Hearts Rules
Hearts is a four-player trick-taking game built around one delicious twist: the points are bad. Everyone gets 13 cards from a standard 52-card deck, there is no trump suit, and each of the 13 tricks goes to whoever plays the highest card of the suit that was led. You spend the whole hand trying not to win the tricks that carry penalty cards - the hearts and that infamous Queen of Spades. When any player reaches 100 points, the game ends and the lowest score wins. What changes between variants is what the cards are worth, how you pass, and how much trouble is hiding in the spade suit.
This page collects the rules for every game on Hearts.now. Each section covers the goal, the play, and the details that trip up new players - with a link to jump straight into a game. If you're brand new, start with classic Hearts, chase the bonus jack in Omnibus, count pips in Spot Hearts, or brave the British spades of Black Maria.
💡 New to Hearts? Every variant below shares the same core idea - avoid winning tricks that contain penalty cards. Learn the classic game and the rest come quickly.
Every Hearts variant at a glance
Skim the whole family first, then jump to the full rules for any game below.
| Game | Penalty cards | Points per hand | Passing | Game ends at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hearts | Hearts 1 each · Q♠ 13 | 26 | Left, right, across, hold | 100 points |
| Omnibus | Hearts 1 each · Q♠ 13 · J♦ scores -10 | 26 (16 net with the jack) | Left, right, across, hold | 100 points |
| Spot | Hearts count pip value (J 11, Q 12, K 13, A 14) · Q♠ 25 | 129 | Left, right, across, hold | 500 points |
| Black Maria | Hearts 1 each · Q♠ 13 · K♠ 10 · A♠ 7 | 43 | Always 3 to the right | 100 points |
Classic Games
Hearts
4 players · 52 cards · Easy to learn, hard to master
Hearts is the world's favorite trick-avoidance card game. Four players, 52 cards, 13 tricks - and the goal is to score as few points as possible. Every heart you capture costs 1 point and the queen of spades costs 13, so the real skill lies in losing tricks on purpose. Before each hand you pass three cards to an opponent, the 2 of clubs leads off, and hearts can't be led until someone has broken them. Reach 100 points and the game ends - lowest total wins. Beneath the simple rules hides real depth: what you pass, when you take a safe trick, and whether you dare to shoot the moon - capturing every penalty card to hand 26 points to each opponent - separate casual players from sharks. Here you face three smart AI opponents, with classic rotating passes or a No Passing mode that plays every hand exactly as dealt.
Pass three cards
Before each hand, choose three cards to pass face down - to the left, then right, then across, then a hold hand with no pass. In No Passing mode you skip this step and play the cards you are dealt.
Follow the lead suit
The player holding the 2 of clubs leads it to start the first trick. You must follow suit whenever you can; if you are out of the led suit you may throw any card, except that no penalty card may be played on the first trick.
Breaking hearts
Hearts can't be led until someone discards a heart on another suit's trick - that breaks hearts. The only exception is a hand holding nothing but hearts.
Dodge the queen of spades
The highest card of the led suit wins the trick and its penalty cards - there is no trump. Each heart costs 1 point and the queen of spades costs 13, so losing tricks is usually winning.
Scoring and winning
After 13 tricks, everyone adds up their penalty points. Capture all 26 in one hand to shoot the moon: you score zero and each opponent takes 26. The game ends when someone reaches 100 points, and the lowest total wins.
Point Variants Games
Omnibus Hearts
4 players · 52 cards · Adds a reward to chase
Omnibus Hearts takes everything you know about classic Hearts and adds one glittering exception: the jack of diamonds is worth minus 10 points to whoever captures it. Suddenly not every trick is poison. Hearts still cost 1 point each and the queen of spades still costs 13, but now there is a prize buried in the deal, and the fight over that single card changes every hand. Do you win a trick you would normally duck because the jack might fall? Do you pass the jack away or keep it and clear a path for it? A hand swings by 11 points or more depending on where the jack lands. Shooting the moon still works, and a shooter who also captures the jack keeps the minus 10 - the best single hand in the game. If classic Hearts ever feels one-note, Omnibus adds the counter-melody: one card worth chasing in a game built around running away.
Passing
Pass three cards face down before each hand, rotating left, right, across, then holding. The jack of diamonds is now a keeper - think twice before passing away a minus 10.
The first trick
The 2 of clubs leads, everyone follows suit if they can, and no penalty cards may be played on the first trick. Hearts still can't be led until they have been broken.
The queen and the jack
The queen of spades costs 13 points and each heart costs 1, exactly as in classic Hearts. The twist: the jack of diamonds is worth minus 10 to whoever captures it, so one trick each hand is worth fighting for.
Shooting the moon
Capture every heart plus the queen of spades and you score zero while each opponent takes 26. If you also captured the jack of diamonds, you keep the minus 10 on top - the strongest hand possible.
Scoring the hand
Each hand deals out 26 penalty points and one 10-point bonus. Totals are tallied after every hand, the game ends when someone reaches 100 points, and the lowest score wins.
