Hearts Online

Hearts online is a free browser game where you play the Hearts card game against three computer players. You sit at the bottom of the table as South, and the lowest score when someone reaches the target wins. There are no accounts, so you do not need to sign up.

Each hand deals 13 cards to every player, and you try to avoid taking hearts and the queen of spades, which carry points. You can set the match to end at 100 or 50 points. Your match is saved in your browser on this device, so reloading the page returns you to the same position.

How to play Hearts online

1. Open the game. Under Game length, choose Play to 100 (default) or Play to 50.
2. Under Shooting the moon, choose Moon: others +26 (default) or Moon: you −26.
3. Under Computer speed, choose Speed: normal (default) or Speed: fast. Changing speed does not restart the game.
4. Click New game to start a fresh match. It starts at once with no confirm step, so only click it when you want to abandon the current match.
5. When passing, tap 3 cards. They lift up with a blue outline. Tap a card again to put it back, then press Pass (n/3) once it is enabled at 3.
6. When playing, click or tap a legal card. Illegal cards are dimmed, and the status line tells you why.
7. After each hand, read the summary and press Deal next hand.

You can also play with the keyboard. Click the table or press Tab to focus it, then use the Left and Right arrows to move over your hand. Press Enter or Space to play the highlighted card, P to pass the three selected cards, H for a hint, N for a new game, F for fullscreen, and Esc to close a dialog.

Press H during play to outline in gold the card the computer players’ logic would play. It stays for 5 seconds and is named in the status line. There is no Undo, because the other players’ hands are hidden. Add ?seed=123 to the address to replay a match with the same deals and computer play.

Hearts card game rules

Hearts is played by four players with a 52-card deck, dealt 13 cards each. Play goes clockwise, and the holder of the 2 of clubs leads the first trick. You must follow suit if you can. The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, with the ace high, and nobody can win with a card of another suit.

Every heart is worth 1 point and the queen of spades is worth 13, so each hand carries 26 points. The points go to whoever wins the trick they are in. After a hand, if any player has reached the target of 100 or 50, the match ends and the lowest score wins. If two or more players are tied for the lowest score, play continues with another hand.

How to play Hearts: rules for the first trick and breaking hearts

The first trick must be led with the 2 of clubs. On that trick, if you cannot follow clubs, you may not play a heart or the queen of spades, unless your hand holds only hearts and the queen of spades.

Hearts cannot be led until a heart has been played, which breaks hearts. Hearts break the moment any heart is discarded. You may lead hearts earlier only if your whole hand is hearts. The queen of spades can be led at any time and does not break hearts.

Hearts card game passing rules

Before each hand, every player passes 3 cards. Hand 1 passes left to West, hand 2 passes right to East, and hand 3 passes across to North. Hand 4 has no pass, and then the cycle repeats. All four passes happen at the same time, and the computer players choose their cards without seeing yours. The cards you receive get a gold outline until you play them.

Hearts card game rules for 4 players

This game is for four players: you as South, and West, North and East as computer players. Play always runs in the order you, West, North, East. Each trick has four cards, one from each player. This page does not include a three-player version or other rule variants such as a bonus for the jack of diamonds.

Game of hearts strategy

Your main goal is to take as few points as possible. Pass the queen of spades away if you hold her with no spade protection, and keep the spades you hold in mind when choosing your passes. Win tricks only when they contain no points, and try to avoid being the one who takes a trick with the queen of spades. Getting rid of a whole short suit early (a void) is useful: once you cannot follow suit, you may discard the queen of spades or your high hearts onto other players’ tricks. Holding several low spades protects you if you keep the queen, because you can follow spade leads without being forced to play her.

Hearts game tricks

A common trick is the duck. When you cannot win a trick, play the highest card of the suit led that still loses it. This sheds a high card without taking the points. If you are the last to play and the trick has no points, you can win it with a safe card to control the lead.

Hearts card game advanced strategy

Shooting the moon means one player takes all 13 hearts and the queen of spades, which is 26 points. With Moon: others +26, the shooter scores 0 and each other player gets +26. With Moon: you −26, the shooter gets −26 and the others score 0. The computer players only go for it with a very strong hearts hand. They defend against a moon by taking a point themselves when one other player has taken every point so far in the hand (14 or more). When void in a suit, they dump the queen of spades first, then high hearts.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hearts online free, and do I need to sign up?

Yes, it is free to play in your browser. There are no accounts, so you do not sign up.

Can I play Hearts online on a phone?

Yes. The layout fits a 320 px wide phone without sideways scrolling, and you tap a card to play it. On screens narrower than 520 px, your hand is shown in two rows.

Is my game saved?

Yes. The whole match is saved in your browser after every card and trick, on this device only. Nothing is sent anywhere. Reloading the page returns you to the same position.

What does shooting the moon mean in Hearts?

It means one player takes all 13 hearts and the queen of spades in a single hand. With Moon: others +26 that player scores 0 and everyone else gets 26 points; with Moon: you −26 the shooter’s score goes down by 26 instead.

Can I undo a card?

No. The game has no Undo.

Does this game have online multiplayer?

No. You play against three computer players, and there are no accounts or leaderboards.

What happens if two players tie for the lowest score?

If two or more players are tied for the lowest score when a player reaches the target, play continues with another hand until the lowest score is no longer tied.

More games

• Spades: another four-player trick-taking game, where you bid tricks with a computer partner and spades are trumps.
• Klondike Solitaire: the classic card game you play alone.
• FreeCell: a one-player card puzzle where every card is dealt face up.
• Dice Game: five dice, three rolls and thirteen boxes to fill.
• Reversi: a board game where you outflank and flip your opponent’s discs.
• Mancala: sow seeds around the pits and capture to fill your store.