# item.guide
Side-by-Side Comparison Card Games

Hearts vs. Texas Hold'em

Comparing 2 standards across 19 specifications. 19 key differences identified.

Comparing:
Hearts
Texas Hold'em

Hearts is an evasion-style trick-taking card game for 4 individual players where the objective is to avoid scoring penalty points. Each Heart card taken in tricks counts as 1 penalty point, and the Queen of Spades counts as 13 penalty points. If a single player takes all 26 penalty points in one hand ('Shoots the Moon'), all opponents receive 26 points instead.

View full Hearts spec sheet →

Texas Hold'em is the world's standard poker variant where players receive two private hole cards and share five community cards to construct the best 5-card hand. Play proceeds through four distinct betting rounds: Pre-flop, Flop (3 cards), Turn (1 card), and River (1 card), governed by blind positions and table action rules.

View full Texas Hold'em spec sheet →

Specification Comparison Table

19 Parameters
Parameter / Spec
Total Players
4 individual play
Deck Size
52 cards (13 dealt per player)
Hearts Penalty Value
1 point per Heart card (13 total)
Queen of Spades Value
13 penalty points (Black Maria)
Total Points Per Hand
26 penalty points
Shooting the Moon Bonus
0 pts (or -26) to shooter, +26 to all opponents
Game Ending Threshold
100 points (lowest score wins)
Passing Rotation (4 Rounds)
Left -> Right -> Across -> No Passing
Opening Lead Card
2 of Clubs (2♣) mandatory first lead
Governing Standard
Poker TDA / WSOP
Private Hole Cards
2 cards per player
Community Cards
5 cards on board
Total Betting Rounds
4 rounds
Starting Forced Bets
Small Blind (SB) & Big Blind (BB)
Community Flop Cards
3 cards face-up
Community Turn Card
1 card face-up
Community River Card
1 card face-up
Standard Limit Styles
No-Limit (NLH), Pot-Limit (PLH), Fixed-Limit (FLH)
Showdown Hand Size
Best 5 of 7 available cards