Rules
How to play Clock Patience
Reveal cards around a thirteen-position clock before the fourth king stops the deal.
Turn the top card of the active pile face up.
Place it at the rank position matching that card: ace at one, jack at eleven, queen at twelve, and king in the center.
Continue by turning the next face-down card from that destination pile.
The deal ends when its next required pile has no face-down card.
How to win
Reveal all 52 cards before the fourth king closes the center pile.
Physical deck
Set up the table
Use the steps below to play this rules version with ordinary cards and no screen.
- Deal 52 cards face down into thirteen piles of four.
- Arrange twelve piles like the hours of a clock and place the thirteenth king pile in the center.
- Begin at the center pile.
Clock Patience opening deal
These counts summarize the opening table; follow the numbered steps above for exact placement and overlap.
- Face-down clock piles
- 13 piles52 cards · 0 face up
- Revealed rank piles
- 13 piles0 cards · 0 face up
Strategy
Strategy for Clock Patience
Clock is governed entirely by the shuffle; play it as a reveal ritual rather than a strategy contest.
Keep the rank piles orderly so the next position is always clear.
Common mistakes
- Treating ace as a card after king rather than the one position.
- Turning from the previous pile instead of the revealed card's rank pile.
- Declaring victory before every card is face up.
Sources & variant
The chosen rules, documented
This playable beta uses rules version 1.0.0. The references below support this version; other tables may use different redeal, wrapping, movement, or scoring rules. A saved deal always keeps the rules it began with.