How to Play Hearts: Rules, Passing and Shooting the Moon

Hearts is the classic card game of avoiding trouble. Unlike most trick-taking games, you do not want tricks; you want to dodge the cards inside them. It takes a few minutes to learn and a lifetime to master, mostly because of one daring move: shooting the moon. This guide covers the full rules, the scoring and the basic strategy.

The goal

Four players play alone (no partners), with a standard 52-card deck. Each hand, every heart you take is 1 point and the Queen of Spades is 13 points. That makes 26 points per hand. The game ends when someone reaches 100 points, and the player with the lowest score wins.

The deal and the pass

Each player gets 13 cards. Before play, everyone chooses three cards to pass, on a four-hand cycle:

1. pass to the left;
2. pass to the right;
3. pass across;
4. no pass.

Then the cycle repeats. Passing is your best chance to get rid of danger, such as the Queen of Spades, high spades and high hearts, or to set up a void (a suit you hold none of).

Playing tricks

• The player holding the two of clubs leads it to the first trick.
• Everyone must follow suit if they can. If you cannot, you may play any card (with the first-trick exception below).
• The highest card of the suit led wins the trick. There are no trumps.
• The winner of a trick leads the next one.

Two special rules:

• No points on the first trick: you may not play a heart or the Queen of Spades on the first trick unless your hand holds nothing else.
• Breaking hearts: you cannot lead a heart until a heart has been discarded on an earlier trick, unless you have only hearts left.

Scoring

After all 13 tricks, count the points you took:

Card	Points
Each heart	1
Queen of Spades	13
Everything else	0

Add the hand to your running total. Some house rules add a bonus card, such as the Jack of Diamonds worth minus 10, but the standard game uses only hearts and the Queen.

Shooting the moon

If one player takes all 13 hearts and the Queen of Spades in a hand, they have shot the moon. Instead of scoring 26, they score 0 and every other player scores 26. (Some tables let the shooter subtract 26 instead; the game on this site uses the classic version.)

Shooting the moon is a gamble. If you take almost all the hearts but someone else snatches one, you end up with a terrible score. Try it only when your hand is strong in hearts and high cards and the other players are not watching for it.

Basic strategy

Pass wisely

• Pass the Queen of Spades unless you hold several low spades to protect it.
• Pass the Ace and King of Spades if you lack low spades; they can win the trick where the Queen is dropped.
• Try to void a suit, usually clubs or diamonds, so you can discard dangerous cards when that suit is led.

Duck when you can

Playing just under the current winning card (ducking) keeps you out of tricks. High cards are useful early, when tricks are less likely to hold points, and dangerous late.

Flush out the Queen

If you do not hold the Queen of Spades, leading low spades forces whoever has it to play it eventually. If you hold the Queen, protect it with low spades and wait for a chance to discard it on someone else.

Watch for a moon attempt

If one player is taking every trick with points and never ducks, they may be shooting the moon. The defence is simple: take one heart yourself. One point to you is far better than 26.

Count cards

Keep track of which hearts and spades have been played. By the middle of a hand, knowing whether the Queen is still out decides whether a high spade is safe.

Common beginner mistakes

Mistake	What happens	Better habit
Keeping the Queen of Spades with no low spades	You are forced to win a trick with it	Pass it, or keep at least three low spades with it
Holding the Ace of Spades too long	It wins the trick where someone drops the Queen	Play it early when spades are led and the Queen is gone or safe
Leading hearts too early	You may win the trick and collect points	Lead low cards in your longest safe suit instead
Ignoring a moon attempt	You and two others take 26 points each	Take one heart to stop it

A quick checklist for each hand

1. Pass the Queen of Spades or high spades unless you can protect them.
2. Create a void if you can.
3. Use high cards early, low cards late.
4. Discard the Queen or high hearts as soon as you are void in a suit.
5. Stop anyone who might be shooting the moon.

Play Hearts against the computer

The Hearts game on this site seats you with three computer players, follows the rules above (passing cycle, two of clubs lead, no points on the first trick, breaking hearts, shooting the moon) and lights up only the cards you may legally play, which makes it an easy way to learn.