Hearts Card Game Rules: How to Play, Score and Win

These hearts card game rules cover the classic four-player game: dealing, passing three cards, playing tricks, breaking hearts, the dreaded queen of spades and the daring move called shooting the moon. Hearts is a trick-taking game where you try not to win certain cards, so it feels backwards at first and then becomes addictive. Each player plays alone, and the lowest score wins. Below you will also find how to adjust the deal for 3, 5 and 6 players and a few house rules worth agreeing before you start. If you enjoy it, Spades uses the same trick-taking skills in partnerships.

Quick rules

• Deal all 52 cards so four players get 13 each.
• Before each hand, pass three cards: left, then right, then across, then no pass, and repeat.
• The player holding the 2 of clubs leads it to the first trick.
• Follow suit if you can. If you cannot, play any card. There are no trumps.
• The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, and the winner leads next.
• Hearts cannot be led until a heart has been played on another suit (hearts are "broken").
• Each heart is 1 point and the queen of spades is 13. Take all of them and you "shoot the moon." Lowest score wins when someone hits 100.

What you need

• A standard 52-card deck, no jokers. Aces are high.
• 4 players for the standard game, though 3, 5 and 6 work with small changes.
• Pencil and paper, or the scorekeeper further down this page.

Setup

1. Draw for the first dealer. The deal passes to the left after each hand.
2. Shuffle and deal all the cards one at a time, face down, clockwise, so each player has 13.
3. Players sort their hands and choose three cards to pass.

How to play

The pass

Each player chooses three cards and passes them face down. On the first hand pass to the left, on the second to the right, on the third across the table, and on the fourth hand there is no pass. Then the cycle repeats. You must choose and pass your three cards before looking at the ones passed to you.

Playing the tricks

1. The player holding the 2 of clubs leads it to start the first trick.
2. Going clockwise, each player plays one card. You must follow the suit that was led if you can.
3. If you have no cards of the suit led, you may play any card. This is how you get rid of hearts and the queen of spades onto other players' tricks.
4. The highest card of the suit led wins the trick. Off-suit cards never win, whatever their rank.
5. The winner collects the four cards face down in front of them and leads the next trick.
6. Continue until all 13 tricks have been played.

First trick and breaking hearts

• On the first trick, nobody may play a heart or the queen of spades, even if they cannot follow suit, unless their hand holds nothing else.
• You may not lead a heart until hearts are broken, meaning a heart has been discarded on an earlier trick. The exception is when your hand holds only hearts.
• The queen of spades can be played at any time after the first trick, including as a lead.

Scoring

At the end of each hand, each player counts the penalty cards in the tricks they won.

How to win

Keep a running total. The game ends when any player reaches or passes 100 points at the end of a hand. The player with the lowest total wins. If two players tie for lowest, play another hand to settle it, or share the win.

Hearts for 3, 5 and 6 players

• 3 players: remove the 2 of diamonds and deal 17 cards each. Pass three cards left, then right, then no pass, and repeat.
• 5 players: remove the 2 of diamonds and the 2 of clubs and deal 10 cards each. The 3 of clubs leads the first trick.
• 6 players: remove four low cards so each player gets 8. Most groups take out the 2 and 3 of diamonds and the 2 and 3 of clubs, and the 4 of clubs leads. Never remove a heart or the queen of spades.
• 2 players: Hearts is not designed for two. One common fix is to deal 13 cards each and set the rest aside unseen, then play by normal rules without passing. Results are much more luck-based.

Variations

• Jack of diamonds: the player who takes the jack of diamonds subtracts 10 points. A popular house rule.
• Moon option: a player who shoots the moon may choose to subtract 26 from their own score instead of adding 26 to everyone else, which helps when it would otherwise push someone past 100.
• Free first trick: some groups allow penalty cards on the first trick.
• Different targets: play to 50 for a quicker game, or 150 for a longer one.

Tips and strategy

• Pass the dangerous cards. High spades (ace and king) are risky because they can catch the queen. Pass them unless you hold several low spades to protect yourself.
• Create a void. Passing all your cards in one short suit lets you discard hearts and the queen on those tricks later.
• Keep low cards. Low cards in each suit let you duck under other players and avoid winning tricks.
• Flush out the queen. If you hold several low spades and not the queen, lead spades to force it out.
• Watch for a moon shot. If one player is winning every heart, take one heart yourself to stop them.

House rules to agree first

• Whether hearts or the queen may be played on the first trick.
• Whether the jack of diamonds counts.
• How shooting the moon is scored.
• The target score, 100 being standard.

Hearts fans often enjoy Whist, Euchre and Oh Hell. For more ideas see our full guide to card games.