Hearts Card Game

Hearts is the classic four-player trick-taking game where the goal is to avoid points. Every heart you take costs you a point and the queen of spades costs thirteen, unless you are bold enough to take them all.

How to play Hearts Card Game

• Each player gets 13 cards. Before each hand you pass three cards: to the left, then the right, then across, then no passing, and the cycle repeats.
• Whoever holds the 2♣ leads it to the first trick. Play goes clockwise and you must follow the suit that was led if you can. If you cannot, you may play any card.
• The highest card of the led suit wins the trick, and its winner leads next. There are no trump cards.
• Each heart taken scores 1 point and the queen of spades (Q♠) scores 13. Points cannot be thrown on the very first trick unless you have nothing else.
• Hearts may not be led until a heart has been played on an earlier trick ("hearts broken"), unless you hold only hearts.
• Shooting the moon: take all 13 hearts and the Q♠ in one hand and you score 0 while every other player takes 26.
• When someone reaches 100 points the game ends and the lowest score wins.

Controls

• Tap or click a card to play it. Cards you cannot legally play are dimmed.
• During passing, tap three cards to select them, then press Pass. Cards you received are outlined until your first play.
• Last trick shows the previous trick, Scores opens the score sheet and Speed sets how quickly the computer plays.

Tips

• Pass the Q♠ if you have few spades to protect it, and pass the A♠ or K♠ when you are short in spades.
• Emptying a short suit early lets you discard dangerous cards when that suit is led later.
• Keep a few low cards in every suit: they let you duck under tricks that are loaded with points.
• If one player has taken every point so far, grab a heart trick yourself to stop them shooting the moon.

FAQ

Does the queen of spades break hearts?

No. In this version only playing a heart breaks hearts, but the Q♠ itself may be led at any time.

What happens if two players tie for the lowest score at 100?

Play continues with another hand until a single player has the lowest score.

Is my game saved?

Yes. The current hand is saved in your browser, so you can close the page and pick up where you left off.