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How to Play Hearts

Extra Examples and Instructions:

How to Play Hearts

 
Objective:

• The objective of Hearts is to have the lowest score when the game ends. Points are awarded by winning hands, called tricks, containing point cards, which are any heart card as well as the queen of spades.  

Players:

• Typically, there are four participants and there are no partners. (There are also variations that allow for different numbers of players but four is the standard.)

Before play begins:

• Use a standard 52 deck of cards with no cards discarded.
• Any acceptable method of selecting the first dealer may be used.
• Shuffle the deck.
• Deal out the entire deck, 13 cards, face-down, one at a time to each player.

Playing the game:

*Passing - Before each hand, players select three cards from their hand to pass (face-down) to another player.

• On the first hand, the cards will be passed to the left.
• On the second hand, pass to the right.
• On the third hand, players pass the cards to the person sitting across from them.
• On the fourth hand, cards will not be passed.
• Alternatively, on the fourth hand, players may “scatter” pass, where one card is passed to each of the other players.
• Repeat this sequence throughout the game.
• Other variations include no passing, or passing always goes to the left, or passing is chosen by the dealer.
• Whatever method the players use should be agreed upon beforehand.

* Leading Off - It is customary that the player holding the two of clubs lead the first trick.

• Some rules have the person left of the dealer start instead.
• Play moves clockwise with each player following suit.
• When a player has no cards of that suit they can choose any card to play.
• The trick is won by the person who played the highest card of the lead suit, using the standard card ranking system, where ace is highest and two is lowest. There is no trump suit.
• The winner then leads the next trick.

* Broken Hearts - Hearts may not be led until hearts have been “broken.”

• This means that hearts must have been discarded by someone in a previous trick before a player can lead with a heart, unless the player has nothing but hearts in their hand.

* Scoring - The winner of each trick is penalized one point for each heart won and 13 points for the queen of spades.

• If the player is able to win all 26 point cards in a deal, however, they have the option of reducing their own score by 26 points or adding 26 to everyone else’s score. This is referred to as “shooting the moon” and, obviously, can have a significant impact on the game.

Winning:

• The game ends when any player reaches a predetermined point total, most commonly 50 or 100 points.
• Some choose, instead, to use a predetermined number of deals or a set period of time.
• The winner is the player with the lowest point total when the game ends.

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