Hearts

Avoid points: hearts cost one, the queen of spades thirteen. Or take them all.

Game instructions

How to play

  • 4 players
  • ranked

Goal and deal

Four players compete individually with 13 cards each from a full deck. Avoid taking hearts and the queen of spades, which score penalty points. The lowest score wins. A trick contains one card from each player.

Goal and deal

Passing cards

If passing is enabled, select three cards to give away before trick play. The direction cycles left, right, across, then one deal without passing. Cards are exchanged after everyone confirms their choices.

Passing cards

Playing tricks

The holder of the two of clubs starts and must lead it. Follow the led suit if possible; otherwise discard another suit. There is no trump. The highest card of the led suit wins and its taker leads next. Ace is high and two low.

Playing tricks

Heart restrictions

In the first trick, you cannot discard hearts or the queen of spades if a legal non-penalty card is available. You cannot lead hearts until they are broken by someone discarding a heart on another suit's trick. A hand containing only hearts is an exception.

Heart restrictions

Scoring and winning

Each heart scores 1 and the queen of spades 13. Taking all 26 penalty points in one deal scores zero for you and 26 for everyone else. If enabled, the jack of diamonds subtracts 10 from its taker's score. After a deal in which someone reaches the selected threshold, the match ends and the lowest total wins. Reaching the threshold is therefore not a victory.

Scoring and winning

You know the rules — time for a game.

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