How to play
Hearts is the evasion game that came out of the French game Reversis and settled into its modern American form in the 1880s, when the queen of spades picked up her 13-point sting and the game became known for a while as Black Lady. It was bundled with every home computer for two decades, which is why most people know the rhythm already: pass three cards, lead the two of clubs, and try not to win anything that hurts.
This is a four-handed, every-player-for-themselves table. You sit at the bottom, the computer plays the seats to your right, across from you and to your left. A 52-card deck is dealt out 13 each, aces are high, there are no trumps, and play goes clockwise.
Passing
Before the first trick each player chooses three cards and hands them on. The direction cycles: left on the first deal, right on the second, across on the third, and the fourth deal is played as dealt. Tap three cards to pick them, then press the pass button, which names the direction. The three cards you receive stay outlined in gold until you play your first card, so you always know what arrived.
Prefer the older, passless game? Options lets you switch passing off for the next match.
The tricks
The holder of the two of clubs leads it. Everyone follows suit if they can; if not, they may play anything. The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, and the winner leads the next one. Legal cards are raised and bright, the rest dimmed, so you never have to check the rules yourself.
Two restrictions apply:
- No blood on the first trick. On the opening trick you may not discard a heart or the queen of spades, unless your hand is nothing but penalty cards.
- Hearts must be broken. You can’t lead a heart until a heart has been discarded on an earlier trick, unless hearts are all you have. A “Hearts broken” chip appears in the centre of the table when it happens. The queen of spades does not count as breaking hearts, and she may be led at any time.
Scoring
| Card won | Points |
|---|---|
| Each heart | 1 |
| Queen of spades (the Black Lady) | 13 |
| Jack of diamonds, when that option is on | −10 |
Twenty-six penalty points are dealt out every hand, and the lowest total wins. Take every heart and the queen in one hand and you have shot the moon: by default you score nothing and each opponent takes 26. The alternative treatment, where the shooter subtracts 26 from their own total instead, is available in Options, and so is the Omnibus variant where the jack of diamonds is worth −10 to whoever wins it.
A hand that ends with any player at the target or above ends the match. The target is 100 points, or 50 for a quicker game, and ties for the lowest total are shared.
Hint, resign and saving
Hint lights up the card the computer would play from your seat (three cards during the pass). It works only from what you can see: your hand, the cards on the table and the tricks already taken. A short ad may show first; the hint is given either way.
Resign ends the match at once. You take the loss and the lowest other total wins. If you confirm while a computer player is thinking, the resignation goes through on your next turn.
Every card played is saved, so you can close the page mid-hand and continue later. Options are remembered too, and take effect from the next match.
Strategy
Count to three before keeping the queen. The queen of spades is a liability only when a spade lead can force her out of your hand. With three or more spades lower than the queen you can follow spade leads and keep her until a trick you don’t win. With fewer, pass her. If you don’t hold her, the ace and king of spades are the cards most likely to win her, so they go next.
Build a void when you pass. Three cards from the same short suit beat three unrelated high cards. Once that suit is gone, every lead of it is a free discard for your worst heart or the queen.
Lead low spades while the queen is loose. It costs you nothing and forces whoever holds her to follow. The computer opponents do this, and so should you. Stop doing it the moment the queen has fallen.
Duck with the highest loser. When you can’t win the trick anyway, play the biggest card that still loses. That is how high hearts and spades leave your hand safely.
Keep a running count of hearts and spades. Once the ace and king of spades are gone, your queen is safe to keep. Once eight or nine hearts have been played, a late heart lead rarely costs much.
Spoil a moon early. When one opponent has taken every penalty point so far, win one cheap heart on purpose. One point against you now is better than 26 later. The computer players apply the same rule against you, which is why a moon needs the top hearts and spades, not just a long red suit.
With the jack of diamonds on, the diamond suit becomes a battleground. A late diamond trick that nets the jack is worth taking even with a heart or two on it; the opponents hold on to the jack rather than discard it.
If you enjoy Hearts, try King or Klondike Solitaire next.
