Hearts – how to play

Hearts is a card game for four players: you and three computer players. Every heart you take costs a point and the queen of spades costs 13. Take as few points as you can.

How to play, step by step

Step 1

The table

You sit at the bottom, the three computer players to your left, across and to your right. Each player gets 13 cards. Your cards lie face up at the bottom; you see only the backs of the others'. The cards played go to the field in the middle.

Your cards Computer players Cards are played here

1. 1 Your cards
2. 2 Computer players
3. 3 Cards are played here

Step 2

Pass 3 cards

Before each deal you give 3 cards to another player: in the 1st deal to the left, in the 2nd to the right, in the 3rd across, in the 4th nobody passes, and then it starts again. Tap 3 cards, then the yellow button. You get 3 cards from another player at the same time.

3 cards chosen Pass them

1. 1 3 cards chosen
2. 2 Pass them

Step 3

The two of clubs starts

A trick is one card from each player, four in all. The player with the two of clubs leads it to the first trick. Then everyone plays a card in turn, clockwise.

Starts the 1st trick

1. 1 Starts the 1st trick

Step 4

Follow suit

You must play a card of the suit that was led, if you have one. The cards you may play now are bright; the others are dimmed. On the first trick nobody may play a heart or the queen of spades unless they have nothing else.

The suit led You may play these Not now

1. 1 The suit led
2. 2 You may play these
3. 3 Not now

Step 5

No card of that suit

If you have no card of the suit led, play any card. This is your chance to get rid of a heart or the queen of spades. A heart may lead a trick only after a heart has been played, or when you have nothing but hearts.

Any card now

1. 1 Any card now

Step 6

Who takes the trick

The highest card of the suit led takes the trick; it glows gold. A card of another suit never takes it, even an ace. From low to high: 2 to 10, jack, queen, king, ace. The player who took the trick leads the next one.

Highest card led Other suit: no

1. 1 Highest card led
2. 2 Other suit: no

Step 7

The points

After 13 tricks you count the cards you took: each heart is 1 point, the queen of spades 13, all other cards nothing. A deal has 26 points in all. The window shows the points of this deal and the total of each player; the crown marks the fewest.

Fewest points

1. 1 Fewest points

Who gets your 3 cards

• 1st deal: to the player on your left.
• 2nd deal: to the player on your right.
• 3rd deal: to the player across from you.
• 4th deal: nobody passes. Then the order starts again.

Scoring

The game ends when someone reaches 100 points, and the fewest points win. A won game goes to your statistics and the Ranking with 100 minus your points.

Tips

• Pass the queen of spades, the king and ace of spades and high hearts.
• Try to pass away all the cards of one suit: then you can get rid of hearts when that suit is led.
• Play your high cards early, while the others still have that suit.
• Low cards (2 to 5) rarely take a trick: keep them for later.

Rules of the other games

• Klondike – rules
• Double klondike – rules
• Spider – rules
• Forty Thieves – rules
• FreeCell – rules
• Pyramid – rules
• Mahjong – rules