Once this occurs, Hearts cards can be played in all future tricks. 'Breaking Hearts' refers to the moment in the game when a Hearts card is first played. Starting with a Heart is only allowed if you have no other suits in your hand.Starting with a Heart is prohibited until someone has 'broken hearts.'.They cannot be played in the first trick.In order to play a Hearts card or the Queen of Spades, the following requirements must be met: The player who plays the highest-ranking card wins the trick and subsequently leads the next trick. For instance, if a player leads with a spade card, all other players must also play a spade card if they have one. The rest of the players must follow suit, unless they cannot, in which case they can play a new suit. In the fourth round, cards are not passed to other players.Įvery round begins with the player holding the 2 of Clubs playing first.In round three, cards are transferred to the player directly across from you.During the second round, you pass your cards to the player positioned on your right.

In round one, cards are passed to the player on the left.Here are the different dealing directions per round: In the fourth round, no cards are exchanged, and in the fifth round, the passing direction resets. The direction in which cards are passed varies across the first three rounds, indicated by the presence of a yellow arrow in the game. As the game progresses, players must exchange three cards with one player and simultaneously receive three cards from a different player again. Dealing and PlayingĪt the start of the Hearts game, every player receives a total of 13 cards. If successfully executed, the player who shoots the moon scores 0 points, while each of the other players are given 26 points, which can dramatically alter the standings. This strategy involves a player's deliberate attempt to gather all the Hearts cards and the Queen of Spades. An intriguing rule known as “Shooting the Moon” is also in play. Therefore, the objective is to avoid penalty cards, which give you points-specifically the Hearts cards, each carrying a value of 1 point, and the Queen of Spades, which incurs a hefty 13 points. As we know, the player who achieves the lowest score is the winner. The primary goal of the game is to minimize the collection of penalty points. The hearts game ends when someone reaches or exceeds 100 points, and whoever has the lowest score at that point is the winner. The game employs a traditional French deck comprising 52 cards, where the Ace carries the highest value and the 2 holds the lowest. This individual game involves four players, each playing independently. Hearts distinguishes itself from most other card games by emphasizing a unique objective: rather than striving for the highest score, players aim to achieve the lowest.

Free online hearts card game