What does shooting the moon mean in Hearts?

Shooting the moon means taking all 13 hearts and the queen of spades in a single hand. Instead of scoring 26 penalty points, you score 0 and every other player adds 26. Many groups also let the shooter subtract 26 from their own score instead, which pagat.com lists as the shooter's choice.

How much is the queen of spades worth in Hearts?

The queen of spades is worth 13 penalty points, as much as all 13 hearts combined. Whoever wins the trick containing it takes those points. Because she's so costly, players often pass her away before play or try to discard her on a trick they can't win.

Which way do you pass in Hearts?

Pass 3 cards to the left on the first hand, to the right on the second, across the table on the third, and don't pass on the fourth. Then the cycle starts over with a pass to the left. You must choose your passing cards before looking at the ones you receive.

Who goes first in Hearts?

The player holding the 2 of clubs after the pass leads it to the first trick. After that, whoever wins each trick leads the next one. The pass happens first, so the 2 of clubs may have changed hands. In five-player Hearts the 2 of clubs is removed from the deck, so the lowest club in play, the 3, leads instead.

Can you play a heart on the first trick?

Under pagat.com's main rules, yes, if you have no clubs. Many people play that no hearts and no queen of spades may be played on the first trick unless you hold nothing else, and most computer versions use that rule. Agree on it before the game.

When does a game of Hearts end?

The game ends after the hand in which any player reaches or passes 100 points. The player with the lowest total wins. Some groups play to 50 for a shorter game. The game doesn't stop in the middle of a hand; you always finish scoring the hand first.

What does breaking hearts mean?

Hearts are broken once someone plays a heart on a trick, usually by discarding one when they can't follow suit. Until then, nobody may lead a heart unless they hold only hearts. Some players, following Bicycle, also count the queen of spades being discarded as breaking hearts.

Hearts Rules: How to Play and Score | Games Rules Explained

1Object of the game

Finish with the lowest score. You get penalty points for the hearts and the queen of spades in the tricks you win, so you mostly try not to win those tricks. The exception is shooting the moon: if you capture every heart and the queen of spades in one hand, the penalty goes to everyone else instead.

2Setup

Hearts is best with four players, each playing for themselves. There are no partners and no trump suit.
Pick a dealer. Deal the whole deck one card at a time, face down, clockwise, so each player has 13 cards. The deal rotates to the left each hand.
Cards rank A (high), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 in each suit.
Before play, each player chooses 3 cards and passes them face down. On the first hand pass to the left, on the second to the right, on the third across the table, and on the fourth hand nobody passes. Then repeat the cycle.
Put your 3 passing cards face down before you pick up the cards passed to you.

3The play

The player holding the 2 of clubs leads it to start the first trick.
Going clockwise, each player plays one card. You must follow the suit that was led if you can.
If you have no card of the suit led, you may play any card. This is your chance to dump a heart or the queen of spades on someone else.
The highest card of the suit led wins the trick. Cards of other suits never win, because there is no trump. The winner keeps the trick face down in front of them and leads the next trick.
You may not lead a heart until a heart has been played on an earlier trick (hearts are 'broken'), unless your hand is all hearts. The queen of spades can be led at any time.
Keep playing until all 13 tricks are done.

4End of a hand

When all 13 tricks have been played, each player counts the penalty cards in the tricks they won and adds them to their score. The points in each normal hand add up to 26. Then the deal passes to the left, and the next hand uses the next direction in the passing cycle.

5Scoring

Points are bad in Hearts. Only two kinds of cards score, and every point in a hand goes to someone.

For	Points
Each heart taken	1
Queen of spades	13
All other cards	0
Total per hand	26
Shooting the moon (all 13 hearts and the queen of spades)	Shooter 0, every opponent +26
Game ends when someone reaches	100

Pagat.com lets the shooter choose between subtracting 26 from their own score and adding 26 to everyone else. Many players take the subtraction when adding 26 to the others would not help them, for example when it would push another player past 100 while the shooter is not in the lead.

6Winning

The game ends at the end of the hand in which any player reaches or passes 100 points. The player with the lowest score at that point wins. If two players tie for the lowest score, they share the win, or you can play another hand to break the tie.

