Hearts card game: rules and strategy

Hearts is a classic trick-taking card game usually played by four players, each playing alone, with a standard 52-card deck. Unlike most trick-taking games, the aim is to avoid winning certain cards. Each heart taken counts as one penalty point, and the queen of spades counts as thirteen. The game is played over several hands, and when a player passes an agreed total, often 100 points, the player with the lowest score wins. There is also a dramatic exception called shooting the moon: if one player takes every heart and the queen of spades, they score nothing and every other player receives the penalty points instead. Variants exist for three to six players.

How to play Hearts

Deal all 52 cards so each of four players has thirteen. Before play, each player passes three cards to another player; a common pattern is to the left in the first hand, to the right in the second, across in the third and no passing in the fourth. The player holding the two of clubs leads it to the first trick. Each player must follow the suit that was led if possible; if they cannot, they may play any card, although under common rules penalty cards are not allowed on the first trick. The highest card of the led suit wins the trick, and its winner leads the next trick. Hearts may not be led until a heart has been played on an earlier trick, which is called breaking hearts. At the end of each hand, count one point for each heart and thirteen for the queen of spades. Low score wins.

Tips for new players

• Pass away high spades if you do not hold enough low spades to protect them.
• Try to empty one suit early so you can discard dangerous cards later.
• Keep track of which hearts and spades have been played.
• If another player is taking every penalty card, take one heart yourself to stop the moon.