The classic four-player card game
Hearts
You against Pauline, Michele and Ben. Pass three cards, dodge the hearts and the queen of spades, or shoot the moon. Free, no sign-in, plays in the browser.
How to play
- The goal. Take as few points as possible. Every heart you take costs one point and the queen of spades costs thirteen. When somebody reaches 100 at the end of a hand the game is over and the lowest score wins.
- Passing. Click three cards and press the button: Pass Left on the first hand, Pass Right on the second, Pass Across on the third; on the fourth hand everyone keeps their cards, then the cycle repeats. The three cards you receive are shown raised; press OK to start.
- The first trick. Whoever holds the two of clubs leads it. Everyone must follow suit. No heart and not the queen of spades may be played on the first trick unless a player has nothing else.
- Playing. Click a card when it is your turn; only cards you may play are lit. The highest card of the suit led wins the trick and leads the next. If you cannot follow suit you may play anything, and that is how you unload the queen and your hearts.
- Breaking hearts. A heart may not be led until one has been played to an earlier trick, unless hearts are all you have left. The queen of spades does not break hearts and may be led at any time after the first trick.
- Shooting the moon. Take all thirteen hearts and the queen in one hand and you score nothing while each opponent gets 26.
What is replicated
- Four players, you at the bottom against three computer players; the original's name prompt when you first arrive.
- Pauline, Michele and Ben, the default opponents of the later Windows versions (the first version had Anna, Lynda and Terri).
- The passing cycle left, right, across, keep, with the Pass button and the received cards shown raised until you press OK.
- The two of clubs leads; follow suit or be told so; no point cards on the first trick; hearts unbroken cannot be led; the queen of spades may.
- One point per heart, thirteen for the queen of spades, 26 a hand; shooting the moon gives 26 to each opponent.
- The point cards laid out in front of each player when the hand ends, and tricks gathered to the winner.
- The score sheet after every hand: each hand's points per player and the running totals, the leader in blue, the winner in red.
- The game ends when somebody has 100 or more after a hand; lowest score wins; a tie that includes you is yours.
- F2 for a new game, Help and About, and the Shakespeare quotation the Help menu offered.
- Exit closes the window onto a little desktop; click the icon to reopen it.
Our additions, labelled as such: numbered games with links such as hearts.skillsafe.ai/#617 (this page's own numbering; a number fixes every hand and every computer decision), the game surviving a reload, statistics, Undo Card while your card is still on the table, a hint key, the score sheet on demand, Options (your name, animation speed, message boxes, the sheet after each hand) and an optional "26 off the shooter" moon rule that is a generic variant, off by default.
Keyboard
| F1 | Help contents | F2 | New game |
|---|---|---|---|
| F3 | Select game by number | F4 | Score sheet |
| F5 | Options | Ctrl+Z | Undo your card |
| H | Show a hint | Enter | Pass / OK |
| Alt+G / Alt+H | Open the Game / Help menu | Esc | Close a menu or dialog |
Questions
How does passing work in Hearts?
Before most hands every player chooses three cards and passes them: to the left on the first hand, to the right on the second, across on the third, and on the fourth hand nobody passes. The cycle then repeats. You receive three cards from another player in return; they are shown raised in your hand until you press OK.
Who leads, and what may be led?
Whoever holds the two of clubs leads it to the first trick, and the winner of each trick leads the next. Everyone must follow suit if they can. No heart and not the queen of spades may be played on the first trick unless a player holds nothing else. A heart may not be led until hearts are broken, that is until a heart has been played to an earlier trick; the queen of spades does not break hearts and may be led at any time after the first trick.
How is Hearts scored?
Each heart you take costs one point and the queen of spades costs thirteen, so 26 points are dealt out every hand. Taking all 26 is shooting the moon: you score nothing and each opponent gets 26. The game ends when somebody has 100 or more points at the end of a hand, and the lowest score wins.
Who are Pauline, Michele and Ben?
They are the default names of the three computer players in the later Windows versions of Hearts; the first version used Anna, Lynda and Terri, and Windows Vista used West, North and East. You can change your own name under Options.
Can I replay a deal or share it?
Yes. Every game has a number from 1 to 1000000 that fixes every hand of the game and every decision of the computer players, so hearts.skillsafe.ai/#617 always plays out the same way for the same choices. This numbering is this page's own.
Is my progress saved, and is anything sent anywhere?
Your name, options, statistics and the game in progress are stored in this browser only. The page makes no network calls of its own: there is no sign-in, no account and nothing to install.