Heartsplay the classic card game online, free
Pass three cards, follow suit, and dodge every heart and the queen of spades — or take them all to shoot the moon. Three computer opponents, no download, no sign-up.
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Play Hearts against three computer opponents. Pass three cards, follow suit, and keep every heart — and the queen of spades — out of your tricks.
Avoid hearts and the queen of spades — or take them all to shoot the moon
What is Hearts
The classic card game of avoiding points
Hearts is a 4-player trick-taking game played with one 52-card deck. Pass three cards, follow suit when you can, and try to steer clear of every heart and the queen of spades — or gamble on taking them all to shoot the moon. First to 100 points loses; lowest score wins.
- Three computer opponents
- No waiting for a lobby to fill. Every match is you against three AI opponents that pass, follow suit, and duck tricks with real Hearts strategy.
- Plays in your browser
- No download, no install, no plugins. heartscardgame.app deals a hand the moment the page loads, on desktop and mobile.
- Full passing rotation
- Left, right, across, then hold — the real four-hand passing cycle, with the queen of spades and every heart scored exactly to the rules.
- Progress saved locally
- Matches played and won, best winning score, moon shots, and win streak are stored on your device — never on a server.
How to play
How to play Hearts
Hearts rewards patience and avoidance. Pass wisely, follow suit, and keep the queen of spades — and every heart — out of your trick pile.
- 1
Deal and pass
All 52 cards are dealt, 13 to you and 13 to each of three computer opponents. Before play, everyone chooses three cards and passes them face down — to the left, then the right, then across, then no pass at all, cycling every four hands.
- 2
Follow suit
Whoever holds the two of clubs leads it to start the first trick. Play goes in turn order, and every player must follow the suit that was led if they can. With no card of that suit, any card may be played — this is how hearts usually get "broken."
- 3
Win the trick, or dodge it
The highest card of the suit that was led wins the trick and leads the next one. Hearts and the queen of spades carry penalty points, so the goal is usually to avoid winning tricks that contain them — unless you are going for the moon.
- 4
Score and repeat
Each heart is worth 1 point and the queen of spades is worth 13. Points are tallied after all 13 tricks are played and added to a running total. Deal again until someone reaches 100 — the lowest total at that point wins.
Tips to win more matches
- Pass your highest spades and the queen of spades herself if you have her — she is the single most expensive card in the deck.
- Hold on to a few low spades if you can. They let you safely follow suit later without being stuck holding the queen when it appears.
- Void a suit early by passing or discarding it, so you have somewhere safe to dump dangerous cards once you run out.
- Never lead a heart until it has been broken, and avoid leading the ace or king of spades before the queen has fallen.
- Watch who is void in which suit — if an opponent is out of spades, leading spades near the queen can back them into taking it.
- Only chase the moon when your hand is genuinely strong in hearts and spades — a failed attempt usually hands your opponents a big lead.
- Play toward the end of the trick when you can. Seeing what everyone else throws before you decide is the biggest edge in Hearts.
FAQ
Hearts, answered
Straight answers about the free Hearts card game you can play online in your browser.
What is the Hearts card game?
Hearts is a 4-player trick-taking card game played with one standard 52-card deck, where the goal is to avoid points rather than collect them. Every heart is worth 1 penalty point and the queen of spades is worth 13. Players take turns playing to tricks, and whoever has the lowest total score when someone reaches 100 points wins the match.
How do you play Hearts?
Deal 13 cards to each of four players. Before most hands, each player passes three cards to a neighbor — left, then right, then across, then no pass, repeating every four hands. Whoever holds the two of clubs leads the first trick; everyone must follow suit if able, and the highest card of the suit led wins the trick and leads the next. Hearts score 1 point each and the queen of spades scores 13. Play continues, hand after hand, until someone's total reaches 100 — the lowest score at that point wins.
Is Hearts free to play online?
Yes. heartscardgame.app is completely free and runs entirely in your browser against three computer opponents. There is nothing to buy, download, or install, and there are no interruptive video ads, premium tiers, or paywalls.
Do I need to download an app or create an account?
No. The game is the website — a 100% browser-based build with no app store download and no sign-up. Your stats are saved locally in your browser, so there is no login to manage.
What does "shooting the moon" mean?
If a single player takes every point-scoring card in a hand — all 13 hearts and the queen of spades, 26 points total — the scoring flips. That player scores 0 for the hand instead of 26, and every other player scores 26. It is a bold, high-risk way to close a scoring gap in one hand.
Why can't I lead a heart?
Hearts cannot be led until they are "broken" — meaning a heart has already been played to some earlier trick in the hand, usually because a player without the led suit discarded one. The only exception is when your whole remaining hand is hearts, in which case you have no other legal lead.
How does passing work?
Before a hand starts, you choose three cards from your hand and pass them face down. The direction rotates every hand: left, then right, then across, then a hand with no pass at all, and the cycle repeats. You also receive three cards from a neighbor before the first trick is led.
How do I win more often at Hearts?
Pass away your most dangerous cards — the queen of spades and high spades especially — and try to keep a few low cards in every suit so you always have a safe card to follow with. Avoid leading hearts before they are broken, track which opponents are void in a suit, and only attempt to shoot the moon when your hand is genuinely strong in both hearts and spades.
How smart are the computer opponents?
The three computer players use real Hearts heuristics: they pass away dangerous cards like the queen of spades and high spades, avoid leading hearts before they are broken, duck under tricks they do not want to win, and unload point cards when they are void in the led suit. They play a solid, sensible game without seeing your hand.
Does the game save my progress?
Matches played and won, your best winning score, total hands played, moon shots, and your win streak are saved locally in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server and there is no account. A match in progress is not saved if you close the tab.
Can I play Hearts on mobile?
Yes. The layout is built for touch: tap a card to select it during the pass, or tap a highlighted card to play it on your turn. The whole table fits on one portrait screen, and dealing a new match is instant with no page reload.