Hearts
The classic trick-taking game where the fewest points wins. Pass three cards, keep clear of the hearts and the Queen of spades, or take every one of them and shoot the moon. You play three house players at Easy, Medium or Hard, with a coach for your first game.
Four players, each for themselves. A game takes 10 to 20 minutes. More card games: Spades, Gin Rummy, Cribbage and Euchre are in Yuzool's Card Games too.
How to play Hearts
- The deal: thirteen cards each. Before play you pass three cards: to the left on the first hand, then right, then across, and on every fourth hand nobody passes.
- The lead: whoever holds the two of clubs leads it. After that the winner of each trick leads the next.
- Follow suit: you must play a card of the suit led if you have one. If you have none you may play anything, which is your chance to get rid of a dangerous card.
- Tricks: the highest card of the suit led takes the trick. There are no trumps.
- Hearts: a heart can't be led until one has been played on an earlier trick (hearts are then "broken"), unless you hold nothing else. No heart or Queen of spades may be played on the first trick unless your hand is all hearts and the Queen.
Tap a card to play it, or drag it to the table. Cards you can play are raised; tap a dimmed card to see why it can't be played. Undo takes back your last play until the next player has played. The full rules, with worked examples, are in How to play Hearts.
Scoring
| Card taken | Points |
|---|---|
| Each heart | 1 |
| The Queen of spades | 13 |
| All thirteen hearts and the Queen (shooting the moon) | 0 for you, 26 for each of the others |
The game ends at the end of the hand in which someone reaches 100 points. The player with the lowest score wins. If two players tie for lowest, another hand is played.
Tips
- Pass your danger cards. The Ace, King and Queen of spades are the worst to hold unless you have four or more small spades to protect them.
- Get rid of a whole suit. With no clubs or diamonds left you can throw hearts away whenever that suit is led.
- Lead low spades when you don't hold the Queen, to force it out of someone else's hand.
- Watch for the moon. If one player has taken every point so far, take a heart yourself to stop them.
Questions
Is Hearts free to play here?
Yes. Hearts against Easy and Medium players, the coach, undo and autosave are free, with no ads and no sign-up. Card Games Pro, a one-time $1.99 upgrade for all five games, adds the Hard players, full statistics, rule options and extra card backs and tables.
Do the computer players cheat?
No. Each house player is given only what a person in that seat could see: its own hand, the cards it passed and everything that has been played. The Hard players count cards from that, nothing more.
Which rules are these?
The standard American rules: the two of clubs leads, no points on the first trick, hearts must be broken, and shooting the moon gives 26 to everyone else. Pro adds the Jack of diamonds variant (it takes 10 off), a game to 50, and the choice of taking 26 off your own score for a moon.
Is my game saved?
Yes, in this browser on this device. Close the tab in the middle of a hand and it is there when you come back.