Gambling terms, explained straight

In card terminology, hearts also refers to the suit of hearts, which is distinct from the Hearts game.4

Card Games

Hearts card game

Hearts is an evasion trick-taking card game in which players aim to avoid winning tricks that contain hearts or the queen of spades.

Deck
Standard 52-card deck1
Players
2–6, best with 41
Penalty points
Each heart = 1 point; queen of spades = 13 points2
Game end
Usually when a player reaches 100 points; lowest score wins3
Hand total
Each hand's total penalty points is a multiple of 262

Key points

  • Hearts is an evasion game: players try to avoid taking tricks with penalty cards, not win them.1
  • Each heart taken adds 1 penalty point; the queen of spades adds 13 points.2
  • The game ends when a player reaches the agreed score threshold (commonly 100 points); the player with the fewest points wins.3
  • A variant called Black Lady or Black Maria uses the same basic rules but may have additional penalty cards.5
  • Shooting the moon (taking all 13 hearts and the queen of spades) subtracts 26 points from the shooter's score or adds 26 to all others, depending on house rules.2

How to play Hearts

  1. Deal all 52 cards evenly among players. In a 4-player game, each gets 13 cards.1
  2. Each player passes three cards to another player (direction rotates each hand: left, right, across, then no pass).3
  3. The player holding the 2 of clubs leads the first trick; players must follow suit if possible.2
  4. The highest card of the led suit wins the trick; the winner leads the next trick.1
  5. Hearts cannot be led until a heart has been broken (played on a trick when a player couldn't follow suit).3
  6. After all 13 tricks, players count penalty points from hearts and the queen of spades taken.2

How to score Hearts

Each heart taken in tricks costs 1 penalty point. The queen of spades costs 13 points. The total penalty points in a hand always sum to 26 (13 hearts × 1 point + queen of spades × 13 points).2

If a player takes all 13 hearts and the queen of spades (shooting the moon), they can either subtract 26 from their own score or add 26 to every other player's score, depending on the variant.2

The game continues until at least one player reaches or exceeds the target score (commonly 100 points). The player with the lowest score wins.3

Common questions

What are the rules of hearts card game?

Players are dealt a full 52-card deck and pass three cards each hand. The goal is to avoid winning tricks containing hearts (1 point each) or the queen of spades (13 points). Players must follow suit if possible; hearts cannot be led until broken. The game ends when a player reaches 100 points; lowest score wins.12

What is the object of hearts card game?

The object is to have the lowest score at the end of the game. Players accumulate penalty points by taking tricks that contain hearts or the queen of spades. The game typically ends when a player reaches 100 points.3

How do you play hearts card game?

After dealing, each player passes three cards to an opponent. The player with the 2 of clubs leads the first trick. Players play one card each; the highest card of the led suit wins the trick. Hearts cannot be led until a heart has been played on a previous trick. After 13 tricks, penalty points are tallied.2

How to score hearts card game?

Each heart taken in tricks costs 1 point; the queen of spades costs 13 points. The total points per hand is 26. If a player takes all penalty cards (shooting the moon), they can subtract 26 from their score or add 26 to all others. The player with the lowest score when someone reaches 100 points wins.23

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • Card game terms — a glossary of general card game terminology, not the specific game of Hearts
Card games Queen of hearts card game rules Explains the rules for the Queen of Hearts game, which is different from Hearts. Card games Trick-taking game Defines the broader category of trick-taking games, of which Hearts is a subtype. Card games Whist vs hearts Compares the trick-taking games Whist and Hearts, highlighting their differences. Card games Gin rules 7 cards Covers the rules for 7-card Gin Rummy, a different card game from Hearts. Card games 13 card rummy rules Explains the rules for 13-card Rummy, another game distinct from Hearts. Card games Deck of cards terminology Defines terms related to a standard deck of playing cards, including suits.

Sources

  1. Hearts (card game) en.wikipedia.org Provides the standard definition, rules, and scoring for the Hearts card game.
  2. Hearts - card games rules pagat.com Offers detailed rules and scoring information for Hearts and its variants.
  3. Hearts bicyclecards.com Supports the standard scoring and game-end conditions for Hearts.
  4. Hearts (suit) en.wikipedia.org Clarifies the distinction between the Hearts game and the suit of hearts.
  5. Black Lady en.wikipedia.org Provides information on the Black Lady variant of Hearts.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.