What is the Queen of Spades worth in Hearts?
One card carries half the pain in Hearts. Understanding the Queen of Spades - when she is safe, when she is a threat, and how to make her someone else's problem - is the heart of the game.
Why 13 points changes everything
Hearts drip in one point at a time, but the Queen of Spades lands 13 at once - a whole hand's worth of trouble on a single trick. Catching her turns a good hand into a disaster, so every player tracks two things constantly: where the Queen is, and whether the next trick could carry her. In Spot Hearts she is even nastier at 25 points.
Dumping the Queen
If you hold the Queen, you want to discard her onto a trick someone else is winning - ideally when you are out of the suit that was led. If an opponent holds her, be careful about winning spade tricks, and remember that leading low spades again and again can force her out, a play known as smoking out the Queen. Holding the Ace or King of Spades is risky too, since either can win the very trick she falls on. Our passing guide covers when to ship those high spades away.
The lady with many names
The Queen of Spades has picked up nicknames over a century of play: the Black Lady, the Black Maria, Calamity Jane. She is so central that an entire British variant, Black Maria, is named after her - and it adds her royal neighbors, the Ace and King of Spades, as penalty cards too. Look up more terms in the Hearts glossary.
Related questions
How is Hearts scored?
Each heart you capture costs 1 point and the Queen of Spades costs 13, so every hand distributes exactly 26 points. Scores accumulate hand after hand, and when a player reaches 100 the game ends with the lowest total winning. Shooting the moon - capturing all 26 - gives you zero and your opponents 26 each.
What cards should you pass in Hearts?
Pass your most dangerous cards: the Queen of Spades if you have few spades to hide her behind, the Ace or King of Spades when unprotected, and high hearts. Emptying a short club or diamond suit to create a void is often even stronger. Keep low cards - they are your escape routes.
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.