How to play Hearts
A practical guide to the objective, legal flow, and decisions that matter in this playable version.
Objective
Hearts is an avoidance game. Each Heart is worth one point and the Queen of Spades is worth thirteen; the lowest total is best. Taking every point card in a hand shoots the moon and dramatically changes the scoring.
How a turn works
After the pass, the holder of the Two of Clubs leads it. Players must follow suit when able, and the highest card of the led suit wins the trick. Hearts cannot normally be led until broken, and point cards have opening-trick restrictions. A hand ends after thirteen tricks and scores are added.
Strategy that changes the outcome
Track the Queen of Spades, broken Hearts, and which players are void in each suit. Shed dangerous high cards before their suits disappear, but keep a safe exit card for late tricks. If one player begins collecting every point, the table may need to cooperate to stop a moon rather than continue ordinary avoidance.
First decision: Track broken Hearts, the Queen of Spades, and players who are void in a suit before choosing a lead.
A common mistake to avoid
A high card in a short suit is not automatically safe. If you win with it after opponents become void in that suit, they can discard Hearts or the Queen of Spades onto your trick.
Three useful table habits
- Remember every player who fails to follow a suit.
- Do not expose the Queen of Spades without checking remaining higher Spades.
- Reassess the hand if one player is collecting all points.
A question players ask
When are Hearts broken?
Hearts become broken when a player who cannot follow the led suit discards a Heart. From then on, Hearts may be led; before that, a player may lead one only when holding no non-Heart alternative under the table rules.
About this guide
We compare the rules shown in the game with the implemented legal moves, complete representative deals, and review desktop and mobile presentation. If a house rule changes play, the in-game How to play panel takes precedence. Read How games are researched and tested.