Dodge the hearts
Hearts is a where you try not to win the wrong cards. Each heart you take is a point against you, the queen of spades 13. Lowest score wins.
Hearts
- Players
- 4 (3 to 5 possible)
- Deck
- 52 cards, no jokers
- Type
- Trick-taking
- Level
- Medium
- Game
- Until someone reaches 100
Every heart you take costs a point, the queen of spades costs 13. Unless you take them all.
At a glance
Setup
Four players, each for themselves
Use a standard 52-card deck without jokers. Four players each play alone. There are no trumps.
With three players, remove the 2 of diamonds. With five, remove the 2 of diamonds and the 2 of clubs, and the 3 of clubs leads the first trick. That way the cards divide evenly.
The deal
Thirteen cards each
Deal the whole deck one at a time, clockwise, so everyone has 13 cards.
Pass three cards
Before play, everyone chooses three cards and them face down. First hand to the left, then to the right, then across, then no pass, and round again.
You pass the queen of spades, the ace and king of hearts to West: dangerous cards. At the same time East passes three cards to you: the king of diamonds, the 6 of spades and the jack of hearts.
Pass the danger, keep your escape.
A turn
The 2 of clubs leads
Whoever holds the 2 of clubs it to the first trick. Everyone must . The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, and its winner leads next.
East wins the first trick with the ace of clubs.
No suit? Throw something away
If you can’t follow suit, play any card. That is your chance to get rid of hearts or the queen of spades, except on the very first trick, unless you have nothing else.
Special cards
Hearts must be broken
You may not lead a heart until a heart has been played on another suit: . The only exception: if you hold nothing but hearts, you may lead one.
The queen of spades
The queen of spades is worth 13 points on her own. Whoever wins the trick she lands in takes her.
She always finds someone.
Scoring
Count the damage
| Each heart | 1 |
| Queen of spades | 13 |
Every hand has 26 points in total. This hand: you 3, West 13, North 2, East 8.
Shooting the moon
Take every heart and the queen of spades in one hand and you : you score 0 and everyone else gets 26.
Winning
Lowest score at 100
Keep playing hands. When someone reaches 100 points, the game ends and the player with the lowest score wins.
Point at a dot to see why it matters
Variants and house rules
- Omnibus Hearts
- The jack of diamonds is a bonus card: whoever takes it subtracts 10 points.
- Spot Hearts
- Hearts cost their face value (the 2 costs 2, the ace 14) and the queen of spades 25.
- Moon option
- A player who shoots the moon may choose to subtract 26 from their own score instead of adding 26 to everyone else’s.
- Black Maria
- The British version, often for three players, with no rule against leading hearts.
Tips from the table
- Pass the queen of spades or high spades if you hold few spades to protect them.
- Empty a short suit early, so you can throw away hearts when that suit is led.
- If one player has won every heart so far, take one yourself to stop the moon.
Hearts: quick answers
How many cards do you pass in Hearts?
Three. To the left on the first hand, then right, then across, then no pass, and round again.
Who leads first in Hearts?
The player holding the 2 of clubs leads it to the first trick.
What is shooting the moon in Hearts?
Taking all 13 hearts and the queen of spades in one hand. You score 0 and every other player scores 26.
How do you win Hearts?
When someone reaches 100 points, the player with the lowest score wins.
Decks we like
The classic
Bicycle Standard
The deck most people picture. Poker size, standard faces, shuffles well. If you buy one deck, make it this.
Every game hereFamiliesBuy now ↗on Amazon
Lasts for years
Copag 1546 plastic, double deck
Two 100% plastic decks in a hard case. Washable and hard to bend, and a double deck is what Canasta and Spider need.
CanastaRummyGame nightsBuy now ↗on Amazon
Easy to read
Bicycle Jumbo Index
Extra-large numbers and suits. Readable across the table, for kids learning their first game and grandparents alike.
KidsOlder playersBuy now ↗on Amazon
The British classic
Waddingtons No. 1
The pack found in British homes for generations. Paper cards with a linen finish that fan and shuffle smoothly.
WhistCribbageFamiliesBuy now ↗on Amazon
The gift
theory11 Monarchs
A luxury deck with a navy and gold tuck box. The one to give, or to bring out when the good whisky is poured.
GiftsCollectorsBuy now ↗on Amazon
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