Play Clock Solitaire Online for Free (Sundial, Clock Patience)
Clock Solitaire, also known as Sundial, Clock Patience, and The Clock, is a fully automatic luck-based card game. Deal 52 cards into 13 piles, watch them shuttle around a clock face, and find out whether the 4th King arrives too soon. No skill required, no decisions to make. Play free and instant with no download needed.
What is Clock Solitaire?
Clock Solitaire is a single-player patience game played with one standard 52-card deck. The entire deck is dealt face-down into 13 piles of 4 cards: twelve piles arranged like the numbers on a clock face and one pile in the centre. Cards then shuttle automatically from position to position based purely on their rank, with no choices available to the player. You win only if the fourth King is the very last card revealed, a 1-in-13 chance with every new deal.
Because the outcome is entirely determined by the initial shuffle, Clock Solitaire belongs to the category of patience games called "automatic" or "mechanical" solitaires. Other names you may know it by include Sundial, Clock Patience, and The Clock.
Clock Solitaire history
Clock Solitaire was first documented in 1869 by American author Ednah Cheney, who described it as a pictorial patience game that rearranged the straight-row layout of the earlier Wandering Card into a circular clock dial. Card game historian David Parlett classifies the mechanic as "shuttling," the defining feature it shares with Travellers, Four of a Kind, and several other patience relatives. The game became widely popular in Britain and North America throughout the 20th century under the Sundial and Clock Patience names, and its zero-skill quick-play format has kept it a household favourite ever since.
How to Play Clock Solitaire
The game runs automatically once you deal. Your only job is to watch or tap to shuttle one card at a time. Here is the exact sequence:
- Deal all 52 cards face-down: 4 cards to each of the 12 clock positions (Ace at 1 o'clock through Queen at 12 o'clock) and 4 cards to the centre pile (the King position).
- Flip the top card of the centre pile face-up. This is your first traveller.
- Place the traveller face-up under its matching clock position. Ace goes to 1 o'clock, 2 to 2 o'clock, and so on. Queens go to 12 o'clock and Kings return to the centre pile.
- Flip the top face-down card of that destination pile. It becomes the next traveller.
- Repeat until the game ends in a win or a loss.
- Win: all 52 cards are face-up in their correct positions when the 4th King lands at the centre.
- Lose: the 4th King is revealed before all other positions are complete, ending the chain permanently.
Strategies to win Clock Solitaire
Clock Solitaire is a game of pure luck with a fixed win probability of 7.7%. There are no moves to choose and no strategy that can improve your odds. However, a few habits help you get the most from each deal:
- Play more deals, not fewer. Each game is independent. On average you will win once every 13 games, so volume is your only lever.
- Watch the Kings. When the 3rd King appears, the next King will end the game. Seeing how many positions are still incomplete at that moment tells you exactly how unlikely a win was from the start.
- Study the reveal after a loss. After the 4th King ends a game, all remaining face-down cards flip face-up automatically here. Tracing where each card would have gone is a great way to understand the shuttling mechanic.
- Use auto-play for a faster experience. If you want to run through the full 52-card chain quickly, auto-play lets the game step through at speed without manual tapping.
Clock Solitaire rules and objective
The objective is to have all 52 cards face-up and correctly placed when the shuttle chain ends. The chain ends the moment the 4th King is revealed. Every card must reach the pile that matches its rank before that happens.
Game setup
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Deck | One standard 52-card deck |
| Piles | 13 total (12 clock positions + 1 centre) |
| Cards per pile | 4 face-down at deal |
| Starting move | Flip top card of the centre pile |
| Card placement rule | Each card goes to the pile matching its rank |
| King rule | Kings return to the centre pile |
| Win condition | All 52 cards face-up when 4th King lands at centre |
| Lose condition | 4th King revealed while face-down cards remain elsewhere |
| Win odds | 1 in 13 (approximately 7.7%) |
Clock Solitaire variants and similar games
Clock Solitaire belongs to a family of shuttling patience games. All share the core mechanic of placing a card under its home pile then taking the top card from that pile, but they differ in layout, starting state, and win conditions.
- Travellers Solitaire is the row-based predecessor to Clock. Piles are arranged in two rows instead of a clock circle, the starting point is a talon rather than the centre pile, and Kings go to a separate pile rather than returning to the centre.
- Four of a Kind Solitaire is a grid variant with sequential pile advancement. You work through piles one by one rather than following the card rank, which changes when and how the game can end.
