What Else to Deal
Once you have a feel for counting a hand, that skill transfers further than most people expect. This page is a shortlist of 19 games worth playing next - all free, all instant in the browser, none of them asking you to download or sign up for anything.
Five groups, and the card family is where most of the transfer happens. The puzzle and tile games ask you to read a board instead of a table. Board games remove the hidden hand completely. The dice games make luck explicit, and there is a clock at the end for games played away from a screen.
Before you deal
How long does a game take?
It varies enormously. The dice and arcade games are usually done inside five minutes. Card games run ten to twenty. A board game against a thinking opponent can take half an hour, and the tile puzzles take as long as you let them - there is no clock on most of them.
Can I play any of these with someone else?
Several of them, yes. The card and board games include head-to-head modes, and a few run real-time multiplayer where both players see the same position. The puzzle and arcade entries are solo by nature, though scores are comparable.
Which should I try first?
The list is ordered with the closest relatives at the top, so the first group is the safest bet. If you would rather pick by mood than by category, the shorter the game the easier it is to abandon - start with something that takes five minutes.
What other free games can I play?
Nineteen are listed on this page, all free in the browser with no download and no signup. They cover puzzle and arcade games, a full card cabinet, board and tile games, dice games and a free chess clock. Every one of them plays instantly as a guest.
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Solitaire
The full patience cabinet - Klondike, Spider, Pyramid, TriPeaks, Golf, Yukon, Russian, Scorpion, Canfield and Forty Thieves - with a daily deal and leaderboards. Card Games
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FreeCell
Open-information patience: nothing hidden, nothing random after the deal, no excuses. Card Games
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Spades
Name your tricks, then deliver exactly that many. Overshoot and the bags quietly bury you. Card Games
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Rummy
Draw, meld, discard - and read what everyone else is collecting from the pile. Card Games
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Gin Rummy
Ten cards, one draw, deadwood to manage and the constant question of whether to knock now or hold for gin. Card Games
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Canasta
Partnership melding with scoring deep enough that people still argue about it. Card Games
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Blackjack
Classic, Vegas Strip, Atlantic City, Spanish 21, Double Exposure, Switch, Pontoon and more - free chips, no real gambling. Card Games
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Tetris
Marathon, Sprint, Ultra, Master, Invisible, Cheese, Survival, Classic, Big, Cascade and Zen, plus a shared daily challenge and real-time multiplayer. Puzzle & Arcade
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Puzzle
Logic grids, sliding tiles, matching boards and number puzzles - the natural next stop when you want a break from falling blocks but not from thinking. Puzzle & Arcade
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Mahjong
The tile-matching game built on scanning a crowded field for the pair that unlocks the rest. Puzzle & Arcade
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Pac-Man
Dots, power pellets and four pursuers with four different targeting routines. Puzzle & Arcade
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Checkers
Compulsory capture turns every sacrifice into a forced sequence you can calculate to the end. Board & Tile
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Reversi
Flip discs to take the board - but own too many too early and you run out of moves. Board & Tile
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Dominoes
Match the ends, count the suits, and work out which numbers the board can still accept. Board & Tile
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Ludo
The race-and-capture board game in eight regional flavours, including the Navy's Uckers. Board & Tile
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Tic Tac Toe
Three in a row, plus the larger grids and inverted rules where it stops being trivial. Board & Tile
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Yahtzee
The dice-and-scorecard classic, where the upper-section bonus quietly decides most games. Dice & Casino
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Craps
Eight variants and one bet on the table that carries no house edge at all. Dice & Casino
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Chess Clock
A free browser clock that makes draughts, dominoes and Scrabble move a great deal faster. Tools
Staying for another hand?
You do not have to leave Hearts behind to try any of these. If you would rather stay, the main game is one click away, the rules hub covers how everything works, and the FAQ answers the common questions.