Hearts

Hearts is the trick-taking game you win by losing. Four players, no partners and no trumps: every heart you take is a point against you, the queen of spades is thirteen on her own, and the lowest score when the thirteen tricks are done takes the deal. Before a card is played, each player passes three cards on — left, right or across, rotating with the deal.

The exception that makes the game is shooting the moon: take every heart and the queen yourself and the twenty-six points land on the other three instead. You play against three computer opponents at three strengths, or open a table and send the room code to three friends — any seat still empty when the countdown ends is filled by the computer.