How to Play Hearts: Complete Rules and Beginner Guide

Hearts is a trick-taking card game for four players. Unlike most card games, the goal is to avoid taking points — not to collect them. Each heart card is worth 1 point, and the Queen of Spades is worth 13. The player with the lowest score when any player reaches 100 points wins the game.

Hearts uses a standard 52-card deck. Each player is dealt 13 cards per round. There are no teams — it is every player for themselves.

Before each round begins, every player selects 3 cards from their hand to pass to another player. The passing direction rotates each round:

• Round 1: Pass left
• Round 2: Pass right
• Round 3: Pass across the table
• Round 4: No pass (keep your cards)

This cycle repeats. Passing lets you get rid of dangerous high cards (like the Queen of Spades) or create a void in a suit, which gives you more control during play.

The player holding the 2 of Clubs leads the first trick. Each player must follow the suit that was led. If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card — including a heart or the Queen of Spades (except on the very first trick, where you cannot play point cards).

The highest card of the led suit wins the trick. The winner collects the cards and leads the next trick. There are no trumps in Hearts — only the led suit matters.

You cannot lead a trick with a heart until hearts have been broken. Hearts are broken when a player discards a heart on someone else's trick because they have no cards in the led suit. After that point, hearts can be led freely.

At the end of each round, count the point cards you collected:

• Each heart: 1 point
• Queen of Spades (Q♠): 13 points

The maximum points in a single round is 26 (all 13 hearts + the Queen). Points accumulate across rounds. The game ends when any player hits 100 points, and the player with the lowest total score wins.

If one player manages to take all 13 hearts AND the Queen of Spades in a single round, they "shoot the moon." Instead of receiving 26 points, every other player gets 26 points added to their score. The shooter gets zero.

Shooting the moon is a high-risk, high-reward play. You need a very strong hand with high cards in multiple suits. If another player takes even one heart, your moon attempt fails and you are stuck with a massive point total.

• Pass the Queen of Spades unless you also hold the Ace and King of Spades to protect her.
• Create a void early. If you can empty one suit from your hand during the pass, you can dump point cards on tricks in that suit.
• Lead low. Starting tricks with low cards forces other players to play higher cards and potentially take points.
• Watch for moon attempts. If one player is collecting every heart, feed them a heart on purpose to stop the moon.
• Count the Queen. If the Q♠ has not appeared yet, be cautious about leading or winning spade tricks.