Rules
Clock Patience rules at a glance
- Use one standard 52-card deck with no jokers.
- Deal thirteen piles of four cards face down.
- Twelve piles sit around the outside like the hours on a clock.
- The thirteenth pile sits in the center and belongs to kings.
- Start by turning over the top card from the center pile.
- Place the turned card on the pile that matches its rank.
- Aces go to 1 o'clock, jacks to 11 o'clock, queens to 12 o'clock, and kings to the center.
- After placing a card, turn over the next card from that same destination pile.
- Win by revealing and placing all 52 cards.
- Lose if the fourth king appears before every face-down card has been revealed.
How to play
How to play Clock Patience
Clock Patience is a one-deck reveal game. The board is arranged like a clock: aces at one, twos at two, threes at three, and so on through queens at twelve. Kings are special. They do not sit at 13 o'clock; they go in the center pile.
The first card comes from the center. If it is a 9, place it on the 9 o'clock pile and turn over the next card from 9 o'clock. If that card is an ace, place it on 1 o'clock and turn the next card there. Each revealed rank points to the next pile, so play moves around the dial as a single chain.
There are no suits to build and no alternate tableau moves to compare. The suspense is in the order of the hidden cards. Every king sends the chain back to the middle, and the fourth king decides whether the clock was completed in time.
Version
The exact Clock Patience version on this page
This site uses the classic strict version of Clock Patience. You get one shuffled deck, four cards in each pile, and no exchange rule when the fourth king appears. The only legal move is to place the turned-up card on the pile named by its rank.
That matters because several clock-themed patience names overlap. Clock Solitaire, Clock Patience, and Circle Solitaire often describe this same rank-following game. German Clock is different; it is a foundation-building patience game with its own stock and waste rules. The game here is the direct clock-face reveal game, not a foundation builder.
Ranks
Where each card goes
- 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: Center pile
Moves
Legal and illegal moves in Clock Patience
A legal move has two parts: place the face-up card on its rank pile, then turn over the next hidden card from that same pile. The card you just placed decides the source of the next turn. If you place a 5, the next card comes from 5 o'clock. If you place a king, the next card comes from the center.
5 of spadesPlace it on the 5 o'clock pile, then turn the next card from 5 o'clock.
Jack of heartsPlace it on 11 o'clock. Suits do not matter.
Queen of clubsPlace it on 12 o'clock, then continue from the queen pile.
King of diamondsPlace it in the center. The next card also comes from the center.
It is illegal to place a card where it came from unless its rank also belongs there. It is also illegal to use suit as a guide. The 8 of clubs, 8 of hearts, 8 of diamonds, and 8 of spades all go to the same 8 o'clock pile.
Kings
Why the fourth king ends many deals
The center starts with four face-down cards. Every king you reveal is placed in the center, and play then tries to turn the next center card. The first, second, and third kings still leave at least one center card to continue the chain.
After the fourth king, the center has no hidden card left. If all 52 cards have been placed, the game is complete. If any pile around the outside still holds face-down cards, the chain cannot continue and the deal is lost.
Winning
Is Clock Patience winnable?
Some deals win, but many do not. Clock Patience is famous because the player can do everything correctly and still lose to the fourth king. The deal is not asking you to solve a position like FreeCell; it is asking you to watch whether the hidden sequence closes cleanly.
We do not list a borrowed win percentage here because win rate should be measured against the exact shuffle and rule version used. For this page, the honest rule is simple: a win means all 52 cards were revealed before the center ran out.
Strategy
Clock Patience strategy and what you can control
Classic Clock Patience has almost no strategic choice. Once a card is turned over, the destination is forced. That does not make careful play useless. It means the useful skill is mechanical: know the rank map, avoid misclicks, and read the king count before the ending surprises you.
The on-screen highlight and Place on panel are there for that reason. On a small phone it is easy to confuse 11 o'clock and 12 o'clock, or to tap the source pile out of habit. If you tap the wrong pile, the game keeps the same turned-up card active so you can immediately choose the correct destination.
Undo is included as a learning tool. It can take back a mistaken placement or let you replay the last step, but it cannot make a losing shuffle become a winning one. Restart repeats the same hidden chain; New game gives you a fresh deal.
Mistakes
Common Clock Patience mistakes
- Putting aces in the center instead of at 1 o'clock.
- Treating kings as an outside 13 pile. Kings always go in the center.
- Moving a card to the pile it came from instead of the pile named by its rank.
- Using suit or color as a rule. Clock Patience ignores suits entirely.
- Thinking the fourth king is always a loss. It is a win if the clock is already complete.
- Restarting the same deal and expecting a different path. The card chain is fixed.
Difficulty
How difficult is Clock Patience?
The rules are among the easiest in patience, but the result can feel harsh. There is no stock management, no building rule, and no tableau choice to rescue a bad sequence. That makes Clock Patience quick to teach and quick to finish.
If you want a short luck test, this is a good fit. If you want more decision-making, try Aces Up, Pyramid, Accordion, Golf, or FreeCell. Those games give you actual choices about which card to play next.
Variants
Clock Patience variants and house rules
The most useful variant to know is Watch. In Watch, the fourth king does not immediately stop the game. Instead, it can be exchanged with one remaining face-down card, giving the deal a second chance. That rule makes the ending friendlier, but it also changes the feel of the game. This page uses the stricter classic rule.
Some players also learn this layout under the name Clock Solitaire or Circle Solitaire. The names are less important than the mechanics: thirteen piles, four cards per pile, ranks pointing to matching positions, and kings in the center. When a page uses a different clock name, check whether it is this reveal game or a separate foundation game.
Nearby games
What to play after Clock Patience
Clock Patience is a good palate cleanser because it is short and visual. Circle Solitaire is the same rule set under another name. Accordion Solitaire keeps the compact one-deck feel but adds choices: matching ranks or suits one or three spaces apart. Pyramid also has simple card values, but it asks you to choose which exposed pairs to remove.
For a more active game, Aces Up and Golf are better next steps. Aces Up is still quick, but you decide which lower same-suit card to remove and when to use an empty pile. Golf uses a waste card and rewards long one-rank runs. Both give you more control than Clock Patience while staying faster than a full Klondike deal.