Hearts
You against three computer players. Avoid hearts and the Queen of spades, or take them all.
- Round
- 1
- Won
- 0/0
Learn the game
Rules
Hearts is played by four players with one 52-card deck, 13 cards each. You play against three computer players: West on your left, North across and East on your right. Each card counts in one trick; aces are high.
The goal is the lowest score. Each heart you take is 1 point and the Queen of spades is 13. The game ends when someone reaches 100 points at the end of a round, and the lowest score wins.
- Before each round everyone passes three cards: to the left, then the right, then across, then no pass, and again.
- Whoever holds the 2 of clubs leads it to the first trick. Everyone follows suit if they can; if not, any card. The highest card of the suit led takes the trick and leads the next one.
- No heart and no Queen of spades may be played on the first trick, unless a hand holds nothing else.
- Hearts can't be led until a heart has been played on a trick ("hearts are broken"), unless a hand holds only hearts.
- Shooting the moon: whoever takes all 13 hearts and the Queen of spades scores 0 for the round, and every other player gets 26.
How to play here
To pass, tap three cards and press Pass. To play, tap a card: the cards you may play stand up, the others are dimmed. The computer players take their turns on their own, and a full trick stays on the table for a moment so you can see who took it.
Pick how strong the computer players are: easy plays any legal card, normal plays like a careful person, hard remembers every card played and works out the safest card. They never see your cards or each other's.
Your game is saved as you play. Daily gives everyone the same cards today.
Tips
Hearts is about getting rid of danger early and keeping low cards for later.
- Pass the Queen of spades, and the Ace and King of spades when you have few spades: they can catch the Queen.
- Try to empty a short suit with your pass. Once you can't follow suit, you can drop hearts and the Queen on other players.
- Keep a few low cards: late in a round they let you lose the lead when tricks are full of points.
- Watch the scores: if one player is close to 100, the lowest score wins once they cross it.
- Shoot the moon only with a hand full of high hearts and spades, and don't let anyone see it coming.
Questions
Do the computer players see my cards?
No. Each computer player decides from its own cards and what everyone at the table has seen: the cards played, who could not follow suit, and the cards it passed. Hard players also count the cards played.
Does the Queen of spades break hearts?
No. Here hearts are broken only when a heart is played on a trick. The Queen of spades counts 13 points but does not open hearts for leading.
Is Cards & Puzzles free?
Yes. Cards & Puzzles is free to use and needs no account.
Do I need an account?
No. Open a game and play.
Where are my stats and saved games kept?
In your browser, on this device. Your stats stay on your device. Nothing is uploaded. Clearing your browser's site data deletes them.
Can I play offline?
Yes. After your first visit the games work without a connection, including on a phone.
What is the daily deal?
One deal per game each day, the same for everyone. Your stats show which daily deals you have won.