How to Play Card Game Hearts | Best Card Games For Your Brain

Hearts is a popular card game that is played by four players. The objective of the game is to score the lowest points possible by avoiding winning the tricks that contain hearts and the queen of spades. In this article, we will discuss how to play card game Hearts in detail.

Requirements

To play Hearts, you will need a standard deck of 52 cards. The game can be played with three to seven players, but four players is the most common. The game also requires a pen and paper to keep score.

Dealing the Cards

The dealer shuffles the deck and deals each player 13 cards. The remaining cards are placed in the middle of the table to form the stock. The top card of the stock is turned over and placed face up next to the stock to start the discard pile.

Playing the Game

The player to the left of the dealer starts the game by playing any card in their hand. The other players must follow suit if possible. If a player cannot follow suit, they can play any card in their hand. The player who plays the highest card of the suit that was led wins the trick and leads the next trick.

The objective of the game is to avoid winning tricks that contain hearts and the queen of spades. If a player wins a trick that contains hearts or the queen of spades, they score penalty points. The player with the lowest score at the end of the game wins.

Scoring

At the end of each hand, players count the number of hearts and the queen of spades that they have won and score one point for each. The player who wins the queen of spades scores 13 points. The game continues until one player reaches 100 points or more, and the player with the lowest score wins.

Strategy

Hearts is a game of strategy, and players must be careful not to win too many tricks that contain hearts and the queen of spades. Players can try to pass these cards to their opponents or hold onto them until they can be played safely. Players can also use the lead suit to their advantage by forcing their opponents to play high cards, which can increase the chances of winning a trick that contains hearts or the queen of spades.

Conclusion

Hearts is an exciting and challenging card game that requires both luck and skill. By following these simple rules and strategies, you can improve your chances of winning and score the lowest points possible. So, gather your friends and family and start playing Hearts today!