Hearts Glossary
Every Hearts term explained in plain English — from shooting the moon and breaking hearts to voids, sloughing, and the Black Lady.
Hearts has a small vocabulary, but most of it is essential: the words describe the handful of ideas (avoiding tricks, breaking hearts, dodging the Queen of Spades) that decide every hand. If a term here is new to you, the how-to-play guide shows it in context, the rules page covers the exact restrictions, and the strategy guide explains how to use each idea to win.
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- Black Lady
- A nickname for the Queen of Spades, the single most dangerous card in Hearts at 13 penalty points. Also called the Black Maria (especially in Britain) or simply "the Queen". Some versions of the game are themselves named Black Lady.
- Black Maria
- Another name for the Queen of Spades. In the British game of the same name, the Ace and King of Spades also carry penalty points, but in standard Hearts only the Queen does.
- Bleeding Spades
- Repeatedly leading spades (usually low ones) to force the Queen of Spades out of whoever holds it. Safe to do when you do not hold the Queen and have few high spades yourself; risky if you hold the Ace or King of Spades.
- Breaking Hearts
- The moment the first heart is discarded on a trick (by a player who cannot follow suit). Until hearts are broken, no one may lead a heart. In many rule sets, including CardCouch, playing the Queen of Spades also breaks hearts.
D
- Ducking
- Deliberately playing a card lower than the one currently winning so you do not take the trick. Ducking is the core defensive skill in Hearts — you want to lose most tricks, especially ones that carry points.
- Dumping
- Getting rid of a dangerous card (a high heart, the Queen of Spades, or a high card in any suit) on a trick someone else is going to win. See also Sloughing.
F
- Following Suit
- Playing a card of the same suit that was led to the trick. You must follow suit if you have any card of that suit; only when you are void may you play a card of another suit.
H
- Hand
- One full deal of 13 cards each, from passing through the 13th trick. A game of Hearts is made up of several hands, and scores accumulate across them until someone reaches 100.
- Hearts Are Broken
- The state of a hand after the first heart (or Queen of Spades) has been played. From then on, hearts may be led like any other suit.
- Hold Hand
- The fourth hand in the passing cycle, when no cards are passed at all. After passing left, right, and across, the hold hand resets the cycle. Also called a "keeper" or "no-pass" hand.
J
- Jack of Diamonds
- In the popular "Omnibus Hearts" variant, whoever takes the Jack of Diamonds in a trick scores minus 10 points. It turns the Jack into a card worth chasing and adds a second layer of tactics. Standard Hearts (and CardCouch) does not use this bonus.
L
- Lead
- To play the first card of a trick. The card led determines which suit the other players must follow. The player holding the 2 of Clubs leads the first trick of every hand; after that, whoever won the previous trick leads.
- Long Suit
- A suit in which you hold many cards (typically five or more). Long suits are safer late in a hand, since other players are more likely to run out and start discarding on them — though that is exactly when they will dump hearts on you.
N
- New Moon
- A variant rule for shooting the moon where the shooter subtracts 26 points from their own score instead of adding 26 to each opponent. Often allowed as a choice when the standard penalty would cause the shooter to lose.
O
- Omnibus Hearts
- The name for Hearts played with the Jack of Diamonds bonus (minus 10 points). Some versions also require the Jack to be captured as part of shooting the moon.
P
- Painting
- Playing a heart onto a trick that another player is winning, "painting" it with penalty points. Slang most often used when a player dumps a heart on an opponent who was hoping to win a trick cheaply.
- Passing
- Before play begins, each player chooses three cards to give face-down to another player and receives three in return. The direction rotates each hand: left, right, across, then a hold hand with no pass.
- Penalty Cards
- The cards that carry points: each of the 13 hearts (1 point each) and the Queen of Spades (13 points), for 26 points per hand. Taking a penalty card in a trick adds its points to your score.
Q
- Queen of Spades
- The 13-point penalty card. It may not be played on the first trick (unless you hold nothing else), and in most rule sets it breaks hearts when played. Whoever takes it usually loses the hand.
R
- Renege
- To fail to follow suit when you were able to, which is against the rules. Also called a revoke. In casual play a renege is usually corrected on the spot; in tournament play it carries a penalty.
S
- Safe Lead
- A lead that is very unlikely to win the trick — usually a low card in a suit where you are short or have already seen the high cards played. Leading safely is how you avoid picking up points once hearts are broken.
- Shooting the Moon
- Taking all 13 hearts and the Queen of Spades — every one of the 26 penalty points — in a single hand. Instead of scoring 26, the shooter scores 0 and each opponent receives 26 points. It is the biggest swing in the game and the main reason no one can safely ignore what an opponent is doing.
- Shooting the Sun
- A rarer variant achievement: winning all 13 tricks in a hand (not just all the points). Where it is played, it usually scores double the moon — 52 points to each opponent.
- Short Suit
- A suit in which you hold only one or two cards. Passing away a short suit lets you create a void, which gives you the freedom to discard penalty cards when that suit is led.
- Sloughing
- Pronounced "sluffing". Discarding a card of a different suit when you cannot follow suit — usually to get rid of a heart, the Queen of Spades, or a dangerous high card. The play that makes voids so valuable.
- Smoking Out the Queen
- Leading spades below the Queen to force the player holding the Queen of Spades to eventually play it (once they have no lower spades left). See Bleeding Spades.
- Stopper
- A card you keep specifically to stop another player from shooting the moon — typically a middling heart or a high card that will let you win one trick containing a point at the right moment.
T
- Taking a Trick
- Winning a trick by playing the highest card of the suit that was led. In Hearts there is no trump, so a card of another suit can never win a trick.
- Trick
- One round of play in which each of the four players contributes one card. The highest card of the suit led wins the trick and takes the cards, along with any penalty points they contain. A hand has 13 tricks.
- Two of Clubs
- The card that must be led to open every hand. Whoever holds it after the pass leads it, and no hearts or Queen of Spades may be played on that first trick.
V
- Void
- Having no cards of a particular suit. When that suit is led you cannot follow suit, so you may play any card — which is the ideal moment to slough a heart or the Queen of Spades. Creating a void through passing is a standard opening plan.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'shooting the moon' mean in Hearts?
Shooting the moon means taking all 26 penalty points in a single hand — all 13 hearts plus the Queen of Spades. Instead of adding 26 to your score, you score 0 and every opponent is charged 26 points.
What does 'breaking hearts' mean?
Hearts are 'broken' the first time a heart is played on a trick — usually because someone could not follow suit and discarded one. Until then, no player may lead a heart. In most rule sets, playing the Queen of Spades also breaks hearts.
Why is the Queen of Spades called the Black Lady?
The Queen of Spades is the only black card that carries penalty points (13, as much as all the hearts combined), so it earned nicknames like the Black Lady and Black Maria. Some versions of the game are named after it.
What is a 'hold hand' in Hearts?
A hold hand is the fourth hand in the passing cycle, when no cards are passed. The passing direction goes left, right, across, and then hold, before the cycle starts again.
What does it mean to be 'void' in a suit?
Being void means you hold no cards of that suit. When it is led you cannot follow suit, so you may play any card you like — the perfect chance to slough a heart or the Queen of Spades onto someone else's trick.