Hearts Rules

Objective

Hearts is a trick-taking game for four players. Unusually, the goal is to avoid winning tricks that contain penalty cards. When any player reaches 100 points the game ends, and the player with the fewest points wins.

Players and cards

• Players: 4, each playing for themselves.
• Deck: a standard 52-card deck, no jokers. Cards rank A (high) down to 2 (low) within each suit.
• The deal: deal the entire deck out clockwise, 13 cards to each player.

Passing

After the deal, each player selects three cards and passes them face-down to another player, receiving three in return. You must pass before looking at the cards you receive. The direction rotates hand by hand:

1. First hand — pass to the player on your left.
2. Second hand — pass to the right.
3. Third hand — pass across (to the player opposite).
4. Fourth hand — hold: no passing.

Then the four-hand cycle repeats. This is the common rotation and the one CardCouch uses; some tables skip the hold hand or pass left every time.

The play

1. The player with the 2 of clubs leads it to begin the first trick.
2. Play continues clockwise. Each player must follow the suit led if able; if not, they may play any card.
3. A trick is won by the highest card of the suit that was led. The winner leads the next trick.
4. Hearts must be broken before a heart can be led — that is, a heart must first have been discarded on a trick where a player could not follow suit. A player holding only hearts may lead one. The Queen of Spades does not break hearts on CardCouch (some house rules say she does), and she may be led on any trick after the first.
5. First-trick restriction: no hearts and no Queen of Spades may be played on the very first trick (unless a player holds nothing else). This is the common rule and CardCouch enforces it; some home games do without it.

Scoring

Each hand contains 26 penalty points:

• Each heart = 1 point (13 total).
• The Queen of Spades = 13 points.

At the end of each hand, players add the penalty points they took. For a full breakdown and worked examples, see the Hearts scoring guide.

Winning

Play continues hand after hand until a player reaches 100 points. The game ends after that hand and the player with the lowest total wins. A tie for lowest is possible; some tables play another hand to break it.

Common variations

None of these are used on CardCouch, but you will meet them at other tables:

• Jack of Diamonds (Omnibus Hearts): some play that the Jack of Diamonds is worth −10 (a bonus), adding another card worth chasing.
• Shooting the moon option: the shooter may instead subtract 26 from their own score rather than adding 26 to everyone else — sometimes as the shooter's choice.
• Queen of Spades breaks hearts: some tables count the Queen as breaking hearts, so hearts may be led once she has been played.
• No first-trick restriction: some home games allow hearts and the Queen on the opening trick.
• Ending score: casual games sometimes play to 50 for a quicker match.
• Three or five players: the 2 of diamonds (and, with five, the 2 of clubs) is removed so the deck deals evenly; the lowest club then leads.

Frequently asked questions