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Hidden Cards looks more open than Clock or Travellers because most of the tableau starts face-up, but it still belongs to the same automatic shuttling family. Its defining twist is the King-and-reserve loop: Kings leave the numbered layout entirely, and the reserve injects new cards back into the sequence whenever one appears.
What makes Hidden Cards different?
This variant is easier to read at a glance because the twelve rank piles are dealt face-up in a 2x6 grid. That changes the feel even though it does not give you strategic control. You can see the surface state of the board immediately, then watch cards disappear under each pile as they become hidden again.
The name is literal. Professor Hoffmann used it because every newly placed card sinks beneath the pile and hides the cards already there. That visual behavior gives the game its personality from the first few moves.
How the King-and-reserve loop works
- Deal 52 cards into twelve face-up piles of four, arranged in two rows of six.
- Set aside the remaining four cards face-down as the reserve.
- Start from pile 1 and move the top card to its matching rank pile.
- Reveal the next top card from the destination pile and keep shuttling.
- When a King appears, place it into a separate Kings pile in the centre.
- After each King, draw from the reserve to continue the sequence.
- You win only when all twelve rank piles are complete and all four Kings have been placed in the centre.
Rules and setup
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Deck | Standard 52 cards |
| Layout | 12 face-up piles in a 2x6 grid plus a reserve |
| Starting point | Top card of the first named pile |
| King rule | Kings move to a separate centre pile |
| Reserve use | Feeds a new traveller after each King |
| Win rate | About 1% to 2% |
| Player decisions | None after the deal |
Difficulty and odds
Hidden Cards is still a severe low-win mechanical solitaire. Seeing the top cards does not change the outcome, and the reserve only delays some of the blocks rather than eliminating them.
The usual estimated win rate is about 1% to 2%. That is marginally better than the harshest shuttlers, but not by enough to turn it into a game of skill.
What is the difference between Hidden Cards and Clock Solitaire?
Hidden Cards and Clock share the same family resemblance, but they feel very different in play. Clock is remembered for the circular dial and the centre-King ending. Hidden Cards is remembered for the face-up grid and the separate Kings pile that keeps feeding from reserve.
| Feature | Hidden Cards | Clock |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | 2x6 face-up grid plus reserve | 12 outer piles plus a centre pile |
| Card visibility | Piles visible on top | Everything hidden at the start |
| King handling | Separate Kings pile | Kings return to the centre |
| Reserve role | Feeds new cards after Kings | No separate reserve |
| Win rate | About 1% to 2% | About 7.69% |
Background
Hidden Cards appeared in Professor Hoffmann's 1892 patience writing and sits squarely inside the shuttler lineage that traces back to Wandering Card. Its main historical value is showing how authors experimented with visibility and pile handling without abandoning the core automatic loop.
What I keep noticing in Hidden Cards
I like Hidden Cards because it lets me read the layout for a second and then takes that clarity away again. That push and pull is the whole appeal.
The downside is that it gets harder to scan than Travellers once the piles build up. Travellers stays cleaner, while Hidden Cards clutters up faster.
Other solitaire games I recommend
If you want a cleaner version of this loop, try Travellers Solitaire. If you want something stranger, try Spoilt.