This makes for a total of 72 points per hand-and makes Shooting the Moon (see below) nigh-impossible.Ī second two-deck variant, Cancellation Hearts, has a different 'tie' rule two identical cards played in the same hand 'cancel' each other and cannot take the trick (but their points still count for the person who takes the trick). In addition, the jacks of diamonds are each worth 11 points.

The most basic variant of the game has players passing a certain number of cards (three in most four-player games) either left, right, or across before each hand, giving another chance to sink the knife in.Ī variant of the game, Dirty Hearts, uses two decks (and is often used for games involving more than four players) in the case of a tie, the first card played of a given rank takes the trick. Hearts has a reputation for being very cutthroat, as you might expect for a game whose aim is basically trying to shovel off a bag of flaming crap on your opponents. In recent times it has experienced something of a revival, largely because Microsoft now installs an electronic version as standard on all of its operating systems up to 7. Originally popular only amongst persons of a military persuasion and a few fanatical civilians, the game quickly became first more and then less popular. An extra quirk happens if one player manages to capture all the hearts AND the queen of spades, called 'Shooting the Moon' - each other player gets 26 points if this happens. The first player to go over 100 points loses, and the player with the fewest points at this point wins. 'The Black Lady', 'Black Maria', or ' Calamity Jane') note More obscene names exist. Every heart you win counts for one point, and the queen of spades (a.k.a. However, the number of tricks won is irrelevant, what matters is the cards you win. As with most such games, the winner of the last trick puts down a card, and everyone else must put down a card of the same suit (unless he has none, in which case he puts down any card he wants) and the player with the highest card of the original suit wins. Play Hearts Online - easy to use, smooth interface straight from your browser.A Trick-Taking Card Game, with a major quirk. How to Play Hearts courtesy of 'Cats at Cards'. Play continues until one player reaches a total of 50 points, at which time, then, the player with the lowest total is declared the winner.

The trick is won by the highest card of the suit led.Īt the end of hand, each player counts up their cards, receiving 1 penalty point for each Heart, and 13 penalty points for the Queens of Spades.If you can’t follow suit, you can play any card.You must follow suit to the card led, if possible.The player may lead anything, there is no restriction on leading hearts, as there is in Hearts. The player to the dealer’s left leads first and thereafter, whoever wins the trick leads to the next. If there are more than four players, it is customary to pass only 2 cards. It is important that a player, select and pass his/her cards before taking up and looking at the cards passed to them. Each Heart counts as 1 point against its winner, and the Queen of Spades counts for 13 points.īefore play commences, each player takes three cards from their own hand, and passes them face down to the player to their right, and receives three cards face down from the left. To avoid winning tricks with any Hearts in them, and to avoid winning the trick containing the Queen of Spades. Six players, 8 cards each, and seven players, 7 cards each. Deal out all the cards one at a time.įor three each player will receive 17 cards. The Dealĭeal and play are clockwise, and the deal proceeds to the left. Cards rank A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.įor three players remove the 2 of Clubs, leaving 51 cards.įor five players remove the 2 of Clubs and 2 of Diamondsįor seven players remove all the 2s except the 2 of Hearts. Each player plays for themselves.īlack Maria is especially suited to three players, though four or any number of players up to seven works quite well. It also goes by the name “Black Widow”, “Dirty Lady”, “Slippery Bitch”, and much worse.īlack Maria is a trick taking game where the objective is to avoid winning tricks with Hearts or the Queen of Spades in them. Black Maria is a variation of Hearts popular in the United Kingdom.

Dirty hearts card game