Hearts

Overview

Four players, thirteen tricks a round, and a table full of cards you would rather not take. Hearts is a trick-taking game with the scoring turned on its head — the goal is to finish with the lowest count, not the most tricks. Each heart captured in a trick is worth one penalty point, and the Queen of Spades alone is worth thirteen, a single card capable of ruining a round. You sit at the south position against three computer opponents who each play their own hand, and the standard follow-suit rule applies: lead a suit and every player must play that suit if they can, otherwise they may dump anything, which is exactly when the damage gets done. The escape hatch is shooting the moon — take every heart and the Queen in a single round and the penalty flips onto your opponents instead. Played to a fixed target score, the lowest total at the end wins the match.

How to Play

Click a card from your hand to play it into the current trick; on touch devices, tap the card you want to lead or follow with. You must follow the suit that was led if you have it, otherwise you may play any card from your hand, including dumping high spades or hearts on someone else. Hearts cannot be led until they have been broken — that is, played as a discard during a previous trick. The winner of each trick leads the next.

Tips & Strategy

Count spades, especially the high ones. The Queen of Spades is the round's defining danger, and knowing who still holds the king and ace tells you when it is safe to lead spades and when it will land on you. Short suits are power — being void in a suit lets you discard dangerous cards on tricks you cannot win, so protect your short suits rather than accidentally filling them. Passing at the start of each round is a chance to evict high cards, but consider keeping a low spade or two as cover for the Queen rather than passing all your spade defense away. Shooting the moon is a high-risk play that demands control of the high cards and a clean read on the table; attempt it only when your hand is genuinely strong, because a near-miss usually hands the Queen to you. Leading low hearts late in the round forces opponents into awkward captures.