Play Hearts for Free Online

Hearts is both a trick-taking and trick-avoiding card game that you typically play with four players. You play the game in rounds that contain 13 tricks, and players who take tricks containing heart cards (1 point each) and/or the queen of spades (13 points) are given points. You continue playing rounds and tallying points until someone reaches 100 points, at which point, the winner with the lowest score wins.

Objective

End with the lowest score once a player reaches 100 points by taking tricks that don’t contain penalty cards, unless you are trying to shoot the moon.

How to Play a Round of Hearts

You play as many rounds as needed until a player reaches 100 points. These steps detail how to play hearts by explaining how each round is played:

1. Thirteen cards are dealt to each player. Each player receives 13 cards, so the entire deck is dealt. For each round, each person plays one card per trick, so each round has 13 tricks.
2. Pass three cards (every three out of four rounds). You have the chance to pass cards you don’t want before each round begins. Begin the first round by passing to the person on your left. Then for the next two rounds you continue passing to the person next in line going clockwise. So in round two, pass to the person across from you and then to the person to your right in the third round. In the fourth round, you must play with the cards you are dealt. Then repeat the passing pattern with subsequent rounds.
3. The player with the two of clubs leads the first trick. Each round begins by playing the two of clubs. Once that card is led, play continues clockwise until each player has played a card. Players must follow suit (play a club), but if they don’t have a club they can play anything except the queen of spades or a heart during the first trick. The player that plays the highest club takes the first trick.
4. Play the remaining tricks. After the first trick, all players must follow the suit of whichever card is led. So if Player 2 wins the first trick by playing the highest club, they lead the second trick. If Player 2 leads a six of diamonds for the second trick, all subsequent players must play diamonds if they have them. The player with the highest ranking card of the lead suit wins the trick and must lead the next trick. So if Player 4 plays the highest diamond card, Player 4 wins the trick and then leads the next one.
5. Wait for hearts to be broken. Hearts and the queen of spades are penalty cards, and they cannot be played during the first trick. While the queen of spades can be played any time after the first trick, hearts cannot be played unless they are “broken.” If a player doesn’t have a card to play that matches the suit that is led, they can play a heart as long as it isn’t the first trick. Once a heart is played, hearts are broken and any player can play a heart if they don’t have the lead suit.
6. Score the round. When the round finishes, players receive 1 point for each heart they took in the tricks they won and 13 points for taking the queen of spades. All other cards are worth nothing. If one player took every heart and the queen of spades, they have shot the moon, and then all other players are penalized with 26 points even if they took no tricks at all. Players keep a running score of their penalty points after each round until someone reaches 100. At that point, the person with the lowest score wins the game.