How to Play Hearts Card Game: Rules, Gameplay, and Strategies

Hearts is a trick–taking game where players aim to avoid accepting tricks with hearts in them. Although it stems from the much older European reversal game, hearts first debuted in the United States around 1880.

Table of Contents

In fact, a version of the Hearts card game was supplied to every personal computer using the Windows operating system in the late twentieth century. With the development of computers and computer software for playing hearts over the Internet, this variant of hearts became standard and also quite beloved. Ahead, we unpack everything you must know about how do you play hearts along with the hearts card game rules. So, keep reading!

How to Play Hearts Card Game Online?

Wondering how do you play hearts? Well, we bring you the comprehensive details to help you ace the game in no time.

Number Of Players

In the game of Hearts, the standard number of players is four. The game is typically played with a standard 52-card deck, and each player is dealt 13 cards. However, Hearts can also be adapted to different numbers of players.

Objective Of The Game

The obbjective of the game is to collect as few heart-suited cards as possible. You get one point as a penalty for each heart you pick. The Queen (of Spades) is a special card. It adds 13 points to your score! Hearts is a game where a lower score is preferred over a higher one.

Card Deck

Hearts is played with a 52-card deck, divided into four suits: Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades. Each suit has 13 cards, from Ace to King. In Hearts, players try to avoid taking tricks with Hearts or the Queen of Spades, as these add points. The goal is to have the lowest score.

Hearts Game Rules For Setting up the Game

Each player in a four-person game of Hearts receives 13 cards.
The 2♦️ are removed in a three-person game, and each player receives 17 cards.
The 2♦️ and 2♣️ are eliminated from a 5-person game, and each player is dealt 10 cards.
The 2♦️ and 3♦️, as well as the 3♣️ and 4♣️, are removed in a 6-person game, and each player is dealt eight cards.
The 2♦️ and 3♦️, as well as the 3♣️, are removed in a seven-person game, and each player is dealt seven cards.

Card Values

In a Hearts card game, each Heart card is worth 1 point, and the Queen of Spades is worth 13 points. All other cards (Clubs, Diamonds, and Spades, except for the Queen of Spades) have no point value.

The Deal

In Hearts card games, all 52 cards are dealt evenly among the players. In a four-player game, each player gets 13 cards. After the deal, players select three cards to pass to another player, except in every fourth round when no cards are passed. The game then begins.

Playing the Game Smart!

After the pass, the player who holds the Two clubs begins the first trick with that card. In a three-player game, if the two clubs are withdrawn, the three clubs are led.

If at all feasible, each player must follow suit. If a player has no card or cards in the follow-suit, they may discard a card from another suit. A heart or the Black Maria cannot be played if a player has no clubs when the first trick is lead.

The highest card in the suit takes the trick. The trick’s winner keeps all of the cards in a single stack in front of them, face down. The winner of the previous trick starts the following trick.

Hearts are not permitted to be led until a heart or the Black Maria has been played. At any time, the Black Maria can be led.

In Hearts, there is no trump suit.

ALSO READ: How to Play Spades with Jokers?

Heart Game Rules For The First Trick

In the first trick, no Hearts cards can be played. This rule prevents players from breaking the Hearts suit until Hearts have been “broken,” meaning a Heart card has been played in a previous trick.
The Queen of Spades cannot be played in the first trick. She can only be played after Hearts have been broken.
The player with the Two of Clubs leads the first trick. This card must be played, and players follow suit if they can.
The highest card of the suit led, wins the trick, and the winner leads the next trick. The trick leads are not randomly decided.

Winning the Game – Scoring

Make a score sheet for each player, including a column for each. Count the number of hearts each player has taken and the Black Maria at the end of each hand. Each heart is worth one point, and the Black Maria is worth thirteen.

If one player wins all 13 hearts and the Black Maria (known as shooting the moon), that player can subtract 26 points from their score or add 26 points to the scores of all other players.

Hearts is a game that is played to a maximum of 100 points. The game finishes when one of the players reaches or surpasses the agreed-upon score. The player with the lowest score is the winner.

Penalties In Hearts Card Game

Now that you know how to play hearts, let’s talk about how you can score the lowest and avoid penalties as per the hearts game rules.

Each Heart card taken in a trick adds 1 penalty point to the player’s score.
Taking the Queen of Spades (penalty card) adds 13 penalty points to the player’s score.
If a player takes all Hearts and the Queen of Spades in one round, they get 26 penalty points, and all other players receive 26 penalty points each.

Tips & Tricks to win at Hearts

When it comes to playing the exciting game of Hearts, once you’ve made your passes, you must play your cards to the best of your ability. While expert players can shoot the moon (obtain all 26 points), these beginner suggestions will assume that you are not attempting to shoot the moon and are instead seeking some fundamental Hearts strategy tips.