7A worked hand

Ana, Ben, Cal, and Dee have 72, 55, 88, and 40 points. In this hand Ana takes 3 hearts, Ben takes the queen of spades and 2 hearts, Cal takes nothing, and Dee takes 8 hearts. Check the total: 3 + 15 + 0 + 8 = 26, which is right, since 13 hearts plus the 13-point queen always make 26. New scores: Ana 75, Ben 70, Cal 88, Dee 48. Nobody has 100, so play continues. On the next hand Dee shoots the moon, winning all 13 hearts and the queen of spades. Using the standard rule, Dee scores 0 and each opponent adds 26: Ana 101, Ben 96, Cal 114, Dee 48. Ana and Cal are past 100, so the game ends and Dee wins with the lowest score, 48. If Dee had chosen the pagat.com option of subtracting 26 from her own score instead, she would drop to 22 while the others stayed at 75, 70, and 88, and the game would keep going. Adding 26 to everyone else was the winning choice here.

8House rules

The rules above are the version most US players use. These are the variations you are most likely to run into; settle them before the first deal.

No points on the first trick: You may not play a heart or the queen of spades on the first trick unless you have nothing else. Pagat.com lists this as a common variation, and many computer versions play it this way.
Queen of spades breaks hearts: Bicycle's rules let hearts be led once either a heart or the queen of spades has been discarded on a trick.
Jack of diamonds: The jack of diamonds (sometimes the ten) counts minus 10 points for whoever takes it. To shoot the moon, you usually need the jack too.
Shorter game: Bicycle notes the game can end at 50 instead of 100 for a quicker session.
Three or five players: With three, remove the 2 of diamonds and deal 17 each. With five, remove the 2 of diamonds and 2 of clubs and deal 10 each. The passing cycle is usually left, right, and hold.

9Mistakes people make

The player with the 2 of clubs leads first, not the player to the dealer's left, and they must lead that card.
Hearts can't be led until a heart has been played on an earlier trick, but you may always discard a heart when you can't follow suit.
There is no trump suit. A heart or a spade played on a club lead does not win the trick; only the highest club does.
You pass your 3 cards before looking at the ones passed to you, and every fourth hand has no pass at all.

10Playing better

Pass the queen of spades if you hold it with few other spades to protect it. Also consider passing the ace and king of spades, which can force you to win the queen.
Try to void a suit during the pass. If you have only two diamonds, passing both lets you discard hearts or the queen on the first diamond lead.
Low cards are safe and high cards are dangerous. Get rid of high cards early in suits where penalty points are unlikely, such as the first club trick.
Lead spades when you don't hold the queen, the king, or the ace. This can 'smoke out' the queen and force whoever holds it to play it.
Watch for a moon shot. If one player has taken every point-card trick so far, make sure someone else wins at least one heart.
Keep track of what's been played, especially spades and hearts, so you know when your high cards are safe.

Hearts: questions people ask

What does shooting the moon mean in Hearts?: Shooting the moon means taking all 13 hearts and the queen of spades in a single hand. Instead of scoring 26 penalty points, you score 0 and every other player adds 26. Many groups also let the shooter subtract 26 from their own score instead, which pagat.com lists as the shooter's choice.
How much is the queen of spades worth in Hearts?: The queen of spades is worth 13 penalty points, as much as all 13 hearts combined. Whoever wins the trick containing it takes those points. Because she's so costly, players often pass her away before play or try to discard her on a trick they can't win.
Which way do you pass in Hearts?: Pass 3 cards to the left on the first hand, to the right on the second, across the table on the third, and don't pass on the fourth. Then the cycle starts over with a pass to the left. You must choose your passing cards before looking at the ones you receive.
Who goes first in Hearts?: The player holding the 2 of clubs after the pass leads it to the first trick. After that, whoever wins each trick leads the next one. The pass happens first, so the 2 of clubs may have changed hands. In five-player Hearts the 2 of clubs is removed from the deck, so the lowest club in play, the 3, leads instead.
Can you play a heart on the first trick?: Under pagat.com's main rules, yes, if you have no clubs. Many people play that no hearts and no queen of spades may be played on the first trick unless you hold nothing else, and most computer versions use that rule. Agree on it before the game.
When does a game of Hearts end?: The game ends after the hand in which any player reaches or passes 100 points. The player with the lowest total wins. Some groups play to 50 for a shorter game. The game doesn't stop in the middle of a hand; you always finish scoring the hand first.
What does breaking hearts mean?: Hearts are broken once someone plays a heart on a trick, usually by discarding one when they can't follow suit. Until then, nobody may lead a heart unless they hold only hearts. Some players, following Bicycle, also count the queen of spades being discarded as breaking hearts.

Sources

Checked by Morgan Hale against the sources below. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.

Hearts, pagat.com. Read September 28, 2026.
How to Play Hearts, Bicycle Cards. Read September 28, 2026.

Also on the table: Spades, Euchre, Cribbage, Crazy Eights.