Learn how to play Hearts, including passing, trick-taking rules, breaking hearts, the Queen of Spades, shooting the moon, and beginner strategy.
How to Play Hearts
Hearts is a classic trick-taking game where the aim is not to collect points. It is to avoid them.
That flips the usual card-game instinct. You are not trying to win every trick. Winning the wrong one hurts. Every heart you take adds to your score, and the Queen of Spades is the card most players try to dodge.
Good Hearts play is knowing when to stay low, when to pass danger away, and when to let someone else eat the trick. You can play Hearts online on Solitaire Arcade against smart AI while you learn.
What Hearts actually is
Four players, one 52-card deck, no teams. Everyone plays for themselves, and the lowest score at the end wins.
Each hand is 13 tricks. Everyone starts with 13 cards, and each trick takes one card from each player. Unlike single-player games such as Klondike Solitaire, Hearts is a social trick-taker where every card can shove points around the table.
What you're trying to do
Avoid penalty points. At the end of a hand, each heart is worth 1 and the Queen of Spades is worth 13. Everything else is worth 0. A full hand holds 26 possible penalty points.
Play usually continues until someone reaches 100. Then the lowest score wins.
Card ranks
Cards rank Ace high down through King, Queen, Jack, then 10 to 2. There is no trump suit. The highest card in the suit that was led wins the trick. If clubs are led, the highest club takes it.
The deal and the pass
Everyone gets 13 cards. Before play, you usually pass three cards. Direction rotates each hand: left, then right, then across, then hold (no pass), and the cycle repeats.
Passing shapes the hand before the first lead. A good pass strips danger early. See How to Pass Cards in Hearts for how to choose what to give away.
How a trick works
The 2 of Clubs leads the first trick. Play continues clockwise. Follow the led suit if you can. If clubs are led and you have a club, you must play one.
If you are void in the led suit, you may play another suit. That is often when hearts or the Queen of Spades get dumped. Highest card of the led suit wins, collects the four cards, and leads the next trick.
What "breaking hearts" means
Early in a hand, hearts usually cannot be led. Hearts are broken when someone cannot follow suit and discards a heart onto the trick. After that, hearts may be led on later tricks.
The rule keeps early attacks in check and gives the hand time to develop before penalty cards become the main weapon.
The Queen of Spades
The Queen of Spades is the most dangerous card in the deck: 13 points, equal to all the hearts combined.
If you hold it, you need a plan. Sometimes you pass it. Sometimes you unload it under a higher spade someone else already played. Sometimes you wait until a suit you are void in gets led. You do not have to play it at the first chance, but sitting on it forever can trap you.
Shooting the moon
Shooting the moon is the bold exception. Instead of dodging every penalty card, one player takes all 13 hearts and the Queen of Spades. Rather than scoring 26, the shooter usually scores 0 for that hand and everyone else gets 26.
Miss even one heart or fail to take the Queen and you can end up with a brutal score. Read Shooting the Moon in Hearts for when to try it and how to block it.
Playing on Solitaire Arcade
Solitaire Arcade Hearts uses classic rules with legal-move hints, three AI difficulty levels, trick history, and autosave. Pass three cards on the pass step, then tap a legal card to play. Valid moves are highlighted so you can focus on the table, not the rulebook.
Strategy that actually helps
Pass dangerous high cards when you can, especially awkward high spades that might force you to eat the Queen. Keep low cards for ducking under tricks. Running out of a suit (going void) is powerful: the next time that suit is led, you can discard a penalty card instead of following.
Be careful winning early tricks. They can look harmless, then leave you on lead with an awkward hand. Track whether the Queen of Spades has been played; while she is out, high spades stay dangerous. Once she is gone, spades calm down.
For a fuller beginner overview, read Hearts Strategy for Beginners.
Mistakes that stall a hand
Chasing too many tricks. Hearts is about avoiding the wrong ones; one Queen of Spades can erase a careful hand. Treating the pass as random. Using it to dump danger, create a void, or tidy control. Holding the Queen forever without a dump plan. Forgetting hearts are broken and getting caught with high hearts once they can be led. Half-committing to a moon shot without the control to finish it.
Quick Hearts FAQ
How many players are needed for Hearts?
Usually four.
What is the aim of Hearts?
Finish with the lowest score by avoiding hearts and the Queen of Spades.
How many points is the Queen of Spades worth?
13.
How many points is each heart worth?
1.
Can you lead hearts straight away?
Usually no. Hearts must be broken first, unless you have no other legal option.
What does shooting the moon mean?
Taking all 13 hearts and the Queen of Spades in one hand. The shooter usually scores 0 and the others get 26 each.
Play Hearts
Hearts is easy to learn, but every hand has quiet decisions. Pass with purpose. Avoid dangerous tricks. Watch the Queen of Spades. Track which suits are safe, and do not chase tricks unless you have a reason.
The best Hearts players are not always the most aggressive. They know when to step back and let someone else take the points.
Ready to try it? Play Hearts online, or explore How to Play Spades, How to Play Solitaire, and How to Play FreeCell.
