Hearts

Hearts is a four-player trick-taking card game in which the goal is to avoid winning tricks rather than to win them. Each heart taken costs 1 penalty point and the Queen of Spades costs 13, so the player with the lowest score wins once someone crosses 100. Play free in the browser against three AI opponents using click-to-play controls, with Easy, Normal and Hard settings that change the hand you are dealt.

Setup

• Players: 4 players (you against 3 AI opponents).
• Cards: all 52 cards are dealt, giving each player 13 cards.
• Difficulty: choose Easy, Normal or Hard at the start; the setting can be changed from the top bar, which restarts the hand. Measured across four hands, the setting changes the cards you are dealt: Easy dealt the 3, 4 and 5 of every suit, while Hard dealt the 10, Queen and King of every suit, including the Queen of Spades.
• Pass phase: before each hand, choose 3 cards to pass to an opponent. The direction rotates Left, Right, Across, then a hand with no passing.

Controls

• Play a card: click or tap any valid card in your hand to play it into the trick.
• Mobile: the same tap controls work on a touchscreen.
• Top bar: New Game, the three difficulty buttons, Pause, and a running game timer.

Rules

1. The player holding the 2 of Clubs plays it first to start the opening trick.
2. You must follow the suit that was led if you hold a card in it. If you hold none, you may play any card.
3. The highest-ranking card of the suit led wins the trick and leads the next one (Ace is high).
4. Each Heart is worth 1 penalty point; the Queen of Spades is worth 13.
5. Hearts cannot be led until they have been broken, meaning a heart has been discarded on a trick led in another suit.
6. Shooting the Moon: collecting all 13 Hearts and the Queen of Spades in one hand scores 0 for that player and 26 for everyone else.
7. The game ends when any player reaches 100 points; the lowest score wins.

Tips

• Pass high Spades (Ace, King, Queen) away so you do not win the trick that carries the Queen of Spades.
• You are not forced to play the Queen of Spades when spades are led; you must only follow suit, so you can play a lower spade and hold her back.
• Keep track of which high Spades have been played, especially the Queen.
• Shooting the Moon needs cards that can actually win tricks, so it is far more realistic on Hard than on Easy.