The Clock

All Fours, Four of a Kind, Hidden Cards, Hunt, Sundial, Travellers

For 1 Player — Level: Difficult

Layout: Deal the pack into 13 face-down piles of four cards each. Arrange 12 of them in a circle, representing the numbers on a clock dial. Put the 13th pile in the middle of the circle. It should look like this:

Start by picking up the top card of the middle pile. Suppose it's a 5. Slip it, face up, under the pile of cards that are in the 5 o’clock position. Then pick up the top card of the 5 o’clock pile. Suppose it’s a Jack. It would go under the 11 o’clock pile. (Remember, the King pile is in the middle of the clock — and the Queen is at 12.) And you would pick up the top card of the 11 o’clock pile, and slip it under whichever pile it belongs in.

When you slip the fourth card of any group into place — and there is no face-down card to turn over — turn over the top card of the next-highest card pile.

To win the game: Get all the cards turned face up before the fourth King is turned face up.

From '101 Favourite Card Games for One'.
© 1992 Sheila Anne Barry.