Hearts rules and strategy
A Beginner's Guide to Playing Hearts
Hearts is a trick-taking card game for four players. The aim is to avoid penalty points, not necessarily to win as many tricks as possible. These are the standard Black Lady-style rules commonly associated with Microsoft Hearts; specific game settings can differ.
1. The Deck and the Goal
A normal 52-card deck is dealt out, 13 cards to each player. The four suits are clubs, diamonds, spades and hearts. Each heart you take scores one point, and the Queen of Spades scores thirteen. A hand therefore contains 26 possible penalty points.
| Card | Penalty points |
|---|---|
| Any heart ♥ | 1 each (13 total) |
| Queen of Spades Q♠ | 13 |
| Any other card | 0 |
2. Passing Three Cards
Before a hand starts, players normally select three cards to pass. The passing direction cycles left → right → across → hold. The hold hand has no passing. A good pass may remove a dangerous high spade or shorten one suit so you can discard unwanted cards later.
3. Playing a Trick
- The player with the 2 of Clubs starts the first trick by leading that card.
- Every other player must follow the led suit if they have a card of that suit.
- If they cannot follow suit, they may usually discard a different suit, subject to opening-trick restrictions.
- The highest card of the led suit wins the trick. That player leads the next one.
The Queen of Spades and hearts add penalty points to the player who wins the trick.
4. When Hearts Can Be Led
At the beginning of a hand, you generally cannot lead with a heart. Once someone discards a heart into a trick, hearts are considered broken and may be led. If you hold only hearts, you can lead one even if hearts are unbroken.
Many versions also restrict playing a heart or the Queen of Spades on the very first trick. Check the particular version's settings for its exact behavior.
5. Shooting the Moon
If you take all 13 hearts and the Queen of Spades in one hand, you have shot the moon. Instead of taking the 26 penalty points yourself, the usual scoring rule adds 26 points to each of your three opponents.
This is a high-risk play. A single opponent taking one heart or the Queen can ruin the attempt, so watch what cards remain before you commit.
6. How a Game Ends
After each 13-trick hand, points are added to the running totals. In the common rule, the game ends when one player reaches 100 or more points, and the player with the lowest score wins.
7. Practical Tips
>> BE CAREFUL WITH A♠ AND K♠
They can unexpectedly take the Queen of Spades if you cannot control when you play them.
>> COUNT THE HEARTS
Keep track of how many hearts and high cards have appeared during the hand.
>> CREATE A VOID
Having no cards in one suit lets you discard dangerous cards when another player leads that suit.
>> PASS WITH A PLAN
Do not just discard your three highest cards automatically. Consider suit length and possible moon attempts.
8. Windows Hearts Controls
Use your mouse to select cards for passing and choose a card when it is your turn. The embedded Windows-style game handles the opponents, trick resolution and scoring. Some versions require a click or double-click on a card; follow the prompts inside the game window.
More About the Game
Curious why Microsoft included Hearts with Windows? Explore the history of Hearts on Windows.