Comparison
Clock Solitaire vs Big Ben
| Clock Solitaire | Big Ben | |
|---|---|---|
| Decks | One deck | 2 decks |
| Suits | 4 | 4 |
| Typical length | 5 min | 15 min |
| Difficulty | Easy | Intermediate |
| How much skill matters | Low | Medium |
| How much the shuffle matters | High | Medium |
| Family | Clock family | Clock family |
| Good for beginners | Yes | No |
We have not written a verdict for this pairing. The comparison above is drawn from each game's own recorded facts — follow either link for its full rules and strategy.
Clock Solitaire
A purely luck-driven game with no decisions — deal all 52 cards into a clock face and see if the Kings come up last.
Twelve piles of four cards go face down in a circle at the twelve hour positions, with the last four in the centre. Turn the top card of the centre pile: whatever it is, it goes face up under the pile at its hour — Ace to one o'clock, Jack to eleven, Queen to twelve — and you then turn the top card of that pile.
Big Ben
A two-deck expansion of the clock-face foundation layout with a fuller tableau.
Two decks, and twelve particular cards are pulled out to form an inner circle of foundations arranged like a clock face — each one building up by suit until it reaches the rank that matches its own hour position, so the Queen of spades climbs to the seven of spades. Twelve piles of three ring the outer circle as the tableau, building down by suit and running continuously so an Ace follows a King.
Frequently asked questions
- Which is harder, Clock Solitaire or Big Ben?
- Clock Solitaire is generally rated easy difficulty, while Big Ben is rated intermediate — so most players find one noticeably harder than the other.