Play one card per trick to follow suit, and the highest card of the led suit takes the pile. Every heart you win adds a point and the queen of spades stings for thirteen, so the real skill is shedding dangerous cards onto opponents. Sweep every penalty card, however, and you shoot the moon to punish everyone else.
How to play Hearts
- Pass three cards to an opponent at the start of each hand
- Follow the led suit if you can, otherwise play any card
- Avoid winning tricks that contain hearts or the queen of spades
- Try to shoot the moon by taking all penalty cards for a reversal
- Reach the score limit and the lowest total wins
Tips & strategy
- Unload high spades early to avoid getting stuck with the queen
- Void a suit so you can dump penalty cards into others' tricks
- Only attempt shooting the moon when you control the high cards
Controls: Click a card from your hand to play it into the trick.
Hearts — FAQ
What is shooting the moon?
Capturing all hearts plus the queen of spades flips the scoring so every opponent takes points instead of you.
Why must I follow suit?
You must play the led suit if you hold it, and breaking that rule is not allowed.
How do you play Hearts?
Hearts is a trick-taking game where you play one card per trick following the led suit if you can, and the goal is to avoid taking tricks that contain hearts or the Queen of Spades. Each heart is worth one penalty point and the Queen of Spades is worth thirteen.
How do you win at Hearts?
You win by having the lowest score when the game ends, so the aim is to take as few penalty points as possible. Advanced players sometimes shoot the moon by taking every heart and the Queen of Spades to score zero and penalize everyone else.
Is Hearts free to play online with no download?
Yes, Hearts is free and runs instantly in your browser with no download or sign-up. It also works fully offline in the free Offline Games Arcade app for iOS and Android.
What is a good Hearts strategy?
Get rid of high cards and the Queen of Spades early when it is safe, and try to void a suit so you can dump dangerous cards on other players. Counting which penalty cards have been played helps you avoid getting stuck with them.