- Hidden Cards Solitaire uses a 2x6 grid with a reserve pile. Kings form their own pile as they appear rather than returning to a centre slot.
- Grandfather's Clock is a strategic builder game with a clock-face layout. Unlike Clock Solitaire, it requires skill and careful sequencing to complete the foundations in the right order.
- Big Ben Solitaire is a two-deck strategic patience game with inner and outer clock circles. Far more complex and decision-heavy than the fully automatic Clock Solitaire.
How difficult is Clock Solitaire?
Clock Solitaire has zero difficulty in the traditional sense. There are no decisions to make at any point in the game. The entire outcome is determined the moment the cards are shuffled. What makes it challenging is purely statistical: the win rate is among the lowest of any popular solitaire game, so most deals end in a loss regardless of how many times you play.
This also makes Clock Solitaire one of the most accessible games for complete beginners. There are no rules to memorise beyond the rank-to-pile mapping, no penalties for incorrect moves, and no way to make a mistake. You simply watch the cards shuttle and find out whether fate is on your side.
What is Clock Solitaire's win percentage?
Clock Solitaire has a win rate of exactly 7.69%, equivalent to 1 in 13 games. This is one of the lowest win rates of any well-known solitaire variant. Klondike Turn One wins roughly 36% of the time with reasonable play, FreeCell is winnable in about 99.999% of deals, and Spider One Suit comes in around 90% or higher. Clock Solitaire sits near the very bottom, making each win feel genuinely rare and rewarding.
The precise 1-in-13 figure comes from a mathematical proof: you win if and only if the bottom card of the centre pile is a King, and the probability that any specific position holds a King is exactly 4/52 = 1/13. Because each new shuffle is a completely independent event, a losing streak of 10 or 20 games in a row is entirely normal.
What is the difference between Clock Solitaire and Travellers Solitaire?
Clock Solitaire and Travellers Solitaire share the same core shuttling mechanic but differ in layout, starting conditions, and how Kings are handled.
| Feature | Clock Solitaire | Travellers Solitaire |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | 13 piles in a clock-face circle | 13 piles in two straight rows |
| Starting point | Top card of the centre (King) pile | Top card of a face-down talon |
| King handling | Kings return to the centre pile | Kings go to a separate pile outside the main layout |
| Initial card state | All 52 cards face-down | 12 piles face-up; talon face-down |
| Win odds | About 7.7% | Similar range, varies by rule version |
| Visual theme | Clock dial with rotated piles at each hour | Plain rows with no rotational theming |
Choose Clock Solitaire for the satisfying visual of a clock face and the dramatic moment the 4th King lands at the centre. Choose Travellers for a straight-row layout with the same shuttling excitement.
Clock Solitaire FAQ
Can you improve your odds at Clock Solitaire with strategy?
No. Clock Solitaire is a fully automatic game with zero player decisions. Once the cards are shuffled and dealt, every subsequent move is forced. The win rate is a fixed 7.69% regardless of how you play, how fast you go, or how many times you restart. The only variable is the initial shuffle.
Why does Clock Solitaire always end when the 4th King appears?
The shuttling chain relies on picking the top face-down card from whatever pile a card is placed on. Kings go to the centre pile, so when a King is placed there you draw the next face-down card from the centre. After all four Kings are placed, the centre pile has no more face-down cards to supply. The chain is permanently cut and the game ends. If face-down cards remain in any outer pile at that point, the game is lost.
What does it mean when all the cards flip face-up after I lose?
After the 4th King ends a lost game, all remaining face-down cards flip face-up automatically. This lets you see the full layout and trace where each card would have gone if the chain had been allowed to continue. It confirms how the deal was set up and shows exactly how close or far you were from a winning arrangement.
How does Clock Solitaire's win rate compare to other solitaire games?
At 7.7%, Clock Solitaire has one of the lowest win rates of any popular solitaire variant. Klondike Turn One wins roughly 36% of the time with reasonable play; FreeCell is winnable in nearly every deal; Spider One Suit comes in around 90% or higher. Clock Solitaire sits near the very bottom of that range, which is precisely what makes each win feel rare and worth celebrating.
Is Clock Solitaire the same game as Sundial Solitaire?
Yes, Clock Solitaire and Sundial Solitaire are exactly the same game. Other common names include Clock Patience and The Clock. All names refer to the same 52-card, 13-pile, fully automatic patience game with a 1-in-13 win rate. "Sundial" is more common in Britain and Australia while "Clock Solitaire" and "Clock Patience" are used more widely in North America.