Printable Hearts rules

Hearts in one page

4 players · 1 deck · score sheet

Four players are each dealt 13 cards and pass 3 cards before play (left, then right, then across, then no pass). Players must follow suit, the highest card of the suit led wins the trick, and each heart taken scores 1 penalty point while the queen of spades scores 13. When someone reaches 100 points, the game ends and the lowest score wins.

In brief

• Deal 13 each; no partners, no trump
• Pass 3: left, right, across, none; repeat
• 2 of clubs leads the first trick
• Follow suit if you can; otherwise play anything
• Highest card of the suit led wins
• No leading hearts until broken (or all hearts)
• Each heart 1 point; queen of spades 13
• Shoot the moon: take all 26, others get +26
• Game ends when someone hits 100; lowest wins

Setup

1. Hearts is best with four players, each playing for themselves. There are no partners and no trump suit.
2. 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.
3. Cards rank A (high), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 in each suit.
4. 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.
5. Put your 3 passing cards face down before you pick up the cards passed to you.

On your turn

1. The player holding the 2 of clubs leads it to start the first trick.
2. Going clockwise, each player plays one card. You must follow the suit that was led if you can.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Keep playing until all 13 tricks are done.

Scoring

Winning

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.