To play Hearts, you need :
- 4 players
- A deck of 52 cards.
- Or just a computer if you want to play alone!
Starting a game of Hearts :
To start, simply deal all the cards to the different players. Each player has 13 cards at the beginning of the game.
WARNING: The order of the cards from the lowest to the highest is:
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace.
Keep track of the points of each game of Hearts:
- The queen of spades is worth 13 points.
- Each heart sign card is worth 1 point.
- The game ends when at least one of the players has reached a total of 100 points. The winner is then the one with the least points.
How does a game of Hearts work?
In the first round of play, each player deals three cards from his or her deck to the player to his or her left. In the second round each player deals three of his or her cards to the player on the right. In the third round, the player opposite him. In the fourth round the players keep their cards as they were dealt at the beginning.
And so on every four rounds...
Remember that the player with the least points at the end of the game wins. So it makes sense to give high-value cards to your neighbours.
Once the cards have been dealt and exchanged between the players, the player who has the 2 of clubs in their hand begins. The other players are then forced to play their turn in the required suit. If a player does not have that suit, then he can play a card of a different colour.
The player with the highest card (see card order above) in the required suit takes the trick and starts the next round.
- In the first round no player can put down a card that is worth points (i.e. heart or queen of spades).
- It is not allowed to play hearts if no player has played hearts in a previous round.
At the end of the game (when the players have laid down their thirteen cards), each player counts his or her points. Each player scores his or her points and a new game begins.
Special rule: If a player has all the hearts and the queen of spades at the end of the game (i.e. he has all the cards worth points), he does not score any points and the other three players score 26 points each. This move is called the Grand Slam.
How do I win at Hearts?
The goal of the Hearts game is to get fewer points than the other players. The game ends when one of the players has reached 100 points.
