How to Play the Pure Luck Card Game

Quick Answer: Clock Solitaire is a patience card game with zero player decisions — it is 100% determined by the shuffle. Thirteen piles of four cards each are arranged in a clock face pattern. Cards are flipped one at a time and placed face-up under the pile matching their rank. The game is won (rarely) if all four Kings are not exposed until all other cards are face-up. Win probability is approximately 1 in 13 (about 7.7%).

Clock Solitaire is perhaps the most honest card game ever devised: it requires no skill whatsoever, no decisions, and no strategy. The outcome is determined entirely by the shuffle before you turn the first card. You are essentially watching a shuffled deck reveal its fate. Yet Clock remains popular — particularly with children and casual players in the United States and United Kingdom — because it provides the tactile pleasure of card handling and the simple suspense of not knowing the outcome.

What Is Clock Solitaire?

Clock Solitaire (also called "Grandfather's Clock," "Sun Dial," or simply "The Clock") is a single-deck patience game where all 52 cards are dealt face-down into 13 piles of 4 cards each. Twelve of these piles form a circle like a clock face, and the thirteenth sits in the center. During play, cards are flipped and "sent" to the pile corresponding to their rank — Aces go to the 1 o'clock position, 2s to 2 o'clock, and so on. Kings go to the center pile.

Definition: In Clock Solitaire, each pile position corresponds to a card rank: positions 1–12 around the clock face match ranks Ace through Queen, and the center position corresponds to Kings. The game is played by flipping the bottom card of a pile, placing it face-up under the appropriate position pile, and then flipping from that new position.

The game is documented on [Clock Solitaire Rules](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patience_(game) and [Wikipedia's Clock Solitaire article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patience_(game), making it one of the most widely described pure luck patience games. Its simplicity makes it genuinely appropriate for ages 5 and up, and its 7.7% win rate makes each win feel surprisingly meaningful.

Clock Solitaire Setup

Cards needed: One standard 52-card deck, shuffled well (the shuffle determines everything).

Layout:

1. Deal all 52 cards face-down into 13 piles of 4 cards each
2. Arrange 12 piles in a circle like the numbers on a clock face: the 12 o'clock position, 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock, and so on through 11 o'clock (12 piles)
3. Place the 13th pile in the center of the clock

Clock position assignments:

• 1 o'clock pile: will receive Aces
• 2 o'clock pile: will receive 2s
• 3 o'clock pile: will receive 3s
• ... and so on up to...
• 12 o'clock pile: will receive Queens
• Center pile: will receive Kings

At the start, cards are just dealt to positions randomly — the assignment of which ranks go where only becomes meaningful as play proceeds.

How to Play Clock Solitaire

Objective: Get all cards face-up in their correct position (all four Aces face-up in the 1 o'clock pile, all four 2s face-up in the 2 o'clock pile, etc.) before all four Kings are revealed.

Gameplay — there are no decisions to make:

1. Start with the center pile (Kings pile). Flip the bottom card of the center pile face-up and tuck it (face-up) under the pile that matches its rank. If it's a 5, tuck it face-up under the 5 o'clock pile.

2. Continue at the pile where you just placed the card. Flip the bottom card of THAT pile face-up and tuck it under the pile matching its rank.

3. Keep going — each placed card sends you to a new pile, where you flip the next card and continue the chain.

4. Kings go to center. If you flip a King, tuck it face-up under the center pile, then flip the next card from the center pile.

5. The game ends when either:

   • You win: All 52 cards are face-up in their correct positions (the last card flipped happened to be the fourth King)
   • You lose: All four Kings are face-up in the center pile, but other piles still have face-down cards remaining

The mechanics in practice: The chain of card-flipping creates a traversal of the deck. Each card placed sends you to a different position, and you chain through until either all piles are completed (win) or all Kings are revealed before completion (lose).

Why Is Clock Solitaire Pure Luck?

