain four cards of the same rank, face up, and all four Kings will be in the centre.

The game is lost if you turn over the fourth and final King while there are still face-down cards remaining. At that point, the game stops because there are no more cards to turn over from the centre pile.

There is nothing you can do to influence the outcome. Everything depends on how the cards were distributed during the deal.

Sometimes you turn over the last face-down card in a pile, and it belongs to that very same pile. For example, you turn over the last hidden card at 7 o'clock and it is a 7. Simply place it where it belongs (it is already there), and continue by turning over the next face-down card moving clockwise around the clock. In this case, you would go to 8 o'clock and turn over the top card there.

There is a variant called Watch that gives you an extra chance when the fourth King appears:

• Instead of losing immediately, you may swap the fourth King with any card that is still face down.
• The game continues as normal with the new card.
• If the fourth King shows up again, the game is over.

This variant improves the odds slightly and suits those who find the standard version a bit too strict.

Even though there is no strategy in Clock Patience, here are some things worth knowing:

• The game is entirely mechanical. Every deal has a predetermined result, regardless of who is playing.
• The 1 in 13 winning odds mean you will win roughly once every 13 attempts on average.
• Clock Patience is a variation of an older game called Wandering Card, first described in 1869.
• The game is a great way for children to practise matching numbers to positions on a clock face.