Hearts: four at the table, every player for themselves

About Hearts

This is the Hearts you know, with the classic rules: 52 cards, four players, no partners, 13 cards each. Before each hand, everyone passes three cards: to the left on the first hand, to the right on the second, across on the third, and no passing on the fourth, then the cycle starts over. Whoever holds the 2 of clubs leads the first trick, and play moves to the left. You have to follow suit if you can; the highest card of the suit led takes the trick, and aces are high. Nobody plays hearts or the queen of spades on the first trick, and you can't lead hearts until they're broken. Every heart you take costs you 1 point; the queen of spades costs 13. Take all 26 and you shoot the moon: you get zero and the other three get 26 each. The host picks the target: 100 points, the classic way, or 50 for a quick game. Once someone hits it, the lowest score wins, and ties for the lowest score all win. The host also decides on revokes: blocked (the game only lets you play the right cards) or allowed (you can revoke at your own risk; anyone can call it until the count, and the table rules on the spot: whoever revoked takes 26 points for that round, or, if the call is wrong, the accuser takes the 26; the round ends there and the game goes on). Everyone plays with the deck they prefer, from the four in the Kingdom's collection. The table lives on the site, so the four of you don't need to be online at once: the game tells you when it's your turn, and anyone who opens the link once the table is full can watch. Short on players? Before the match starts, the host can fill empty seats with bots (Carmen, Tito and Luna): they play fair, play well and are always up for a rematch. Players can chat by text at the table. At the end, the Queen of Hearts has a word with the table, the winners can trash-talk, and the rematch happens right there, as many times as you like.

In Selminha's words

“Hearts is a card-table classic: easy to learn and full of twists. I wanted ours with real people: the Kingdom's deck, the green felt, the Queen of Hearts keeping an eye on whoever hoards hearts, and a link to call three people, each on their own phone, no sign-up and no app.”

How to play Hearts and what counts in every hand

1. Tap OPEN A TABLE, pick where the game ends (100 or 50 points), whether revokes are blocked or allowed, and your deck (each player picks the deck design they see), enter your name and COPY the link. Send it to three people: the first three to open it play, and everyone after that watches. Short on players? Tap ADD A BOT on any empty seat (REMOVE frees it up again).
2. Once all four are seated, tap START THE MATCH. Everyone gets 13 cards.
3. When passing, tap the 3 cards you want to pass (they pop up) and then PASS. The arrow in the middle of the table shows who gets them. Once all four have passed, the 3 cards you received land in your hand, highlighted. There's no passing on the fourth hand.
4. On your turn, tap a card to pick it and tap it again to play it, or drag it onto the table; drag cards sideways to arrange your hand. Cards you can play have a gold outline: follow suit; no hearts or queen of spades on the first trick; no leading hearts until they're broken. The card flies to the table, and once the trick is complete the four cards go to whoever took it.
5. End of the hand: the COUNTING THE POINTS box shows the hearts and the queen of spades each player took and what gets added to the score; any player taps NEXT HAND. Whoever reaches the limit ends the game, and the lowest score wins. Chat sits in the right column (on a phone held upright, behind the chat button). P or Esc open the menu (the table keeps going); M turns the sound on and off.

The rules of the table

The deck

52 cards, 13 each. Aces are high in every suit.

Passing

Before play, everyone passes 3 cards: left on the 1st hand, right on the 2nd, across on the 3rd and no passing on the 4th; then the cycle repeats.

Who leads

Whoever holds the 2 of clubs leads it on the first trick, and play moves to the left.

Following suit

If you hold the suit led you have to play it; the highest card of that suit takes the trick. With none, any card goes.

The first trick

No hearts or queen of spades, unless your whole hand is point cards.

Breaking hearts

You can lead hearts only after someone has thrown one off, or when hearts are all you have left. The queen of spades doesn't break hearts.

How you score

Hearts

Each heart you take is 1 point.

Queen of spades

Worth 13 points to whoever takes her.

Shooting the moon

Take all 13 hearts and the queen of spades and you score zero for the hand, while the other three get 26 each.

End of the game

When someone reaches the limit (100 or 50) at the end of a hand, the lowest score wins. Tied for the lowest score: everyone tied wins.

The Queen of Hearts

At the end of the game the Queen of Hearts steps up to the table and has a word with the winners and with whoever blew past the limit, party horn included. Winners can send a ready-made jab; losers fire back REMATCH!.

Controls on phone and computer

Computer

Tap or click a card to pick it, then again to play it, or drag it onto the table (when passing, a tap marks the 3 you'll pass) · drag sideways to arrange your hand · ← → browse your cards, Enter picks and plays, or marks · P or Esc open the menu · M sound · F full screen · gamepad: d-pad browses the cards, A or X pick and play, or mark, Start menu, Back sound.

Touch

On a phone you play it upright; on a tablet it follows the device, portrait or landscape, and never asks you to rotate. Tap a card to pick it, then tap it again (or drag it onto the table) to play it; PASS and RESIGN sit right above your hand. Invite with the COPY button and paste the link wherever you like (a text, a group chat…).

The host's choices

100 points

The classic: the game ends when someone reaches 100 points.

50 points

A quick game: it ends when someone reaches 50.

Revokes blocked

The game won't let you play another suit while holding the one led: only the right cards can be played.

Revokes allowed

Revoking is allowed at your own risk. Anyone can call a revoke on another player until the count; the table checks the round's plays, and the round ends right away: if the call is right, the player who revoked takes 26 points and everyone else zero; if it's wrong, the accuser takes the 26. The game goes on.

Bots

Before the match starts, the host can seat bots in any empty seats: Carmen, Tito and Luna, always shown with BOT before their names. They only see their own cards (plus the three they passed), play fair and play well, never trash-talk and are always up for a rematch. REMOVE frees the seat for someone joining by link. They never revoke or call a revoke, and they stay out of the chat.