The game
The aim
Hearts is a card game for four players, each playing for themselves. The cards you take score points against you: one for each heart, and thirteen for the queen of spades. When the game ends, the lowest score wins.
The deal
All 52 cards are dealt, thirteen to each player. In every suit the ace is high and the two is low, and no suit is trumps.
Passing three cards
Before each hand is played, everyone passes three cards: in the first hand to the player on their left, in the second to the player on their right, in the third to the player across, and in the fourth nobody passes. Then the order starts again. You choose your three before you see the ones coming to you.
Tricks
Whoever holds the two of clubs leads it to the first trick. Then each player in turn, going left, plays one card. You have to follow suit: play a card of the suit that was led, if you have one. If you have none, you can play any card, and that is your chance to get rid of hearts and the queen of spades.
The highest card of the suit that was led takes the trick, with any points in it. A card of another suit never takes a trick, however high. Whoever takes a trick leads the next, until all thirteen have been played.
Breaking hearts
Nobody may play a heart or the queen of spades to the first trick, unless they have nothing else. And nobody may lead a heart until one has been played, which is called breaking hearts, unless hearts are all they have left. The queen of spades doesn't break hearts, and can be led at any time.
Scoring
When all thirteen tricks have been played, each player adds up the points in the tricks they took: one for each heart and thirteen for the queen of spades, 26 between the four of them. Those go onto their score.
Shooting the moon
Take all 26 points in one hand and you shoot the moon: you score nothing for the hand, and everyone else scores 26. Miss by one heart, though, and you keep the other 25. There's more on shooting the moon.
The end of the game
The game ends after the hand in which someone's score reaches 50 or more, or 100 in a longer game. The lowest score wins, and players tied for it share the win.
Playing here
Learn by playing
The game will teach you a hand: choose Learn to play in its menu, and play one hand against three bots, with a note at each new thing as it comes up.
Alone
Play solo deals you a game against three bots: free, with no ads and no sign-up, and it works offline.
With people
Live play takes a subscription. Play live seats you with three people near your rating, and Play friends opens a room for the people you send its link to. Game options chooses 50 or 100 points, and whether a live game is rated. What changes at a live table is in the rules.