Spot Hearts
4 players · 52 cards · High stakes, big swings
Spot Hearts turns the volume up on every heart in the deck. Instead of a flat 1 point, each heart costs its pip value: the 2 of hearts costs 2, the ten costs 10, the face cards run 11, 12 and 13, and the ace costs a painful 14. The queen of spades jumps to 25. That adds up to 129 penalty points in every hand, so games run to 500 and a single mistake can cost more than a whole hand of classic Hearts. The rules of play do not change - pass three cards, follow suit, break hearts, dodge the big tricks - but the arithmetic does, and with it the whole strategy. Which heart you throw now matters as much as whether you take the trick at all, ducking with the right card becomes a science, and no lead is ever quite safe. Big points, big swings, and big comebacks.
Pass three cards along
Before each hand, pass three cards face down - left, then right, then across, then a hold hand. High hearts are far more toxic here, so the ace of hearts is almost always a pass.
Follow suit on every trick
The 2 of clubs opens the hand and you must follow the led suit when you can. The highest card of the led suit takes the trick, and no penalty cards may be played on the first one.
Break hearts before leading them
As in classic Hearts, a heart must first be discarded on an off-suit trick before hearts may be led - unless hearts are all you have left.
Pip values and the queen
Every heart costs its face value: 2 through 10 at pip value, then jack 11, queen 12, king 13 and ace 14. The queen of spades costs 25. That is 129 points loose in every hand.
Scoring to 500
Add up your captured penalty points after each hand. Take everything and you shoot the moon - zero for you, 129 for each opponent. The game ends when a player reaches 500, and the lowest total wins.
Regional Variants Games
Black Maria
4 players · 52 cards · The harshest spades
Black Maria is the British branch of the Hearts family, named for its most feared card: the queen of spades. She still costs 13 points, but here she brings bodyguards - the ace of spades costs 7 and the king of spades costs 10, so there are 43 penalty points in every deal and three spades to dodge instead of one. Passing is simpler and stricter: you pass three cards to the player on your right before every single hand, with no rotation and no hold hands. Otherwise the familiar rules apply - follow suit, no penalty cards on the first trick, hearts must be broken before they are led, and the game ends at 100 points with the lowest score winning. Holding the ace or king of spades stops feeling safe and starts feeling like carrying a lit firework, which is exactly what makes Black Maria so tense and so loved.
Pass three to the right
Before every hand, each player passes exactly three cards face down to the player on their right. There is no rotation and no hold hand - the pass happens every deal.
Lead and follow
The 2 of clubs leads the first trick and you must follow suit when you can. The highest card of the led suit wins the trick; there is no trump, and no penalty cards may fall on the first trick.
Hearts must be broken
You can't lead a heart until one has been discarded on another suit's trick, unless hearts are the only cards left in your hand.
The three deadly spades
Each heart you capture costs 1 point, but the top spades sting hardest: the ace of spades costs 7, the king costs 10, and the queen - the Black Maria herself - costs 13. That is 43 points a hand.
Score to 100
Totals are tallied after each hand. Capture all 43 points and you shoot the moon: zero for you, 43 for each opponent. When someone reaches 100 points, the game ends and the lowest score wins.
A few terms that apply everywhere
The trick
One round of play where each player adds one card, going clockwise. The highest card of the suit that was led wins the trick, collects its penalty points, and leads the next one. The two of clubs always leads the first trick of a hand.
Following suit
You must play a card of the led suit if you have one. If you're out of that suit (void), you may play anything - including a penalty card you want to dump. The one exception: no penalty cards on the first trick.
Breaking hearts
Nobody may lead a heart until hearts are "broken" - that is, until someone discards a heart on a trick of another suit. Once that first heart hits the table, hearts can be led like any other suit.
Passing
Before play, each player passes three cards face down. The direction rotates each hand: left, then right, then across, then a hold hand with no pass. Black Maria always passes three to the right, and our No Passing mode skips the pass entirely.
Ready to put the rules to work? Try today's Daily Challenge, race a friend in Multiplayer, or check the FAQ for common questions about Hearts in general.
Hearts rules FAQ
How do you play Hearts?
Hearts is a four-player trick-taking game using a standard 52-card deck, with 13 cards dealt to each player. Each hand, you pass three cards to another player, then the holder of the two of clubs leads the first trick. You must follow the suit that was led if you can, and the highest card of that suit wins the trick. The goal is to avoid winning tricks that contain hearts or the Queen of Spades. When any player reaches 100 points, the game ends and the lowest score wins.
What is the goal of Hearts?
Unlike most card games, you want as few points as possible. Every heart you take costs 1 point and the Queen of Spades costs 13, so each hand has 26 penalty points in it. The game ends when someone reaches 100 points, and the player with the lowest total wins.
When can you play the Queen of Spades?
You can play the Queen of Spades on any trick after the first, either because spades were led or because you are out of the led suit and can throw her off. Penalty cards may not be played on the very first trick, so the queen has to wait at least one turn.
What does it mean to break hearts?
Hearts are 'broken' the first time someone discards a heart on a trick of another suit, which they can do when they have no cards in the led suit. Until that happens, no player may lead a heart. Once hearts are broken, hearts can be led like any other suit.
What is shooting the moon?
Shooting the moon means taking all 26 penalty points in one hand - every heart plus the Queen of Spades. Instead of scoring 26 yourself, each of your three opponents gets 26 points added to their score and you get zero. It is the biggest swing in the game and the riskiest play in Hearts.
Want more answers? See the full Hearts FAQ or look up any term in the glossary.