Play classic four-player Hearts free online. Pass three cards, dodge every heart and the dreaded Queen of Spades, and finish with the lowest score — or capture them all to shoot the moon. No download or sign-up.
Overview
Hearts is a four-player trick-taking card game with an unusual goal: you want to avoid winning the penalty cards. Every heart is worth one penalty point and the Queen of Spades is worth thirteen, so twenty-six points are at stake each hand and the player with the fewest points wins. Rounds are quick and full of small judgement calls — when to duck a trick, when to throw away a dangerous card, and when to gamble. This version deals you against three computer opponents.
How to play
The full 52-card deck is dealt evenly, thirteen cards to each of the four players. Before most hands you choose three cards to pass to another player, and the direction rotates every hand: left, then right, then across, then a fourth hand with no passing at all. Passing is your chance to unload dangerous high cards — but your opponents are passing their worst cards to you at the same time.
Playing a trick
Whoever holds the 2 of Clubs leads it to begin the first trick. In turn, each player must follow the led suit if they can; if you cannot follow suit you may play any card. The highest card of the led suit wins the trick and leads the next one. You may not lead a heart until hearts have been ‘broken’ — that is, until a heart has been discarded on another suit — and no penalty cards may be played at all on the very first trick.
Scoring
When the hand ends you take one penalty point for every heart you captured and thirteen for the Queen of Spades. Low is good, so the aim is to win as few of these as possible. There is one bold exception: if you capture all the hearts and the Queen of Spades in a single hand — ‘shooting the moon’ — you score zero and every opponent is given twenty-six points instead. It is high risk, since taking all but one penalty card is a disaster, but a well-timed moon can rescue a losing game.
Strategy and tips
If you are not trying to control the Queen yourself, pass your high spades — the Ace, King and Queen — so you are not caught holding her. Keep a low card in every suit so you can duck when that suit is led. Throw dangerous cards away on tricks you are not winning. Watch the other players’ captures: if someone looks likely to shoot the moon, deliberately take a heart to break it up. Remembering which high cards have already appeared tells you when it is finally safe to lead a suit.
Controls
Select three cards and confirm to pass. On your turn, tap a card then tap Play — the game only allows legal plays, so it enforces following suit and the hearts-breaking rule for you. Use the menu to start a new game at any time.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hearts free to play? Yes — free in your browser with no sign-up. How many players are there? Four: you against three AI opponents. What is the Queen of Spades worth? Thirteen penalty points, the most dangerous card in the game. What does ‘shooting the moon’ mean? Capturing all twenty-six penalty points in one hand, which scores each opponent twenty-six instead of you.
