Rules
Big Ben Solitaire is played with two decks of 52 cards each.
First, the following cards are separated from the decks: 2♣, 3♥, 4♠, 5♦, 6♣, 7♥, 8♠, 9♦, 10♣, J♥, Q♠, K♦. These cards are used to form a circle arranged like numbers on a clock face with the 2♣ on the “9 o’clock” position, the 5♦ at the “12 o’clock” position, and the K♦ at the “8 o’clock.” This will be the foundations, or the “clock”.
Twelve piles of three cards are then dealt to the tableau. The top cards of each pile and the wastepile are available for play to the clock or to other piles. Building on the tableau is down by suit, while the foundations in the clock are built up by suit until the last card corresponds to its position on the clock. Building is continuous, with Aces placed over Kings in the clock and vice versa in the tableau.
The player can deal cards at their discretion to replenish all piles with less than three cards so each of them contains three cards once again, and one card to the wastepile.
Sometimes, the player cannot make any moves. So the player can deal cards from the stock one at a time. Cards that cannot be built either onto the clock or tableau are placed on the wastepile, next to a deck.
If the deck runs out of cards, one redeal is allowed - all the cards from the wastepile go back into the deck.
The game is won when all foundations show cards corresponding to their positions in the clock (J♠ on “11 o’clock”, Q♦ on “12 o’clock”, A♣ on “1 o’clock”, and so on).
