How to Play Hearts

Introduction to Hearts

Hearts is one of the most beloved card games ever created. It is a trick-taking game where the goal is counterintuitive — instead of trying to win, you are trying to avoid collecting penalty cards. This guide walks you through everything you need to play your first game of Hearts.

What You Need

• 4 players (in online play, the other three are computer opponents)
• A standard 52-card deck with no jokers
• Each player receives 13 cards

Step 1: The Card Pass

Before each hand begins, you select three cards from your hand to pass to another player. The direction rotates each hand:

1. Pass left
2. Pass right
3. Pass across
4. No pass (keep your hand)

What to Pass

As a beginner, follow these guidelines:

• Pass the Queen of Spades if you have it — she is worth 13 penalty points
• Pass high Spades (Ace, King) — these put you at risk of winning a trick that includes the Queen of Spades
• Pass high Hearts — they can force you to win tricks containing penalty cards
• Try to create a void — if you have only one or two cards of a suit, pass them to eliminate that suit from your hand entirely

Step 2: Playing the First Trick

The player with the 2 of Clubs always leads the first trick. Each player must follow suit (play a Club) if possible. If you have no Clubs, you may discard any card — but you cannot play Hearts or the Queen of Spades on the first trick.

Step 3: Following Suit

For every trick after the first:

• The winner of the previous trick leads any card (except Hearts, until they are "broken")
• Each player must play a card of the same suit as the lead card
• If you do not have the led suit, you can play any card — this is how you get rid of dangerous cards

The highest card of the led suit wins the trick. There is no trump suit.

Step 4: Understanding Hearts (the Penalty Cards)

The penalty cards are:

• Each Heart: 1 point
• Queen of Spades: 13 points

Your goal is to take as few of these as possible. All other cards are worth zero points.

When Are Hearts Broken?

You cannot lead with a Heart until someone has discarded a Heart on a previous trick. Once a Heart has been played, Hearts are considered "broken" and can be led freely.

Step 5: Scoring

After all 13 tricks are played, count your penalty cards:

• Add 1 point for each Heart you took
• Add 13 points if you took the Queen of Spades

The hand total can range from 0 (perfect) to 26 (terrible — or amazing, see below).

Shooting the Moon

If you manage to take all 13 Hearts and the Queen of Spades in one hand, you have "shot the moon." Instead of receiving 26 points, every other player gets 26 points added to their score. This is an advanced strategy — risky but devastating when it works.

Step 6: Winning the Game

The game continues hand after hand until one player reaches 100 points. At that point, the player with the lowest total score wins.

Beginner Strategy Tips

• Avoid taking the Queen of Spades — she is worth half the points in the entire game
• Play high cards early when someone else has led — get your dangerous cards out while you cannot win the trick
• Create voids by passing cards to eliminate a suit from your hand, letting you discard penalty cards when that suit is led
• Watch what others play — track which suits are being voided and who might be trying to shoot the moon
• Do not lead with Aces early in the hand — high cards win tricks, and tricks can contain penalty cards
• Keep low Spades — they let you safely follow suit when Spades are led without winning the Queen

Common Mistakes

• Holding onto the Ace or King of Spades too long — you will eventually be forced to play them and may win the Queen
• Not paying attention to voids — if an opponent is void in a suit, they will dump Hearts and the Queen on your tricks
• Ignoring a potential moon shoot — if one player is taking every penalty card, you must feed them a trick they cannot win

Further Reading

• Hearts Rules: Complete Guide — the full rulebook with scoring details and card rankings
• Hearts Strategy & Tips — advanced strategies for passing, trick avoidance, and shooting the moon

Start Playing

The best way to learn is to practice against computer opponents. Play Hearts online for free and build your skills before you take on human players.