Hearts

1 Overview

Hearts is a trick-taking card game with an inverted goal: you are trying to take as few penalty cards as possible. Each Heart costs you 1 point and the Queen of Spades costs 13 points. But master the "Shoot the Moon" gambit -- taking ALL penalty cards in a single hand -- and you flip the table by sending 26 points to every opponent instead. The game ends when someone reaches 100 points, and the lowest score wins.

2 What You Need

• 1 standard 52-card deck (no jokers)
• Score pad and pencil

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3 Setup and the Passing Phase

1. Shuffle and deal all 52 cards evenly: 13 cards to each of 4 players.
2. Passing: Before each hand, each player secretly selects 3 cards and passes them to another player. The passing direction rotates on a 4-hand cycle: Left (hand 1), Right (hand 2), Across (hand 3), No Pass (hand 4).
3. All passing is simultaneous. You must pass before receiving the 3 incoming cards.
4. The player holding the 2 of Clubs leads the first trick by playing that card.

Passing Strategy

General priorities: Pass the Queen of Spades unless you can protect it. Pass high Spades (Ace and King) if you hold few other Spades. Pass high Hearts to reduce penalty risk. Pass cards that leave you void in one suit -- a void lets you dump penalty cards when that suit is led.

4 How to Play

1. The player who leads plays any card face-up. You cannot lead Hearts until Hearts have been "broken." You also cannot lead the Queen of Spades on the first trick.
2. All other players must follow suit if they can. If a player cannot follow suit, they may play any card -- including Hearts or the Queen of Spades. This is how Hearts get broken.
3. The highest card in the led suit wins the trick. There is no trump suit in Hearts.
4. The trick winner collects all cards face-down and leads the next trick.
5. On the very first trick of each hand, no player may play a Heart or the Queen of Spades, even if void in Clubs.

5 Penalty Card Values

6 Shooting the Moon

If you win ALL 13 Hearts AND the Queen of Spades in a single hand, you "Shoot the Moon." Instead of taking 26 penalty points, you choose:

• Add 26 points to every other player's score (most common rule)
• Subtract 26 from your own score (allowed in some editions)

Moon-Shoot Strategy

A successful moon-shoot attempt requires: multiple high Hearts (Ace, King, Queen of Hearts ideally), high cards in other suits to control the lead, and the Queen of Spades (or a plan to capture it). The risk: if opponents detect your attempt, they can lead suits where you are void, forcing you to discard instead of collecting. A single missed penalty card kills the attempt.

Blood Drain Math

Track which Hearts have been played. If 9 of the 13 Hearts are already collected by other players before you have them all, you cannot complete the moon-shoot. Knowing the count is essential.

7 Winning

Add penalty points scored to each player's running total after each hand. The game ends when any player's score reaches or exceeds 100 points. The player with the lowest total score wins.

8 Variants

Black Lady

The most common name for standard Hearts, emphasizing the Queen of Spades. Rules are identical to standard Hearts above.

Omnibus Hearts (Jack of Diamonds)

The Jack of Diamonds is worth -10 points (a bonus card). Taking it subtracts 10 from your score. Shooting the Moon in Omnibus Hearts requires all 13 Hearts, the Queen of Spades, AND the Jack of Diamonds.

Spot Hearts

Each Heart scores its face value instead of 1 point. The 2 of Hearts = 2, Ace of Hearts = 14 (or 1). The Queen of Spades still = 13. Creates wider score spreads.

3-Player Hearts

Remove the 2 of Clubs before dealing. Each player receives 17 cards. Pass 3 cards to the left. Otherwise standard rules apply.

9 Strategy Guide

Passing Priorities

Always pass the Queen of Spades unless you hold 6 or more low Spades to protect her. Pass the Ace and King of Spades if you hold few Spades below them. Pass high Hearts unless you are attempting a moon-shoot. Pass cards that void you in a suit -- a void lets you discard dangerous cards freely.

Queen of Spades Defense

If you received the Queen in the pass, get rid of her early. Lead Spades to force lower Spades out, then dump the Queen when someone leads low. "Queening" an opponent (catching them with a high Spade led when you hold the Queen) is a key offensive move.

Avoid Hearts Tricks

Follow suit with your lowest card whenever possible. If you cannot follow suit, discard a Heart only when you have no better option -- or when you are attempting to shoot.

Detecting a Moon Attempt

If one player is winning every trick including Heart-heavy ones, suspect a moon attempt. Stop discarding Hearts on that player's tricks. Force the shooter to win tricks they do not want. A single deflected Heart kills the attempt.

10 Wrong House Rules

• "You can lead Hearts any time." You must wait until Hearts are broken. Until then, no leading Hearts.
• "You cannot pass the Queen of Spades." You absolutely can and should. There is no rule preventing it.
• "The player with the most tricks wins." Wrong game. The player with the fewest penalty points at game end wins.
• "Shooting the Moon means you take zero points." No. Shooting the Moon sends 26 points to all other players (or subtracts 26 from yours).
• "The Ace of Spades is the highest penalty card." The Ace of Spades has zero penalty. Only the Queen of Spades counts for 13 points.

11 History of Hearts

Hearts descends from trick-avoidance games originating in Spain and France in the 18th century. The most direct ancestor is Reversis, a Spanish game documented from around 1601 where the goal was to avoid winning tricks containing penalty cards. Reversis spread to France as "Reversi" and evolved across Europe into various penalty-avoidance games.

The modern form of Hearts emerged in the United States in the 1880s, first described in American card game rule books of that era. The Queen of Spades as a major 13-point penalty card was added in the early 20th century. "Shooting the Moon" as a rule arrived mid-century, creating the dramatic risk-reward dimension the game is now famous for. Microsoft's inclusion of Hearts in Windows 3.0 (1990) introduced the game to hundreds of millions of computer users worldwide.

12 Frequently Asked Questions