Hearts

Hearts: Rules and Strategies of the Card Game

“Whist is Bridge for fools, and Hearts is Bridge for the biggest fools of all,” goes a quote from Stephen King’s novella Hearts in Atlantis.

Hearts is an exciting four-player card game, very similar to Whist. It was especially popular in America in the 20th century. It is a trick-taking game, but to win you must try to avoid taking tricks.

🎯 Objective:

• Score the fewest points overall.
• Points are awarded for tricks containing certain cards.
• Play continues until one player reaches or exceeds 100 points. At that moment, the player with the fewest points is declared the winner.

📖 Basic Rules

Dealing and Passing Cards

A standard 52-card deck is used. Each of the four players is dealt 13 cards. Before each round begins, a card pass occurs in the following cycle:

• Round 1: Pass three cards to the player on your right (clockwise).
• Round 2: Pass three cards to the player on your left (counter-clockwise).
• Round 3: Pass three cards to the player sitting opposite you.
• Round 4: No pass (hold).
• The cycle repeats from the beginning.

Gameplay and Tricks

• The player holding the 2 of Clubs makes the first lead. They must lead with this card.
• Playing a Trick: Play proceeds clockwise. Each subsequent player must follow suit (play a card of the same suit as the led card). If they have no cards of that suit, they may discard any card.
• Important Restriction: You cannot lead a Heart on the first trick of a round until Hearts have been “broken” (i.e., until someone has discarded a Heart because they couldn’t follow suit).
• The trick is won by the player who played the highest card of the led suit.
• Card rank is from 2 (low) to Ace (high).
• The winner of the trick leads to the next trick.

Scoring

At the end of each round, players count points for cards taken in their tricks:

• Each Heart (♥): 1 point.
• The Queen of Spades (♠ Q): 13 points.
• All other cards are worth zero points.

💰 Special Combinations and Feats

Running the Table (Shoot the Moon)

If a player manages to take all point cards in a round (all 13 Hearts and the Queen of Spades), then that player scores 0 points, and each of their three opponents is awarded 26 points. This is a very risky but powerful strategy.

Shooting the Sun

If a player takes every trick in a round (captures all 13 tricks), they score 0 points, and all other players are awarded 52 points each. This is an even rarer and more difficult feat.

🧠 Strategies and Tactics for Winning

Experienced Hearts players employ several main styles of play.

1. The Safe Player (Ideal for Beginners)

• Goal: Avoid taking tricks at all costs.
• How to Play: When passing, get rid of high cards (especially face cards and Spades). Try to discard low cards when you cannot follow suit.

2. The Void Seeker (Control Strategy)

• Goal: Get completely void (have no cards) in one suit (e.g., all Diamonds or Clubs).
• Why: Being void in a suit allows you to safely dump dangerous cards (Hearts or the Queen of Spades) on tricks of that suit.

3. The Shooter (Aggressive “Shoot the Moon” Tactic)

• Goal: Consciously try to collect all point cards in the round.
• How to Play: When passing, keep high Hearts and Spades, and pass away low ones. Try to gain control of the game quickly by winning tricks. Have a backup plan in case the tactic fails.

4. The Sheriff (Defense against the “Shooter”)

• Goal: Prevent another player from successfully “Shooting the Moon.”
• How to Play: If you suspect a “Shooter,” try to take at least one trick containing a Heart to spoil their plan. Sometimes it’s better to take a few points yourself than to let an opponent score 0.

5. The Equalizer (Tactic against the Leader)

• Goal: Direct penalty points to the current game leader.
• How to Play: If one player is far ahead, hold onto the Queen of Spades or other point cards to “feed” them to the leader when they are winning a trick.

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Enjoy playing Hearts — this exciting battle of wits and strategy.