Read More: How to Play Slapjack

Don’t Pass Spades

Consider the following scenario. You empty yourself of any Spades to slough undesired cards when they are played. The Queen of Spades is then dealt to you. That’s 13 points added to your account right away. Don’t pass Spades. If someone passes you the Queen of Spades, you will not only have a more robust defense, but you will also have the ability to bleed the Spades dry and compel an opponent to play the Queen if it is not in your hand.

Beware of Same Suit Cards

If an opponent passes you all cards of the same suit in Hearts, they might be setting you up to take tricks with penalty points. To avoid this, play those cards whenever the suit is led, try not to lead with that suit, and plan your moves carefully to avoid taking unwanted tricks.

Don’t Pass Ace of Hearts

It may be a stumbling block for someone attempting to Shoot the Moon or a beneficial card if you are shooting yourself. Even if you don’t have any more hearts or acceptable cards in your hand to try shooting, you should never give someone else the initiative.

Pass 2 of Clubs

That card determines who begins the game. You don’t want it to be you because winning the first trick gives you a significant advantage. No penalty cards are allowed, and if you are leading, you can select which suit to play next. That is not conceivable if you have the “2 of Clubs” in your hand.

Don’t Pass Ace of Clubs

As stated in the preceding tip, winning the first trick might give you a significant edge. With the Ace of Clubs, you will always lead the second trick and may steer the game in the best path for your hand.

Variants of the Heart Card Game

There are many variations to the Game of Hearts. Let’s have a look at the most common variants.

Auction Hearts

The variation of Auction Hearts appeared for the first time in Foster’s Complete Hoyle in 1897. It’s a four-player game; however, five or six can create a table. Its unique characteristic is that, following the deal, participants may bid in order to announce the penalty suit.

Black Jack

Black Jack debuted alongside Black Lady as an alternate moniker for the more widespread term Discard Hearts. Discard Hearts, as the name implies, introduced the notion of discarding (also known as passing or swapping) into Hearts for the first time.

Black Lady

Black Lady first emerged in 1909, when it was also known as the Discard Hearts card game and has since become the most popular variety in the United States, eclipsing Hearts to become a game in its own right. It is commonly and confusingly referred to as Hearts, particularly in computer gaming versions. Its defining characteristic is that the Q, the Black Lady, is an additional penalty card worth 13 points.

Black Maria

Black Maria is a British version of Hearts that includes three additional penalty cards: the A, which is for 10 points, the K, which is worth 7 points, and the Black Maria or Q, which is worth 13 points. Hubert Phillips characterized it for the first time in the mid-twentieth century.

Cancellation Hearts

Cancellation Hearts was invented in 1950 and is a version aimed at bigger groups of players, often 6 to 11 players, by combining two packs shuffled together. If the same card is played again in a single trick, the cards cancel each other out, and neither player can win the trick. If two such pairs emerge in the same trick, the entire trick is annulled, and the cards are rolled over to the following trick’s winner.

FAQs

What is the object of the game of hearts?

The goal in Hearts card games is to avoid collecting cards that carry penalty points, specifically Hearts and the Queen of Spades. The player with the fewest points at the end of the game wins. Points are calculated from the cards won in tricks throughout the game.

What is the best Hearts card game?

The best version of Hearts is often the traditional four-player game, which follows standard rules and strategies. However, variations like Omnibus Hearts or Cancel Hearts add twists and can be fun. The best game depends on your preference.

What is the secret to winning at Hearts?

To win at Hearts card game, one of the top trick-taking games, avoid taking tricks with Hearts or the Queen of Spades. Play defensively by managing your high cards and strategically passing cards. Pay attention to opponents’ plays and strive to avoid situations where you might be forced to take penalty cards. Since the lowest score wins, try to keep your points to a minimum.

What cards should you get rid of in hearts?

Always try to eliminate high cards and Hearts early in the game. High cards like the King or Queen are risky, and avoiding Hearts helps prevent penalty points. Passing these cards to others can reduce your risk of taking unwanted tricks. Remember, the lowest score wins. So, aim for that!

What is the best hand to shoot the moon in hearts?

To shoot the moon in Hearts, try for a hand with high Hearts and the Queen of Spades. Ideally, it would help if you had most or all Hearts and the Queen of Spades. This helps you to win every trick and force all opponents to take penalty points.

What is a trick in hearts?

Hearts is one of the top trick-taking games. A trick in Hearts is a round of play where each player plays one card. The player with the highest card of the suit that was led wins the trick and collects all the cards played in that round. Tricks determine which player wins the cards.