How many types of Hearts are there?
Hearts is really a family of games, all descended from the same 'avoid the tricks' idea. Most variants are the classic game with one dial turned.
The four you can play here
We focus on the four variants that matter most. Classic Hearts is the American standard: hearts cost 1, the Queen of Spades 13. Omnibus adds the Jack of Diamonds at minus 10 - a bonus worth fighting for. Spot Hearts charges hearts by pip value for 129 points a hand, played to 500. And Black Maria, the British game, makes the Ace and King of Spades penalties too.
Other members of the family
Beyond these, the family sprawls. Some tables play with no passing at all, others add their own bonus or penalty cards, and 'Cancellation Hearts' handles six or more players with two decks shuffled together. House rules abound - moon scoring alone has several versions. The ancestor of them all is Reversis, the 1600s European game covered in where Hearts comes from.
Which should you play?
Learn the classic game first - every variant assumes it. Move to Omnibus when you want one more decision per hand, Spot when you want the scoring to bite harder, and Black Maria when you want the full gauntlet, as our hardest variant answer explains. You can browse everything on the more games page.
Related questions
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.
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 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.
Where does Hearts come from?
Hearts grew out of Reversis, a European card game from the 1600s in which players tried to avoid winning tricks. The modern American game took shape in the 1880s, the Queen of Spades penalty was added around 1900, and Microsoft shipping Hearts with Windows in 1992 introduced it to hundreds of millions of players.