Hearts – the classic trick-taking card game against three players
Hand
1
Hearts
Not yet
Pass
Left
West0 pts
North0 pts
East0 pts
You0 pts
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Quick answer
Hearts is a free four-player trick-taking card game that plays instantly in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, with no download, sign-up or ads. Take as few points as possible (1 per heart, 13 for the queen of spades); lowest score when someone reaches 100 wins.
Hearts at a glance
What it is
Four-player trick-taking card game
Goal
Take as few points as possible (1 per heart, 13 for the queen of spades); lowest score when someone reaches 100 wins
Modes
You against three computer players; pass three cards left, right, across or not at all; shooting the moon
Controls
Tap cards to pass or play; only legal cards are lit
Players
1 against 3 computer players
Price
Free, no ads, no sign-up, no download
Works on
Phones, tablets and computers, in any modern browser
You and a computer partner against two computer opponents; Nil bids, bags (10 bags cost 100)
1 with a computer partner against 2 computer players
The classic game of avoiding tricks
Hearts is played by four players with a standard 52-card deck. Each hand, everyone tries not to win tricks that contain hearts or the queen of spades. Points are bad: the game ends when someone reaches 100, and the lowest score wins.
Strategy that keeps your score low
Watch the queen of spades. If you hold it, keep low spades to protect it; if you do not, lead spades to flush it out.
Void a suit. Passing away a short suit lets you discard hearts and the queen when that suit is led.
Duck under. Play the highest card that still loses the trick, to get rid of dangerous high cards safely.
Count the hearts. Keep track of how many hearts have gone; late in a hand a single high heart can be costly.
Stop the moon. If one player has taken every point so far, take a heart yourself to block the shot.
Three computer opponents
West, North and East are computer players with sensible passing and play. Scores carry over from hand to hand until someone reaches 100.
How to play Hearts
1
Pass three cards
Before each hand, choose three cards to pass, to the left, then the right, then across; every fourth hand there is no pass. Pass dangerous cards such as high spades.
2
Follow suit
The two of clubs leads the first trick. Play a card of the suit that was led if you can; otherwise play anything. The highest card of the suit led wins the trick.
3
Avoid points
Each heart you win is 1 point and the queen of spades is 13. Hearts cannot be led until one has been played on another suit.
4
Finish lowest
When someone reaches 100 points, the player with the lowest score wins. Take all 26 points in one hand to shoot the moon and give everyone else 26.
Bid and win tricks with a partner; spades are always trumps. Nil bids, bags, first to 500.
Frequently asked questions
What is shooting the moon?
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If you take every heart and the queen of spades in one hand, you score 0 and each other player scores 26 instead. It is risky, because one heart taken by someone else turns a big win into a big loss.
Can I play points on the first trick?
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No. Hearts and the queen of spades cannot be played on the first trick, unless your hand holds nothing else.
When can hearts be led?
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Only after a heart has been played on a trick of another suit ("hearts are broken"), or when your hand holds only hearts.
How do the computer players play?
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They pass high spades and hearts, follow low when a trick is dangerous, dump the queen of spades and high hearts when they cannot follow suit, and try to stop a player who is shooting the moon.
Which cards should I pass?
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The queen, king and ace of spades (unless you have many low spades to protect them), high hearts, and cards that empty a short suit so you can discard later.
Prefer to play alone?
Klondike, Spider, FreeCell and Pyramid are the classic solitaire games, with undo and hints.