Avoid hearts, dodge the queen of spades, and win with the lowest score.
Play a free Hearts hand against three AI opponents. Follow suit when possible, wait for hearts to break, shed danger cards, and watch every point card that lands in a trick.
Hearts is a point-avoidance trick-taking game. Unlike Whist or Spades, the goal is not to take the most tricks. The goal is to avoid the wrong tricks: every heart is worth one point, and the queen of spades is worth thirteen. The player with the lowest point total wins the hand.
This Hearts online game gives you the classic four-player flow without a signup or download. You sit South against West, North, and East. The player with the 2 of clubs leads the first trick, everyone follows suit when possible, hearts cannot be led until hearts are broken, and the queen of spades can swing the whole hand.
Searchers looking for hearts online, play hearts, hearts card game, hearts card game online, or hearts rules usually want a game that explains the scoring while they play. This page puts the playable table first, then supports it with rules, examples, edge cases, shoot-the-moon scoring, and strategy for avoiding point traps.
Players
4
You play one seat against three AI opponents in a classic four-player Hearts hand.
Points
26
Thirteen hearts plus the queen of spades create 26 possible penalty points.
Goal
Lowest score
Win by taking fewer points than every other player.
Most trick-taking games reward taking tricks. Hearts rewards restraint. A clean trick is harmless, but a trick containing hearts or the queen of spades can ruin an otherwise strong hand.
Hearts cannot be led until a heart has been played to a previous trick. If you are void in the led suit, you may dump a heart, and from that moment hearts are broken.
The queen of spades is half the deck of penalty points by itself. Holding high spades can be dangerous because they may force you to capture the queen.
The rules page covers setup, turn order, legal plays, scoring, first-trick restrictions, shooting the moon, hearts-breaking edge cases, and practical examples.
Want a rules-first reference for teaching the table? Read the companion guide at cardgamerules.org/hearts-rules, or keep the full Hearts guide here open while you play.
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