Hearts Rules: A Complete Guide for Beginners and Experienced Players

What is Hearts?

Hearts is a classic four-player trick-taking card game where the aim is to avoid capturing certain cards that carry penalty points—mainly the hearts and the Queen of Spades. Known for its blend of tactics, memory, and “shooting the moon” moments, Hearts is easy to learn but offers deep strategic play.

A Brief History of Hearts

Hearts dates back to the 18th century and evolved from the Spanish game “Reversis.” It gained popularity in America in the late 1800s and exploded further with the inclusion of digital Hearts in early versions of Microsoft Windows. Over time, it’s developed numerous variants, but the core mechanics remain true to the original: avoid points—or gather them all.

Objective of Hearts

The objective is to finish the game with the lowest total score. Players try to avoid capturing hearts (each worth 1 point) and the Queen of Spades (worth 13 points). However, if you manage to take all penalty cards in one round—a bold move called “shooting the moon”—your opponents get the points instead.

The Pack and Card Ranks

Hearts is played with a standard 52-card deck (no jokers). All cards rank from high to low: Ace (high) down to 2 (low). Suits are all equal in value, but hearts and the Queen of Spades carry scoring weight.

How to Play Hearts: Step-by-Step Rules

1. Setup

• Players: 4
• Deck: Standard 52 cards
• Deal: Each player gets 13 cards

2. Passing Cards

• At the start of each hand, players pass three cards to another player.
• The pass direction rotates each round:
  • Round 1: Left
  • Round 2: Right
  • Round 3: Across
  • Round 4: No pass (then repeat cycle)

3. Playing Tricks

• The player with the 2 of Clubs leads the first trick.
• Each player must follow suit if able. If not, they can play any card—except:
  • No hearts or the Queen of Spades may be played on the first trick.
  • Hearts cannot be led until they’ve been “broken” (played in a previous trick).

4. Trick Rules

• Highest card of the lead suit wins the trick.
• The winner of the trick leads the next one.
• All captured cards are kept for scoring.

5. Shooting the Moon

• If one player takes all 13 hearts and the Queen of Spades in a round, they can “shoot the moon”:
  • Instead of gaining 26 points, all other players each receive 26 points.
  • Some versions allow the shooter to subtract 26 from their total instead.

Scoring in Hearts

Card	Points
Each Heart	+1
Queen of Spades	+13
All Hearts + Q♠ (“Shoot the Moon”)	+0 (others +26) or –26 (shooter)

• After each hand, players total their penalty points.
• The game usually ends when one player reaches 100 points or more.
• The player with the lowest score at that point wins.

Key Variations and House Rules

Variation	Description
Jack of Diamonds Rule	Jack of Diamonds = –10 points (bonus)
Shooting the Sun	Taking all 52 cards scores –52 (rare and extreme)
No Moon Option	Remove the option to shoot the moon entirely
3–6 Players	Rules adapt for more players by removing some cards

Always agree on rule variations before the game starts.

Additional Tips and Fun Facts

• Try to void yourself of a suit early, so you can offload high cards later.
• Pass high hearts and the Queen of Spades if you’re not planning to shoot the moon.
• If someone’s trying to shoot the moon, work together to stop them.
• Windows Hearts was one of the first mainstream digital card games, boosting its global popularity.

Hearts FAQs

For more classic card game rules and strategies, explore the rest of our Card Game Rules library.