Heart Card Game Rules

When playing card games, typically it's good to have a high score. That's not the case in hearts, as players want to have as low a score as possible. In Hearts, players do not want to win cards from the heart suit, or the Queen of spades. Hands are played until one player reaches a total of 100 points. At that time everyone's totals are compared, and the winner is the player with the lowest score.

Number of Players

Hearts is played by four players. There are no partnerships in the game of Hearts. Players can decide to team up against the player in the lead, but there is only one winner.

The Deal

Cards are dealt to each player at the table: 13 cards are dealt, face down, to each player. Players may look at their own cards but do not expose any of their cards to their opponents.

Before the hand starts, cards are passed at the table. Each player chooses three cards he does not want and passes them face down to an opponent. In the first round, the cards are passed to the left; in the second round the cards are passed to the right; in the third round the cards are passed across the table. This method of passing cards repeats again starting with passing to the left in the fourth round.

Playing Tricks

The first trick is started by the player with the two of clubs. If a player does not have a card in the suit that was led, she may play any card she wishes. The player with the highest card in the suit that was led wins the trick and leads the first card for the next trick. Any suit can be led to start a new trick except hearts. A heart can not be led until someone has played one onto a trick because he didn't have a card from the suit that was led. The only exception to this rule is if the player who must lead has no cards other than hearts in her hand.

Scoring

Players receive points for each heart they have won during the play of the hand after all the cards have been played. The player that wins the Queen of spades receives thirteen tricks. The goal is to have the lowest score when one player reaches 100 points, which results in the game ending.

An optional rule is called "shooting the moon." This means that one player wins all of the hearts in play along with the Queen of spades. When this happens all of the other players have 26 points added to their score, and the player that "shot the moon" has zero points added to his previous score.

Different Numbers of Players

If you do not have four players, Hearts can be played with three or five players as well. Deal an equal number of cards to each player. The one extra card with three players, or two extra cards with five players is part of what is called a kitty. The player that wins the first trick must take these cards in the kitty as well. The cards from the kitty are dealt face down and can not be viewed by any of the players until the hand is scored.

References

• Hearts Card Game Rules