Learn Hearts: Interactive Card Game Tutorial
Hearts is a card game for four in which every point counts against you. In seven steps at a real table, you pass cards, take a trick, unload the queen of spades and shoot the moon. You sit at the bottom, and three bots play the other seats.
Step 1 of 7
Pass three cards
Each player is dealt 13 cards. Every heart you take in a trick costs you 1 point, and the queen of spades costs 13. The match ends when someone reaches 100 points, and the lowest score wins.
Before the first trick, everyone passes three cards at the same time. This round you pass to Bot 1, on your left. The direction changes every round: left, right, across, then a round with no passing.
Your move
Pick three cards, then press Pass cards under your hand.
Follow suit
A new deal. Whoever holds the 2♣ leads the first trick. Then each player in turn, going left, adds one card and must follow suit: play the suit that was led, if they have it. The highest card of that suit takes the trick, aces high, and its winner leads the next one.
Bot 1 led the 2♣, Bot 2 played the 9♣ and Bot 3 the 6♣. You hold the A♣ and the 4♣, so the rest of your hand is greyed out. Nobody may play a heart or the queen of spades on the first trick, so it never carries points.
Your move
Take the trick.
Hearts must be broken
You took the first trick, so you lead the second. You may lead any suit but hearts: until a heart has been played on a trick, hearts are not broken, and your hearts stay greyed out when you lead. A player who can't follow suit may still throw a heart, and that breaks them. A hand of nothing but hearts may lead one at any time.
Your move
Lead the second trick with any card but a heart.
Can't follow? Play anything
If you can't follow suit, you may play any card. That is your chance to give points to someone else.
Another deal: this is the fourth trick. Bot 1 led the 10♦, Bot 2 played the A♦ and Bot 3 the 6♦. You have no diamonds left, so your whole hand can be played. The A♦ can't be beaten, so Bot 2 takes this trick whatever you play. You hold the queen of spades with only the 5♠ beside her.
Your move
Give the queen of spades to Bot 2.
Duck under the queen
Another deal: this is the fifth trick. The queen of spades is worth 13 points, as much as all 13 hearts together. Bot 1 led the 4♠, Bot 2 played the queen and Bot 3 the 2♠. You must follow with a spade: you hold the K♠, the 9♠ and the 6♠.
Playing under the highest card so far, so that someone else takes the trick, is called ducking.
Your move
Play a spade that doesn't take the trick.
Shoot the moon
Take every heart and the queen of spades in one round and you shoot the moon: you score 0, and every other player scores 26.
Another deal, near its end: two tricks are left. You have taken eleven hearts and the queen, and you hold the 9♥ and the 8♦. The only other heart left is the 5♥, and Bot 1 holds it. Bot 1 has just led the K♣, Bot 2 played the 4♣ and Bot 3 the 6♠. You have no clubs, and Bot 1's K♣ will take this trick.
Your move
Shoot the moon: let no point go, then take the last heart.
Pass the queen
A new deal, and you pass to Bot 1 on your left again. You hold the queen of spades with only the 4♠ beside her. With so few spades she is hard to hide: after one spade trick she is your last spade, the next spade led forces her out, and she may take the trick herself. Players who keep her usually hold several low spades to play first. With one, pass her.
Your move
Pass the queen of spades and two other cards.
What you learned
- Before a round, pass three cards: left, right, across, then no pass.
- The 2♣ leads the first trick. Follow suit if you can. The highest card of the suit led takes the trick.
- Hearts can't be led until a heart has been played on a trick.
- Each heart costs 1 point and the queen of spades 13. The lowest score wins.
- If you can't follow suit, give your points to whoever takes the trick.
- Take every heart and the queen to shoot the moon: 0 for you, 26 for everyone else.
Take it to the table.
Put what you just read into practice. No sign-up needed.