Goal
Hearts is a trick-taking game played backwards: you want to avoid winning tricks that contain penalty cards. Each heart taken costs 1 point and the Queen of Spades costs 13. When any player reaches the target score the game ends and the lowest total wins.
Passing
Before each hand you pass 3 cards to another player. The direction rotates every hand: left → right → across → hold (no pass on the fourth hand). Ship your most dangerous cards — or keep them and hunt.
Playing a Trick
- Whoever holds the 2♣ after the pass leads it to the first trick.
- You must follow suit if you can. If you're void, play anything — including a heart or the Q♠.
- The highest card of the suit led wins the trick and leads the next. There is no trump.
If clubs are led and you have clubs, you must play a club — even your lowest.
A sky-high A♥ thrown on a club trick can never win it.
Two Key Restrictions
- First trick is safe: no hearts or Q♠ may be played on trick one (unless your hand is nothing but penalty cards).
- Breaking hearts: you can't lead a heart until a heart has been played to some earlier trick (you may lead one if hearts are all you have left).
Scoring & The Moon
- Each heart taken = 1 point. The Q♠ = 13 points. 26 points in every hand.
- Shoot the Moon: take all 26 penalty points yourself and you score 0 while everyone else takes 26.
- When any total reaches the target, the game ends — lowest score wins. A tie for the lead plays another hand.
Quick Strategy
- Pass away high spades unless you hold plenty of low ones to hide behind.
- Empty a suit early — being void lets you dump the Queen or fat hearts on someone else's trick.
- Count spades: the Queen falls when someone leads them enough times.
- Watch out mid-hand: taking "just a few" hearts is fine; taking the Queen is a disaster.