Hearts

Play Hearts online against the computer

Hearts is a four-player trick-taking card game where the lowest score wins. Play a complete match against three computer opponents using a standard deck of 52 cards. Each player starts a hand with 13 cards, passes three, then competes through 13 tricks. There are no partners: a harmless trick can help you keep control, while a trick containing hearts or the queen of spades adds penalty points.

Passing cards in this Hearts game

Select three cards and click the large arrow. The first hand passes to the right, the second across the table and the third to the left. This edition repeats that three-hand cycle; it does not include a fourth no-pass hand. Click Confirm to accept the cards you receive.

Passing the queen of spades can reduce immediate risk, but a short suit may give you more opportunities to discard dangerous cards later. Keep enough low cards to avoid being forced to win a penalty-heavy trick.

Hearts rules: follow suit and avoid penalty tricks

The player holding the 2 of clubs leads the opening trick. When it is your turn, choose a glowing card and click Go! You must follow the suit of the first card when your hand contains that suit. If you cannot follow suit, you may discard another card; a card outside the lead suit cannot win that trick.

The highest card of the lead suit wins and leads the next trick. Each heart is worth 1 penalty point, and the queen of spades is worth 13. Hearts become broken after any heart is played. Until then, you cannot lead a heart unless your remaining hand contains only hearts.

This version permits a heart or the queen of spades on the first trick when you have no clubs. Some other Hearts games forbid opening-trick penalty cards, so check this rule before planning a discard.

Shooting the moon and winning a Hearts match

Taking every heart and the queen of spades in one hand is shooting the moon. You receive 0 for that hand and each opponent receives 26. Taking only some of those cards gives you their usual penalty values.

After 13 tricks, the score table shows the totals. Select Continue for the next hand. When any player reaches 100 or more, the match ends and the player with the lowest total wins. Restart begins a fresh match with all totals at zero.

Hearts strategy: watch the lead suit

Count which high spades have been played before exposing the queen. When you have no cards in a lead suit, use that opportunity to discard a dangerous card. A low card can help you lose a trick safely, but winning a harmless trick can let you choose a more useful lead.

Do not automatically take every heart-free trick. Consider who will lead next and whether you are keeping enough low cards for the late hand. A player collecting many hearts may be attempting to shoot the moon; taking one penalty card can prevent that plan.

Computer difficulty, controls and saved matches

Settings lets you change all four player names and choose a computer level from 1 to 4 for each opponent. The opponents use the original simple, Monte Carlo and POMDP strategies, with the highest setting giving the POMDP computer more thinking time. Applying settings starts a new match.

Click or tap a card to raise it, then use the arrow during passing or Go! during play. Current progress is saved in this browser. Sign in on FoolFish before opening the game for account checkpoints; Save options lets you choose which progress to keep if two devices conflict. The game uses computer opponents and has no remote multiplayer lobby.