How to play Hearts: rules, scoring and beginner strategy

What you need

Four players and a standard pack of 52 cards, no jokers. In each suit the ace is high: A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2. There are no trumps and no partners.

Hearts is called Black Lady or Black Maria in some British books; Black Maria usually adds penalties for the Ace and King of spades as well. The game described here, and played on Yuzool, is the standard modern one.

The deal and the pass

Deal all the cards, thirteen each. Then each player picks three cards to pass, face down:

1. First hand: pass to the player on your left.
2. Second hand: pass to the right.
3. Third hand: pass across the table.
4. Fourth hand: no pass (a "hold" hand). Then the cycle starts again.

You must choose your three cards before you look at the cards passed to you.

Playing a hand

1. The two of clubs leads. Whoever holds it plays it to start the first trick.
2. Follow suit. Going clockwise, each player plays one card. If you have a card of the suit led you must play one.
3. No card of that suit? Play any card. This is how hearts and the Queen of spades are given away.
4. The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, and its winner leads the next.

Three limits apply:

• The first trick is safe. You may not play a heart or the Queen of spades on it, unless you hold nothing else.
• Hearts must be broken. You may not lead a heart until a heart has been thrown on an earlier trick, unless hearts are all you have.
• The Queen of spades can be led at any time after the first trick; she does not break hearts.

Scoring

There are 26 points in every hand. Add each player's points to their running total. When any total reaches 100 at the end of a hand, the lowest total wins.

Shooting the moon

If one player takes all thirteen hearts and the Queen of spades, they have "shot the moon". They score nothing and each of the other three players scores 26.

It is rare and risky: one heart lost to another player and you are left holding 25 points. Good signs are a long, strong suit and several high hearts. A common variation lets the shooter take 26 off their own score instead; on Yuzool that is a Pro rule option.

Strategy for beginners

• Pass high spades unless they are protected. The Queen, King and Ace of spades are dangerous. With four or more low spades beside them you can keep them and duck.
• Make a void. Passing all your clubs or diamonds means you can throw away bad cards the first time that suit is led.
• Keep low hearts. A low heart lets you get out of the lead safely later.
• Smoke out the Queen. If you don't hold her, lead low spades. Whoever has her must play her eventually or take the trick.
• Count the hearts. Thirteen hearts and one Queen. Knowing how many are left tells you whether a late trick is safe to win.
• Stop a moon early. If one player has every point so far, win one heart yourself. Four points now is cheaper than 26.

• Winning the last few tricks with high cards you could have thrown away earlier.
• Passing low cards: you want those.
• Leading the Ace of spades while the Queen is still out.

Common variations