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What is Hidden Cards Solitaire?
Hidden Cards is a single-deck shuttling patience game from the Travellers family. Published by Professor Hoffmann in 1892, it lays out twelve face-up piles in two rows of six, with a thirteenth pile of four face-down cards serving as the reserve. You shuttle cards to their matching piles just like Clock Solitaire, but what sets Hidden Cards apart is that Kings form a separate pile in the centre and the reserve feeds new cards into play whenever a King appears.
Hidden Cards Solitaire history
Hoffmann chose the name "Hidden Cards" because each card placed at the bottom of a pile becomes concealed beneath the others. The game appeared in Hoffmann's 1892 patience collection and belongs to the shuttler lineage that traces back to Ednah Cheney's Wandering Card (1869). David Parlett groups Hidden Cards, Clock, Travellers, and their relatives under the shuttler umbrella because they all share the same rhythmical place-and-reveal mechanic.
How to play Hidden Cards Solitaire
- Deal 52 cards face-up into 12 piles of 4, arranged in two rows of six. Place the remaining 4 cards face-down as the reserve.
- Piles 1 through 12 are named Ace through Queen. The reserve sits to one side.
- Begin shuttling from the top card of pile 1 (top left). Place it face-up under the pile matching its rank.
- Take the top card of the destination pile and continue shuttling to its home pile.
- When a King appears, place it in a separate Kings pile in the centre. Then draw the next card from the reserve to continue.
- Win when all 12 piles hold four cards of their matching rank and four Kings are in the centre pile.
Strategies to win Hidden Cards Solitaire
Hidden Cards is a purely mechanical game with no player decisions once the cards are dealt. The outcome is fixed by the initial shuffle. The separate Kings pile and reserve give the game a slightly different flow than Clock or Travellers, but the result remains predetermined. If you want a shuttler where you can influence the outcome, try Grandfather's Clock Solitaire, which adds strategic tableau building.
Hidden Cards Solitaire rules and objective
The goal is to sort every card so each numbered pile holds four cards of its rank (four Aces in pile 1, four Twos in pile 2, through to four Queens in pile 12) and all four Kings reside in the centre pile. The game ends when shuttling stalls with no reserve cards remaining.
Game setup
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Deck | Standard 52 cards |
| Layout | 12 piles in 2 rows of 6 + 4-card reserve |
| Card facing | Piles face-up, reserve face-down |
| Start | Top card of pile 1 (top left) |
| Kings | Placed in a separate centre pile; draw from reserve |
| Objective | Each pile holds 4 cards of its named rank |
| Player decisions | None; purely mechanical shuttling |
Hidden Cards Solitaire variants
Hidden Cards belongs to the shuttler family of patience games. Each variant shares the core place-and-reveal mechanic but uses a different layout, King handling, or starting procedure.
- Clock Solitaire: circular clock-face dial with all cards face-down and Kings sent to the centre.
- Travellers Solitaire: 13 face-down piles in rows with Kings returning to the reserve.
- Four of a Kind: grid layout with sequential pile advancement instead of chain shuttling.
- Hide and Seek: 13 face-down piles in rows of seven and six, starting from the Ace pile.
- Wandering Card: the 1869 original with a dealing phase where matching cards are set aside.
- Spoilt: a 32-card variant with suit-and-rank placement in a 4x7 grid.
How difficult is Hidden Cards Solitaire?
Hidden Cards is extremely difficult to win. Like its close relatives Clock and Travellers, the outcome depends entirely on the deal. The separate Kings pile and reserve give Hidden Cards a slightly different blocking pattern, but the overall odds remain very low.
What is Hidden Cards Solitaire's win percentage?
Hidden Cards Solitaire has an estimated win rate of about 1 to 2%. The separate Kings pile and reserve provide marginally more flexibility than pure Clock, but the vast majority of deals still end in a block. This places Hidden Cards among the hardest patience games in the shuttler family.
What is the difference between Hidden Cards and Clock Solitaire?
Hidden Cards and Clock share the same shuttling mechanic but differ in layout, card facing, and King handling. Clock uses 13 face-down piles arranged in a circular dial with Kings going to the centre. Hidden Cards uses 12 face-up piles in a 2x6 grid plus a face-down reserve, and Kings form an entirely separate pile. When a King appears in Hidden Cards, the game draws from the reserve instead of blocking immediately, which gives it a slightly more forgiving flow.
| Feature | Hidden Cards | Clock |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | 2x6 grid + reserve | 12 piles in a circle + centre |
| Card facing | Face-up piles, face-down reserve | All face-down |
| Kings | Separate pile; draw from reserve | Go to centre pile (4th = loss) |
| Starting card | Top of pile 1 (top left) | Top of centre pile |
| Win rate | About 1-2% | About 1% |
| Player input | None | None |
Hidden Cards Solitaire FAQ
Why is it called Hidden Cards Solitaire?
Professor Hoffmann named the game because each card placed at the bottom of a pile becomes "hidden" beneath the others. The shuttling mechanic gradually reveals these hidden cards as the game progresses.
What happens when a King appears in Hidden Cards?
Kings are placed in a separate pile in the centre of the layout. After placing a King, you draw the next card from the face-down reserve to continue shuttling. This differs from Clock, where Kings go to the centre pile and the fourth King ends the game.
How does Hidden Cards differ from Travellers Solitaire?
Travellers uses 13 face-down piles with Kings returning to the reserve pile (pile 13). Hidden Cards uses 12 face-up piles with a separate Kings pile and a face-down reserve that feeds new cards when Kings appear. The core shuttling mechanic is the same.
Can I make any decisions during Hidden Cards?
No. Hidden Cards is completely mechanical. Every card placement is determined by the card's rank. The outcome is fixed at the moment of the shuffle, just like Clock and Travellers.
When was Hidden Cards Solitaire first published?
Hidden Cards was published by Professor Hoffmann in 1892 as part of his patience card game collection. It predates many other shuttler variants but postdates Ednah Cheney's original Wandering Card (1869).