Hearts

Objective

Hearts is a trick avoiding game and the object of the game is to score the least points. The goal of the each hand is to avoid taking tricks that contain hearts or the queen of spades. In the Jack of Diamonds version it is to the player’s advantage to win the trick with that contains the jack of diamonds.

To Deal:

At the beginning of the game the dealer is randomly selected and during the game the deal continues around the table clockwise.

Hearts uses 1 standard decks of 52 cards, is a game for 4 players, and 13 cards are dealt to each player.

Game Play:

Once the cards are dealt each player selects 3 cards to be passed either to the left, to the right, or across, depending on the rotation. The player with the 2 of clubs must play it first to start the hand and play continues around the table in a clockwise direction. The player that wins that trick by playing the highest club leads for the next round. Players must follow suit if they can, for example, when the 2 of clubs is played then all the players that can must play a club. The highest card played of the suit that is led takes the trick. If a player cannot follow suit then they may play any card they wish. Hearts and the queen of spades cannot be led until one player throws a heart on a trick, unless a player only has hearts left in their hand.

Scoring:

Hearts – 1 point each

Queen of spades - 13 points

In the Jack of Diamonds version the jack of diamonds is -10 points

Winning:

The first player to reach 100 points loses the game, the game ends, and the player with the lowest score wins.

Power Cards:

If a player believes they can take all of the tricks containing all of the hearts and the queen of spades they can accomplish what is known as “shooting the moon” where all of the other players receive 26 points while they get 0 points.

In the Jack of Diamonds version the player that wins the jack of diamonds subtracts 10 points from their score.

Modified on 10/26/16 from Wikipedia