How to play Hearts

1 player vs computer, or 4 online

Finish the thirteen tricks with the fewest points: every heart taken is one against you and the queen of spades is thirteen, unless you take all twenty-six and land them on everyone else.

The rules, step by step

1. 1

   The whole deck is dealt, thirteen cards to each of four players. There are no partners: everyone scores alone.

2. 2

   Choose three cards and pass them face down — to your left on the first deal, right on the second, across on the third; every fourth deal nothing is passed.

3. 3

   Whoever holds the two of clubs leads it to the first trick. No penalty card — no heart, and not the queen of spades — may be played on that first trick.

4. 4

   Follow the suit that was led if you can. Only when you are void may you throw anything else, which is how the queen lands on somebody.

5. 5

   The highest card of the suit led takes the trick — there are no trumps — and leads to the next one.

6. 6

   Hearts may not be led until one has been discarded on another suit's trick. When the hands are empty, count: hearts one each, the queen thirteen, lowest total wins.

Three tips that change how you play

• Get rid of high spades in the pass. The ace and king of spades are the two cards that can accidentally win the trick the queen is thrown on, and passing them is cheaper than praying with them.
• Keep low hearts rather than passing them. A hand that can duck under every heart trick never takes one; it is the middle hearts with nothing beneath them that hurt.
• Count the spades. If the queen has not appeared and you cannot be forced to take her, keep leading low spades — whoever holds her has to sweat every one of them.

Ducking the queen out of a hand

Say spades are led for the second time and you hold the queen, the ten and the four of spades. The first spade trick took your four; this one you follow with the ten, and it holds — now every remaining spade in your hand is the queen. If anybody leads spades a third time you take thirteen points, and there is nothing you can do about it. Wind back one trick: play the ten on the first spade lead and keep the four. Now the second spade lead falls to your four, the queen is still guarded, and you are one discard away from safety — the first trick you cannot follow, she goes, and somebody else counts thirteen. The order you spend your safe cards in is the whole difference between dumping the queen and eating her.

Three mistakes that cost beginners the game

Winning early tricks just because you can.

A trick with no points in it is still a lead you now have to make, and the player on lead is the one who gets stuck winning the dangerous tricks later. Duck early, cheaply and often — the ace you save will win a trick you actually want.

Passing the queen of spades on reflex.

Passing her right hands your problem to the player who plays after you, where she is hardest to punish. But with four or five spades to guard her, keeping the queen can be stronger — you decide when she falls, and a guarded queen dumped on a hearts-heavy trick swings the deal.

Ignoring an opponent who is quietly taking everything.

A player collecting hearts on purpose is shooting the moon, and one round of politeness from you costs everyone twenty-six. The moment somebody has taken several hearts and keeps winning, spend a high card to take one heart yourself and the shot is dead.

Common questions about Hearts