Hearts

Setup

• Players: four, each playing for themselves.
• Deck: a standard 52-card deck, 13 cards each.
• Card rank: Ace high down to 2. There is no trump suit.
• Passing: three cards each hand: to the left, then right, then across, then a hand with no pass. Repeat.

How to play

1. 1Pass three cards. Pick three cards to pass before you see what is coming your way.
2. 2The 2 of Clubs leads. Whoever holds the 2 of Clubs plays it to start the first trick.
3. 3Follow suit if you can. Play a card of the suit that was led. If you have none, you can play anything, which is your chance to dump trouble.
4. 4High card takes the trick. The highest card of the suit led wins all four cards, and that player leads next.
5. 5Hearts must be broken. You cannot lead a heart until one has been played on an earlier trick, unless hearts are all you have.
6. 6Count the damage. After 13 tricks, add up the hearts and the Queen in the tricks you took.

Winning

When anyone reaches 100 points at the end of a hand, the game ends. The lowest total wins. If the lowest score is tied, play another hand.

Scoring

Shoot the Moon and you score nothing for the hand while every other player takes 26.

Key terms

Trick:

One card from each player. The highest card of the suit led wins it.

Lead:

The first card played to a trick. Its suit is the one everyone must follow.

Follow suit:

Play a card of the suit that was led whenever you can.

Void:

Having no cards left in a suit, so you can play anything when it is led.

Duck:

Play a card that loses the trick on purpose.

Breaking hearts:

The first heart played in a hand. Until then, you cannot lead hearts.

Penalty cards:

Hearts (1 point each) and the Queen of Spades (13 points).

The pass:

Three cards you send to another player before each hand: left, right, across, then none.

Shoot the Moon:

Take all 13 hearts and the Queen of Spades in one hand. You don’t need every trick, just those 14 cards. Instead of 26 points, you score 0 and everyone else takes 26.