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♥️ Hearts Guide

Strategy & rules • 5 min read

Overview

Hearts is a trick-taking card game for four players where the goal is to avoid taking hearts (1 point each) and especially the Queen of Spades (13 points). The player with the lowest score when someone reaches 100 wins. The twist: if you take ALL hearts and the Queen, you "shoot the moon" and everyone else gets 26 points!

How to Play

  1. You play against three AI opponents in a four-player game.
  2. The player with the 2 of clubs leads the first trick.
  3. You must follow the led suit if you can. If you can't, play any card.
  4. The highest card of the led suit wins the trick.
  5. Click your cards to play them — illegal plays are dimmed.
  6. Avoid taking hearts (1 pt each) and the Queen of Spades (13 pts).

Rules

  • Hearts cannot be led until a heart has been played on a previous trick ("breaking hearts").
  • No point cards (hearts or Queen of Spades) can be played on the first trick.
  • The Queen of Spades is worth 13 points.
  • Each heart is worth 1 point (26 total penalty points per round).
  • Shooting the moon: take all 26 points to give 26 to each opponent instead.
  • Game ends when someone reaches 100 points. Lowest score wins.

Strategy Tips

  • Void a suit early: Get rid of all cards in one suit so you can dump hearts and the Queen.
  • Watch the Queen of Spades: If you have it, dump it on someone else's trick. If you don't, be careful leading spades.
  • Lead low: Leading low cards lets you control tricks without taking unwanted points.
  • Count cards: Track which cards have been played in each suit to anticipate what remains.
  • Shoot the moon only when dominant: Attempting and failing is devastating.

Difficulty Levels

  • Easy: AI plays randomly, easy to avoid points.
  • Medium: AI avoids points and dumps strategically.
  • Hard: AI tracks cards, voids suits, and may attempt to shoot the moon.
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