Hearts

Direct Answer

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.

Source: Standard International Hearts Rules · Last reviewed Aug 28, 2026

Specs

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

Card Passing Rotation

Before each hand begins, players select 3 cards from their hand to pass to an opponent based on a 4-deal cycle:

Deal 1: Pass 3 cards to the player on your Left.
Deal 2: Pass 3 cards to the player on your Right.
Deal 3: Pass 3 cards to the player Across from you.
Deal 4: No passing (hold all dealt cards). (The cycle repeats every 4 deals).

The Play & Breaking Hearts

The player holding the 2 of Clubs (2♣) must lead it on the first trick. Players must follow suit if able. On the first trick, no Hearts or the Queen of Spades may be played ('no blood on the first trick').

Hearts cannot be led until a Heart has been discarded on another trick ('breaking Hearts') or unless the player leading holds no other suits.

Shooting the Moon (The Grand Slam)

If one player wins all 13 Hearts AND the Queen of Spades (all 26 penalty points) in a single hand, they 'Shoot the Moon':

The shooter scores 0 points, and every other opponent scores +26 penalty points.
Alternatively (in custom scoring), the shooter may deduct 26 points from their own total.