What is the hardest Hearts variant?

'Hardest' can mean the most points at stake, the most to calculate, or the least room for error. Each of our variants pushes a different one of those dials.

Quick answer: Black Maria, the British variant, is widely considered the hardest: the Ace, King and Queen of Spades are all penalty cards, so each hand carries 43 points, and you must pass three cards right every hand. Spot Hearts is the heaviest on arithmetic, and Omnibus adds a tricky bonus card to fight over.

Black Maria: the least forgiveness

Black Maria turns the whole top of the spade suit toxic: the Ace costs 7, the King 10 and the Queen 13, on top of the 13 hearts - 43 points per hand. Holding any high spade is now dangerous, so the passing decisions (always three cards to the right) are agonizing, and one bad trick can cost triple what it would in the classic game. Most players find it the toughest room in Hearts.

Spot Hearts: the heaviest math

Spot Hearts charges each heart its pip value - the 2 of hearts costs 2, the Ace costs 14 - and boosts the Queen of Spades to 25, for 129 points per hand, played to 500. The rules are the classic ones, but now not all hearts are equal: ducking the Ace of hearts matters seven times more than ducking the 2. Sloppy counting gets punished hard.

Omnibus: the double-edged bonus

Omnibus Hearts looks gentler - it adds the Jack of Diamonds at minus 10 points - but chasing a bonus while dodging penalties splits your attention in a way the classic game never does. Winning diamond tricks to hunt the Jack is exactly how you back into hearts and the Queen. It is the best next step after mastering the classic game.

Take on Black Maria

Related questions

What is Black Maria?

Black Maria is the British version of Hearts, named after the Queen of Spades herself. Three spades carry penalties - the Ace costs 7, the King 10 and the Queen 13 - on top of the 13 hearts, making 43 points per hand. Passing is always three cards to the right.

What is Spot Hearts?

Spot Hearts is a variant where every heart costs its pip value: number cards at face value, Jack 11, Queen 12, King 13 and Ace 14, so the hearts alone total 104 points. The Queen of Spades jumps to 25, making 129 points per hand, and the game plays to 500 instead of 100.

What is Omnibus Hearts?

Omnibus Hearts is classic Hearts with one addition: the Jack of Diamonds is worth minus 10 points to the player who captures it. All the usual rules apply - hearts cost 1, the Queen of Spades costs 13 - but now there is one trick each hand actually worth winning.