Hearts is a four-player trick-taking game where you try not to win the wrong tricks. Every heart costs a point and the queen of spades costs 13. Here you play against three computer players, and the lowest score wins once someone reaches 100.
The deal and the pass
Each player gets 13 cards. Before each hand you choose three cards to pass: to the left on the first hand, then to the right, then across, and on every fourth hand nobody passes.
Passing is your best chance to fix a bad hand. Get rid of the queen of spades unless you have plenty of low spades to hide it behind, along with the ace and king of spades, high hearts, and the last few cards of a short suit so you can run out of it.
Playing the tricks
Whoever holds the 2 of clubs leads it to start the hand. Play goes clockwise.
Follow the suit that was led if you can. If you can’t, you may play any card.
The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, and the winner leads next. Aces are high.
No hearts or queen of spades on the first trick, unless that’s all you have.
Hearts can’t be led until a heart has been played, unless you hold only hearts.
Scoring and winning
After all 13 tricks, each player scores 1 point for every heart they took and 13 for the queen of spades, so there are 26 points in every hand.
The game ends when someone reaches 100 at the end of a hand, and the player with the lowest score wins. If the lowest score is tied, play goes on until one player is alone in the lead.
Shooting the moon
Take every heart and the queen of spades in one hand and you shoot the moon: instead of scoring 26, you choose to add 26 to everyone else or take 26 off your own score.
It’s risky. If another player takes even one heart, you’re left holding most of the points. Watch for an opponent who is taking every point, and win a heart trick yourself to stop them.
Tips to score less
Keep track of the queen of spades. Until it has been played, avoid winning spade tricks with the ace or king.
Lead low spades to force the queen out when you don’t hold it.
Duck: when you must follow suit, play your highest card that is still below the winning one.
Empty a short suit early. Once you’re out of a suit, you can throw away the queen and high hearts whenever it’s led.
Early tricks in a fresh suit are usually safe, so they are a good time to get rid of high clubs and diamonds.