Hearts and Spades look alike at the table: four players, 13 cards each, follow suit if you can, highest card wins the trick. The goal is the opposite. In Spades you bid how many tricks you will win and then try to win them. In Hearts you try not to win tricks with hearts or the queen of spades in them.
| Hearts | Spades | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 4, each playing alone (3 to 5 possible) | 4, in two teams of partners |
| Cards | One 52-card deck, 13 each | One 52-card deck, 13 each |
| Trumps | None | Spades are always trump |
| Before play | Pass three cards: left, right, across, then no pass | Every player bids how many tricks they will win |
| Aim | Avoid hearts (1 point each) and the queen of spades (13) | Win at least as many tricks as your team bid |
| Big gamble | Shooting the moon: take every penalty card and the others score 26 | Nil: bid zero and take no tricks for 100 |
| Game ends | When someone reaches 100; the lowest score wins | The first team to 500 wins |
| Learn | Medium | Medium |
Choose Hearts if
- you have three or five players, not just four
- you would rather play for yourself than for a partner
- you like dodging trouble more than counting tricks
Choose Spades if
- you have exactly four and like playing in pairs
- you enjoy bidding and keeping a promise
- you want a step towards Bridge
Both use the same standard deck, so one pack covers both games. If you like one, the other is an easy second game: the trick rules are the same.
One standard deck plays both. Ours: Bicycle Standard →
