How to Play Hearts
Avoid the hearts — and beware the Queen of Spades.
Hearts is a classic trick-avoidance game where you want to avoid winning hearts or the dreaded Queen of Spades. But if you collect ALL the penalty cards you "Shoot the Moon" and punish everyone else instead.
🎮 Ways to Play Hearts
Create a Hearts Table
Create your own Hearts table in seconds — choose the seats, share the invite code, and fill empty spots with AI opponents.
Join a Hearts Table by Invite
Enter a friend's invite code and take your seat at their Hearts table — no strangers, just your crew.
Play Hearts Against the Computer
Practice Hearts against smart AI opponents with multiple difficulty levels — the perfect way to learn the game or test new strategies.
Play Hearts Offline
No connection? No problem. Play Hearts offline against computer opponents, anywhere you are.
🎯 Objective
Have the lowest score when any player reaches 100 points.
🃏 Hearts Setup & Rules
- Use a standard 52-card deck; deal 13 cards to each of 4 players.
- Each player passes 3 cards left (first round); direction rotates; fourth round: no pass.
- The player holding 2♣ leads the first trick.
▶ How to Play Hearts
- The lead player may play any card except a heart on the first trick (unless only hearts remain).
- All others must follow suit if possible; if not, discard any card.
- Highest card of the led suit wins the trick. No trump.
- Hearts may not be led until "heart break" — a heart has been discarded on a prior trick.
- The winner of each trick leads the next.
🎬 Watch: How to Play Hearts
This video is embedded from YouTube and remains the intellectual property of its respective creator and/or rights holder. Vanikar LLC claims no ownership of, or rights in, the video content, and no affiliation with or endorsement by its creator is implied. The video is displayed via YouTube’s public embed feature in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service and the agreements between YouTube and the content uploader.
📖 Detailed Guide
Setting up your table
- Hearts is a strict 4-player game — take one seat and fill the other three with AI opponents.
- Each player card at the top of the table shows round points and running total, so you always know who's in danger of reaching 100.
- All 52 cards are dealt: 13 to each player, fanned at the bottom of your screen.
The pass
- Before play, select exactly 3 cards to pass: round 1 passes left, round 2 right, round 3 across, and round 4 keeps all cards (no pass).
- Passing well matters more than any single trick: ship out your high spades (A♠, K♠) unless well protected, and dangerous high hearts.
- You receive 3 cards in return — check your new hand before planning the round.
Trick play
- The player holding the 2♣ leads it to the first trick — the app enforces this automatically.
- You must follow the led suit if you can; the app highlights your legal cards. If you're void, discard anything — this is how hearts and the Q♠ get dumped.
- There is no trump: the highest card of the led suit wins the trick and leads the next one.
- Hearts can't be led until a heart has been discarded on an earlier trick ("breaking hearts"), unless you hold nothing but hearts.
- On the very first trick you may not drop a heart or the Q♠ (unless your hand forces it).
Scoring and the Moon
- At the end of each hand: every heart taken = 1 point, the Q♠ = 13 points. Points are bad — lowest total wins.
- Shooting the Moon: if one player captures ALL 13 hearts and the Q♠, they score 0 and everyone else gets 26.
- The game ends when any player reaches 100 points; the player with the lowest score at that moment wins.
📊 Hearts Scoring
Each ♥ = 1 pt. Q♠ = 13 pts. All others = 0. Lowest score wins. Shoot the Moon: take all 13 hearts AND Q♠ → each other player gets 26 pts.
❓ Hearts — Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need for Hearts?
Hearts is played with 4 players. On Vanikar, empty seats can be filled with AI opponents so you can always start a game.
Can I play Hearts against the computer?
Yes — play Hearts against smart AI opponents with multiple difficulty levels. It's the perfect way to learn the game or sharpen your strategy.
Can I play Hearts online with friends?
Yes. Create a private table in the Vanikar app and invite friends and family to play Hearts together online, wherever they are.
Can I play Hearts offline?
Yes — Hearts supports offline play against computer opponents, so you can play without an internet connection.
Is Hearts free to play?
Yes — download the Vanikar Card Games app on iOS or Android and play Hearts free for 2 weeks, no credit card required.
What is the Queen of Spades worth in Hearts?
The Queen of Spades (Q♠) is worth 13 penalty points — as much as all thirteen hearts combined. Avoiding her, or forcing her onto an opponent, is the heart of the game.
What does shooting the moon mean in Hearts?
Shooting the moon means deliberately capturing ALL 13 hearts and the Queen of Spades in one hand. Instead of taking 26 penalty points, you score zero and every other player takes 26.
Can Hearts be played with two players?
Traditional Hearts is a strict four-player game. On Vanikar you can play with fewer humans by filling the remaining seats with AI opponents — two friends plus two AI players works great.
📱 Hearts in the app
A step-by-step look at a real game on the table.
