ALL CARD GAMES
INTRODUCTION
Trick taking game where hearts are trumps. The aim is to avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the Queen of Spades. This is the American version; see Variations for other versions.
HOW TO PLAY HEARTS
For a four player game deal thirteen cards. Players sort their cards into suits from highest to lowest with 2 low and A high.
Players select three cards from their hand and give them to the player on their left, e.g. J, A, A. These cards are usually the highest cards but can change based on tactics.
The player with the 2♣️ alwavs starts. Players take it in turns to play a card. They must follow suit if they can. ♥️'s cannot be played in the first hand.
The highest card played that matches the leading suit is the winner of the hand, e.g. A♣️. The winner takes the cards and puts them face down to the side. They start a new hand with any ♦️♣️♠️ to lead the hand.
From the second hand on a ♥️ can be played if a player does not have the leading suit e.g. if player one leads with a ♠️ but player two does not have ♠️, then they can play a ♥️.
Once all cards have been played the scores are counted. Players count one point for each ♥️ and thirteen for the Q♠️.
The next round of cards is dealt and the direction in which cards are passed changes; this time to the right. In the third round cards are passed in the opposite direction.
The winner is the player with the lowest score when one player has at least one hundred points. If there is a draw, one more round is played by all players.
THE DEAL
For a four player game deal thirteen cards. Players sort their cards into suits from highest to lowest with 2 low and A high.
THE PLAY
Players select three cards from their hand and give them to the player on their left, e.g. J, A, A. These cards are usually the highest cards but
can change based on tactics.
HOW TO WIN
Scores are counted at the end of each round, the aim is to score the lowest overall points. When a player reaches one hundred points, the player with the lowest score wins.
TWO OF CLUBS
The player with the 2♣️ alwavs starts. Players take it in turns to play a card. They must follow suit if they can. ♥️’s cannot be played in the first hand.
HIGHEST CARD
The highest card played that matches the leading suit is the winner of the hand, e.g. A♣️. The winner takes the cards and puts them face down to the side. They start a new hand with any ♦️♣️♠️ to lead the hand.
UNLOCK HEARTS
From the second hand on a ♥️ can be played if a player does not have the leading suit e.g. if player one leads with a ♠️ but player two does not have ♠️, then they can play a ♥️. The highest card of the leading suit is still the winner.
The ♥️’s are then broken and can be played as the leading suit in future rounds.
COUNTING
Once all cards have been played the scores are counted. Players count one point for each ♥️ and thirteen for the Q♠️. If a player collects all ♥️’s and the Q♠️, all other players score twenty six points. This is called ‘shooting the moon’.
NEXT ROUND
The next round of cards is dealt and the direction in which cards are passed changes; this time to the right. In the third round cards are passed in the opposite direction. In the fourth round no cards are passed. The fifth round starts again with passing to the left to restart the five options.
THE WINNER
The winner is the player with the lowest score when one player has at least one hundred points. If there is a draw, one more round is played by all players.
VIDEO OF HOW TO PLAY HEARTS
PLAYERS
With three players, remove the 2♣️ and start the first round with the 3♣️.
For five players, remove the 2♣️ and 2♦️. For six players also remove the 2♠️ and 3♣️.
STRATEGY
If players are dealt the Q♠️, they may want to keep it. Players often do this if they already have four or more ♠️.
EXTRAS
The original game of Hearts did not use Q♥️. It was used in the game Black Lady. The games have now merged together.
VARIATIONS
– ♥️’s count for five points each. Players score minus five if they end the round with zero points. Alternatively, score♥️’s as the value of the card with A♥️ scoring fifteen points.
– Play with two decks. If the same card is played in one hand, the cards cancel each other out and neither player wins the hand. If the hand has two instances of the same card played, then the hand is turned over and the player who wins the next hand gets both hands.
– Play with one joker and remove the 2♣️. The joker can be played at any time but does not win the hand and is worth zero points.
– Play in pairs sat opposite each other. Score fifty two points if both players successfully ‘shoot the moon’. Pairs can combine scores.
– Every round players pass four cards to the left, four to the right and five opposite.
SIMILAR GAMES
- Contract Bridge
- Spades
- Whist
- Black Lady
FAQ
The most common questions will be added here. Scroll to the bottom of the page to add a question or comment about this game.
