How to play Hearts

Hearts is a game for four players where the goal is the opposite of most card games: you want to take as few points as possible. Every heart you win in a trick costs you one point, and the queen of spades costs thirteen. When someone reaches 100 points, the game ends and the player with the lowest score wins.

The deal and the pass

• Everyone gets 13 cards.
• Before the first trick, you pass three cards: to the left in the first hand, to the right in the second, across in the third, and nobody passes in the fourth. Then it starts again.
• Tap three cards, then tap Pass. The cards you receive glow for a moment so you can see them.

Playing the tricks

• Whoever holds the 2 of clubs leads it to start the hand.
• You must follow suit if you can. If you cannot, you may play any card. That is your chance to get rid of hearts or the queen of spades.
• The highest card of the suit that was led wins the trick, and the winner leads next. Aces are high.
• No points may be played on the first trick, unless you have nothing else.
• You cannot lead a heart until hearts are broken, which means someone has thrown a heart on another suit, or you hold only hearts.

Shooting the moon

If you take all the hearts and the queen of spades in one hand, you have shot the moon: you score zero and every other player gets 26 points. It is risky and wonderful when it works. In Settings you can choose the other common rule, where the shooter takes 26 points off their own score instead.

Tips

1. Pass the danger. The queen, king and ace of spades are the cards that most often cost you 13. Pass them unless you hold many spades to protect them.
2. Keep low spades. Small spades let you duck safely when someone leads spades to hunt the queen.
3. Make a void. Passing all your cards of a short suit lets you throw hearts or the queen when that suit is led.
4. Duck under. When you follow suit, play the highest card that still loses the trick.
5. Watch for a moon. If one player is taking every heart, take one heart yourself to stop them.

Today's deal

The Daily Deal is one hand with the same cards and the same computer players for everyone. Take as few points as you can and see how you compare. Your first try of the day is the one that counts.

Questions

Can I undo a card? No. Like at a real table, a card on the table stays there. On a phone, the first tap lifts the card and the second tap plays it, so you can check before you commit.

How strong are the computer players? Easy plays like a beginner. Normal and Sharp think ahead by imagining where the unseen cards could be; Sharp imagines many more possibilities.

Do I need an account? No. Your game is saved in this browser, so you can close the page and come back.