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How to Play Hearts
Hearts is a trick-taking card game for four players. Unlike most card games, the objective is to avoid taking certain cards that carry penalty points. The player with the lowest score at the end of the game wins.
Players and Deck
- Players: 4 (the standard game requires exactly four players)
- Deck: A standard 52-card deck with no jokers
- Deal: All 52 cards are dealt evenly so each player receives 13 cards
Passing Cards
Before play begins, each player selects three cards from their hand and passes them to another player. The passing direction rotates each round in a four-round cycle:
- Round 1 — Pass Left: Pass three cards to the player on your left
- Round 2 — Pass Right: Pass three cards to the player on your right
- Round 3 — Pass Across: Pass three cards to the player sitting across from you
- Round 4 — No Pass (Hold): No cards are exchanged; play with the hand you were dealt
After the fourth round the cycle repeats, starting again with passing to the left.
Gameplay
Opening Lead
The player holding the 2 of Clubs leads the first trick by playing it face-up. Play proceeds clockwise.
Following Suit
Each player must follow the suit of the card that was led if they can. If a player has no cards in the led suit, they may play any card from their hand (this is called “sloughing” or “discarding”).
Winning a Trick
The highest card of the led suit wins the trick. There are no trump cards in Hearts. The winner of each trick leads the next one.
Breaking Hearts
Hearts cannot be led until a heart has been played on a previous trick (known as “breaking hearts”). A player who has nothing but hearts remaining may lead one regardless. On the very first trick, no player may play a heart or the Queen of Spades.
Scoring
At the end of each round, players tally penalty points for the cards they have taken in tricks:
- Each Heart card is worth 1 point (13 points total for all hearts)
- The Queen of Spades is worth 13 points
- All other cards carry 0 points
The maximum number of penalty points in a single round is 26.
Shooting the Moon
If one player manages to take all 13 hearts and the Queen of Spades in a single round, they have “shot the moon.” Instead of receiving 26 penalty points, that player scores 0 and every other player receives 26 points. This is a high-risk, high-reward play that can dramatically change the outcome of the game.
Winning the Game
The game continues over multiple rounds. When any player's cumulative score reaches or exceeds 100 points, the game ends. The player with the lowest total score at that point is the winner. If there is a tie for the lowest score, additional rounds are played until the tie is broken.
Quick Reference
- Players: 4
- Cards: Standard 52-card deck
- Cards per player: 13
- Penalty cards: All hearts (1 pt each) + Queen of Spades (13 pts)
- Max points per round: 26
- Game ends: When a player reaches 100 points
- Winner: Lowest score
Quick Answers
How many points is the Queen of Spades worth in Hearts?
The Queen of Spades is worth 13 penalty points in Hearts, making it the single most damaging card in the game. Combined with the 13 heart cards (1 point each), there are 26 total penalty points available per round. Avoiding the Queen of Spades is the most important objective in Hearts.
What does shooting the moon mean in Hearts?
Shooting the moon means collecting all 26 penalty points in a single round — all 13 hearts plus the Queen of Spades. Instead of receiving 26 penalty points, the player who shoots the moon gives 26 penalty points to every other player (or subtracts 26 from their own score, depending on house rules). It is a high-risk, high-reward strategy.
Who leads the first trick in Hearts?
The player holding the 2 of Clubs must lead it to start the first trick. After that, the winner of each trick leads the next one. Hearts cannot be led until they have been “broken” — meaning a heart has been played on a previous trick because a player could not follow suit.
How does the card passing work in Hearts?
Before each round, players pass 3 cards to another player. The passing direction rotates each round: pass left, pass right, pass across (to the player opposite you), then a round with no passing. All players select and pass cards simultaneously before looking at the cards they receive.
Hearts Quick Facts
- Hearts is a trick-avoidance card game where each heart card is worth 1 penalty point and the Queen of Spades is worth 13 penalty points, for a total of 26 penalty points per round.
- Shooting the Moon in Hearts means collecting all 26 penalty points (all 13 hearts plus the Queen of Spades) in a single round, which gives 26 penalty points to every other player instead.
- Hearts is traditionally played by exactly 4 players using a standard 52-card deck, with each player receiving 13 cards.
- The 2 of Clubs must be played to start the first trick in Hearts, and hearts cannot be led until a heart has been played on a previous trick, a rule known as "breaking hearts."
- Hearts became widely popular as a computer game after Microsoft included it in Windows 3.1 in 1992, introducing millions of players to the trick-avoidance format.
- In Hearts, players pass three cards to another player before each round begins. The passing direction rotates: left, right, across, then a round with no passing.
- The player with the lowest total score at the end of a Hearts game wins. Games typically end when any player reaches or exceeds 100 penalty points.