Single player games are one of the best way to keep kids busy and their brains engaged! After your kids are exhausted playing traditional card solitaire, teach them how to play Clock Solitaire, sometimes known as Clock Patience.
Clock Solitaire is a simple one person card game in which the cards are arranged in the formation of the numbers on a clock face, hence the name “Clock.” It’s challenging to win, but still tempting to play over and over again, just to see if this time you will finally beat the game!
How to Play Clock Solitaire
Goal: to complete all four-of-a-kind sets before revealing the final King
What you need:
One enthusiastic player
One deck of 52 cards, jokers removed.
If you are silly like our family, you will have a number of crazy decks to choose from. Thor or scary sharks? Birds or Charles Dickens? You name it, we have a deck of cards themed like it. Ha.
How to Play Clock Solitaire
- Deal
Deal out the entire deck, face down, into thirteen equal piles. Each pile will have four cards.
- Arrange the Cards
Set out 12 stacks in a circle as in a clock face. Place the 13th stack in the center.
Note that each pile corresponds to a number on a clock face, with 12 at the top. Each number card corresponds to its designated number (2 at 2 o’clock, etc.). The face cards are as follows: Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13.
- Opening Move
Turn over the top card of the 13th (middle) stack.
- Next Step
Place the card you just revealed, face up, under the pile which corresponds to it on the clock face. Then turn over the top card on that pile.
For example, if the first card revealed is a three, place it face up underneath the 3 pile and turn over the top card of the 3 pile. In the photo below, that card is revealed to be a 7.
- Continue Game Play
Continue in the same manner. In the photos below see that:
The 7 goes face up under the 7 on the clock, that top card is revealed to be an ace. The ace goes face up under the 1 on the clock, the top card of the 1 (ace) pile is revealed to be a 2. The 2 goes face up under the 2 on the clock, that top card is revealed to be a 6 and so on.
- Win or Lose
If the player is successful in completing all 12 four-of-a-kind sets before the king set is completed, she wins. If the four kings are revealed first, he loses.
- Note:
If the final face-down card in a stack belongs to that same stack, (for example, a 4 at four o’clock) you are not out. Merely continue playing by moving to the next available number clockwise in the circle.
More solitaire games:
- Two printable solitaire puzzles
- Single player logic games
- Tchuka Ruma, a single player mancala game
Mark Bets says
I might try this one out. Thanks for sharing this card game with us.
earl says
are kings moveable to the center
Shirley Mathias says
This games looks awesome I’m going to show my niece how to play the clock solitaire.
I’m sure she’s going to enjoy it
Glo says
Just played it with my students gr 1 – 3 and they loved it. Great for number recognition and for starting our unit on telling time. Thank you so much!
Erica says
So glad to hear it!
Hunter says
I just played for the first time AND I WON!! I’m thinking maybe I should never play again, how could I be that lucky again?
Great game, thank you