Deal the whole deck
Hearts card game setup
Shuffle a standard 52-card deck and deal 13 cards to each of four players. There are no teams. Everyone keeps an individual running score, and the goal is to finish with the fewest points.
Hearts
One penalty point each.
Queen of Spades
Thirteen penalty points.
Round total
Every possible point combined.
Before the first lead
Pass three cards
At the start of a round, choose exactly three cards and pass them face down. The direction rotates from round to round.
Pass left
Pass right
Pass across
Keep all cards
Thirteen small battles
How to play a trick
The 2 of Clubs starts
Whoever holds the 2♣ leads it to begin the first trick.
Follow suit
If the lead is a Club and you hold a Club, you must play a Club. If you have none, you may discard another suit.
Highest in the led suit wins
Only cards matching the lead suit can win the trick. The winner collects the four cards and leads next.
Hearts must be broken
You cannot normally lead a Heart until someone has discarded a Heart on an earlier trick.
Points are penalties
Hearts scoring rules
After all 13 tricks, count the point cards each player captured. Every Heart adds 1 and the Queen of Spades adds 13. Add the round score to each player's running total. A full game ends when any player reaches 100; the lowest total wins.
All or nothing
How to shoot the moon
Capture every one of the 26 available points: all 13 Hearts plus the Queen of Spades. Instead of taking 26 yourself, you score 0 and each opponent adds 26. Missing even one point card means scoring everything you did capture normally.
Shape the danger
Four strategy habits
Create a void
Pass cards from a short suit so you can discard point cards when that suit is led.
Respect the Queen
Track high Spades and avoid taking a Spade trick while Q♠ may still be hidden.
Exit high cards early
High Clubs and Diamonds are safer before players become void and start dumping points.
Read a moon attempt
A player repeatedly taking tricks may be collecting everything on purpose. Save a low Heart to stop them.
Quick answers
Hearts card game FAQ
How many players do you need for Hearts?
The standard game uses four players. A 52-card deck divides evenly, giving each player 13 cards and producing 13 tricks per round.
How many points is the Queen of Spades?
The Queen of Spades is worth 13 points. Each heart is worth 1 point, so there are 26 possible penalty points in a round.
When can you lead a heart?
You normally cannot lead hearts until a heart has been discarded on an earlier trick. After that, hearts are broken. If your hand contains only hearts, you may lead one.
What does shooting the moon mean in Hearts?
A player shoots the moon by taking all 13 hearts and the Queen of Spades. That player scores 0 for the round while each opponent receives 26 points.
Take your seat
Pass three. Avoid twenty-six.
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