Hearts is a wonderful, trick-taking (or avoiding) card game most commonly played with four players.
Avoid taking the heart suited cards and the queen of spades, unless of course, you are shooting the moon!
Find the video tutorial and written explanation for how to play hearts below.
Hearts Tutorial
Needed
52 card deck; four players; pen and paper for scorekeeping
Deal
Each player is dealt 13 cards
Objective
Be the player with the lowest score when a player gets 100 points or more.
Card Rank
Highest to lowest – Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The highest ranking card in the lead suit takes the trick.
Card Pass
In the first round, each player passes three cards to the left. In the second round, each player passes three cards to the right. In the third round, each player passes three cards across. In the fourth round, no cards are passed. This cycle continues throughout the game.
Game Play
The player with the 2 of clubs plays it to lead the first trick. Each player must play a card with the lead suit, if possible. If a player cannot follow the lead suit, he/she can play any card.
The exception being, a player cannot play a heart suited card or the queen of spades on the first trick.
The player that takes the trick leads the next trick. A heart cannot be lead until hearts are broken. Hearts become broken when a player plays a heart suited card on a trick.
Score
Players receive one point for each heart suited card taken during the round, and 13 points for taking the queen of spades. The exception being, if a player takes all the heart suited cards and the queen of spades. This is known as shooting the moon! In this case, all other players receive 26 points.