Play classic Hearts against three computer opponents. Pass three cards, follow suit, dodge hearts and the Queen of Spades, and finish with the lowest score when someone reaches 100.
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Hand over
Shuffling…
Score sheet
Keys: ←→ move between cards, Enter plays or selects, H hint, N new game. Cards you can legally play are raised; the others are dimmed.
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How to use the Hearts Card Game
Pass three cards. At the start of each hand, tap three cards you want to get rid of, then press Pass. The direction rotates: left, right, across, then no pass.
Lead or follow suit. The 2 of clubs starts the first trick. Play a card of the suit that was led if you can; playable cards are raised, others are dimmed.
Avoid points. The highest card of the led suit wins the trick. Every heart you take costs 1 point and the Queen of Spades costs 13.
Break hearts and shoot the moon. Hearts can't be led until one has been played. If you take all 13 hearts and the queen, you shoot the moon and your opponents get the 26 points instead.
Win with the lowest score. When anyone reaches the target score at the end of a hand, the player with the fewest points wins. Press Show hint if you're unsure what to play.
Hearts rules at a glance
This game uses the standard four-player rules of Hearts found in most rule books and classic computer versions.
Rule
Details
Deck and deal
52 cards, 13 per player. Aces are high, there are no trumps.
Passing
Each player passes 3 cards: hand 1 to the left, hand 2 to the right, hand 3 across, hand 4 no pass, then repeat.
First trick
The holder of the 2♣ leads it. No hearts or Queen of Spades may be played on this trick unless a player has nothing else.
Following suit
You must play a card of the led suit if you have one. Otherwise you may play any card.
Winning a trick
The highest card of the led suit wins and the winner leads the next trick.
Breaking hearts
Hearts can't be led until a heart has been discarded on an earlier trick, unless you hold only hearts.
Scoring
Each heart = 1 point, Queen of Spades = 13 points. 26 points are taken in every hand.
Shooting the moon
Take all 26 points and the other three players score 26 each (or you subtract 26, if you pick that option).
End of game
When a player reaches the target (100 by default) at the end of a hand, the lowest score wins.
Hearts strategy tips
Pass the dangerous spades. The Ace and King of Spades are risky without many low spades, because they can be forced to win a trick that the Queen lands on. With four or more low spades, keeping the Queen yourself is often safer than passing it.
Create a void. Passing all your cards of a short suit such as diamonds lets you discard hearts or the Queen of Spades on other players when that suit is led.
Duck with your highest safe card. When you can't win cheaply, play the highest card that still loses the trick, so your remaining cards are low and safe for later.
Flush out the Queen. If you don't hold the Queen, Ace or King of Spades, leading low spades forces the player with the Queen to play it or keep guarding it.
Watch for a moon shot. If one player has taken every point so far, take a single heart yourself, even at a small cost, to stop them from scoring 26 against everyone.
Count cards. Keep track of which high cards have gone. A seven may be the highest card left in a suit late in the hand.
How the computer players think
The three opponents follow the same rules as you and never see your cards. They pass the Queen, Ace and King of Spades and high hearts, try to void short suits, duck under the current winning card, dump the Queen of Spades whenever they can't follow suit, and lead low spades to flush out the Queen when it's safe. When one player has taken all the points so far, they try to take a heart to block a moon shot. The Show hint button uses the same logic to suggest a card for you.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Hearts?
Hearts is a trick-taking game for four players with a 52-card deck. Each player gets 13 cards and passes three to another player. The holder of the 2 of clubs leads the first trick, everyone must follow suit if they can, and the highest card of the led suit wins the trick. Hearts are worth 1 point each and the Queen of Spades 13 points. The goal is to take as few points as possible.
What does shooting the moon mean in Hearts?
Shooting the moon means taking all 13 hearts and the Queen of Spades in one hand, all 26 points. Instead of scoring 26 yourself, every other player gets 26 points. Some people prefer the variant where the shooter subtracts 26 from their own score instead, which you can choose in the settings.
Which way do you pass cards in Hearts?
The passing direction rotates every hand: first to the player on your left, then to the right, then across the table, and on the fourth hand nobody passes. Then the cycle starts again.
When can you lead hearts?
You may not lead a heart until hearts are broken, which happens the first time a player discards a heart because they cannot follow suit. The only exception is when your hand contains nothing but hearts.
Can you play points on the first trick?
No. On the first trick, which is always led with the 2 of clubs, you may not discard a heart or the Queen of Spades even if you have no clubs, unless your hand has nothing else.
How does a game of Hearts end?
The game ends at the end of the hand in which any player reaches or passes the target score, 100 points in the standard game. The player with the lowest total wins. You can choose a shorter game to 50 or 75 points here.
Is the Jack of Diamonds worth points?
Not in standard Hearts. Some house rules let the Jack of Diamonds subtract 10 points, but the classic game used here scores only hearts and the Queen of Spades.
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