The critical insight is that the outcome is entirely determined by where the fourth (last) King sits in the original shuffle. If the fourth King is the very last face-down card in the entire deck, you win. If the fourth King is revealed when any other cards remain face-down, you lose.

The probability of winning Clock Solitaire is exactly 1 in 13 ≈ 7.7%. This is because the four Kings divide the deck into groups, and winning requires the fourth King to be the final card — this occurs with probability 1/13 regardless of the positions of the other three Kings.

This mathematical elegance is part of Clock Solitaire's appeal: it has one of the most precisely calculable win rates of any card game. Computer simulation of millions of games confirms the exact 1-in-13 probability.

Who Plays Clock Solitaire and Why

Despite having no strategy whatsoever, Clock Solitaire remains genuinely popular. Here is why people enjoy it:

Children learn card mechanics. The game introduces card suits, ranks, and careful handling without any cognitive pressure. Many families in the United States use Clock as a first solitaire game for children ages 5–8.

Meditative play. The simple, repetitive action of flipping and placing cards can be calming. Some players use Clock as a mindless card-handling activity similar to shuffling.

The suspense is real. Even knowing the outcome is predetermined, watching the clock fill up and hoping the fourth King is the last card creates genuine excitement. There is a moment near the end of each game where you know whether you are about to win or lose, and that reveal feels meaningful.

Teaching probability. For educators in math classes across states like Oregon and Minnesota, Clock Solitaire demonstrates probability with a physical deck of cards. The 1-in-13 win rate is immediately intuitive and experimentally verifiable.

For players who want actual strategy in their solitaire experience, see our FreeCell guide or our Klondike Solitaire complete guide for games where skill genuinely matters.

Clock Solitaire vs. Other Low-Skill Games

Clock is the purest luck-based solitaire, but there are other low-skill variants:

• Aces Up: Has some strategy but mostly luck-dependent, ~7–12% win rate
• War: Completely luck-based like Clock, but adversarial
• Snip Snap Snorem: Luck-based but with some social elements

For players who want to understand where Clock fits in the broader solitaire difficulty spectrum, see our easiest solitaire variants ranked guide. Clock is technically the easiest because there are no decisions — but "easy" here means "no cognitive demand," not "high win rate." Its 7.7% win rate is actually quite low.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there any strategy in Clock solitaire?

No. Clock Solitaire is 100% luck-based with no player decisions to make. The outcome is completely determined by the initial shuffle before play begins. You cannot influence the result in any way. The game proceeds automatically from the first flip to the final card, with no choices to make at any point.

What is the win rate for Clock solitaire?

The exact probability of winning Clock Solitaire is 1 in 13, approximately 7.7%. This is one of the most precisely calculated win rates in all of card game theory. The game is won if and only if the fourth King (the last of the four Kings to be revealed) is the final face-down card in the entire arrangement.

How do you set up Clock solitaire?

Shuffle a standard 52-card deck and deal all cards face-down into 13 piles of 4 cards each. Place 12 piles in a circle like clock positions (12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) and one pile in the center. The position values don't matter during setup — they only become relevant when you start flipping cards and placing them in matching positions.

Why is Clock solitaire called a patience game if there's no strategy?

Patience games (solitaire) were historically defined as card games for one player, not necessarily games requiring skill. Many early patience games were partially or fully luck-based. Clock represents the extreme end of the luck spectrum. Its value lies in the tactile experience and simple suspense rather than strategic gameplay.

Can you cheat to win Clock solitaire?

If you know where the fourth King is in the shuffled deck (such as by secretly peeking at card positions), you could theoretically arrange the deal to guarantee a win. But in honest play, the shuffle is random and the outcome is fixed before the first card is turned. Any "strategy" applied during play has zero effect on the outcome.

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💡 Variant Strategy Note (2026)

Each solitaire variation demands unique table space management. In column-heavy formats like Spider or Yukon, prioritize unlocking hidden columns early to act as temporary staging areas.