How to Play Hearts
Your complete guide to Hearts — the classic four-player trick-taking game where the goal is to take as few points as possible.
Overview & Objective
Hearts is a four-player trick-taking game played with a standard 52-card deck. Unlike most trick games, the aim is to avoid taking points, not to win tricks. Every heart is worth 1 penalty point and the Queen of Spades is worth a painful 13. The player with the lowest score when the game ends is the winner.
Setup & Dealing
- Players: Exactly 4.
- Deck: A standard 52-card deck, Aces high.
- Deal: All cards are dealt out, 13 to each player.
The Passing Phase
Before play begins, each player chooses 3 cards to pass to another player. The direction rotates every hand:
- Hand 1 — pass left
- Hand 2 — pass right
- Hand 3 — pass across
- Hand 4 — hold (no passing)
Then the cycle repeats. Passing is your chance to dump dangerous cards — high hearts, the Queen of Spades, and high spades that could get stuck taking her.
Playing a Hand
- The player holding the 2 of clubs leads it to begin the first trick.
- Play proceeds clockwise. You must follow the led suit if you can. If you can't, you may play any card.
- The highest card of the led suit wins the trick and collects any penalty points in it. That winner leads the next trick.
- You can't lead hearts until they are "broken" — until a heart (or the Queen) has been discarded on an earlier trick.
- On the very first trick, no hearts or the Queen of Spades may be played (unless that's all you hold).
Scoring & the Queen of Spades
- Each heart = 1 penalty point (13 total).
- The Queen of Spades = 13 penalty points.
- Every other card is worth 0.
That means there are 26 penalty points in every hand. Low score is good, so you want opponents — not you — to be stuck taking them.
Shooting the Moon
If one player manages to take all 26 points in a single hand, they "shoot the moon": instead of being charged 26, they score 0 and every other player is charged 26. It's risky — if even one point slips to another player, you're stuck with the lot — but it can flip a losing game.
Winning the Game
Hands are played until a player reaches 100 points. At that moment the game ends and the player with the lowest total wins. Consistency matters more than any single hand — a clean hand of 0 points quietly beats a risky one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need for Hearts?
Hearts is traditionally played by 4 players using a standard 52-card deck, with all cards dealt (13 each).
What are the points worth in Hearts?
Each heart is worth 1 penalty point and the Queen of Spades is worth 13. All other cards are worth nothing. The goal is to take as few points as possible.
What does 'hearts are broken' mean?
Hearts cannot be led until they are 'broken' — that is, until a heart (or the Queen of Spades) has been played on an earlier trick because a player couldn't follow suit. Until then you must lead a non-heart.
What is shooting the moon?
If a single player takes ALL 26 points in a hand (every heart plus the Queen of Spades), they score 0 and every other player is charged 26 points instead. It's a high-risk, high-reward play.
Can you play the Queen of Spades on the first trick?
No. On the first trick you cannot play any hearts or the Queen of Spades (unless that's genuinely all you hold).
How do you win at Hearts?
The game ends when any player reaches 100 points. The winner is the player with the lowest total, so the aim is to consistently avoid taking penalty points.
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