Gamehelphearts

2025-12-14T10:18:13Z

Sam7000: Added the description of "High Spades Scoring".

[[Category:Card games]]
== Overview ==

* Hearts is a card game for 4 players, every player for themselves.
* It uses the standard 52-card pack, ranked {{card|A}} (high) to {{card|2}} (low), with the figure cards being {{card|K}}{{card|Q}}{{card|J}} high to low.

== Setup ==

The entire deck is dealt, giving each player a hand of 13 cards. After looking at your hand, choose three cards to pass to another player.

The passing rotation is:
* (1st hand) to the player on your left,
* (2nd hand) to the player on your right,
* (3rd hand) to the player across the table,
* (4th hand) no passing.

The rotation repeats until the game ends.

== Tricks ==

* After passing cards, the player holding the {{club|2}} leads the first trick.
* Each player must follow suit if possible. If you have no cards of the suit led, you may play a card of any suit.
** Exception: You may not play a {{heart}} or the {{spade|Q}} on the first trick, even if you have no clubs.
* The highest card of the suit led wins the trick. The winner of a trick starts the next trick.
* Hearts may not be led until a {{heart}} has been played (this is called "breaking hearts").
* There is no trump suit.

== Scoring ==

* At the end of each hand, each {{heart}} taken by a player counts -1, and the {{spade|Q}} counts -13.
* If one player has taken all 13 {{heart}}s ''and'' {{spade|Q}} (this is known as "shooting the moon", or "slam"), that player scores 0 and all other players score -26. Warning other players about an attempt to shoot the moon is team play, and a breach of Hearts etiquette.
* When one or more players reach zero, the game ends.
* The player with the highest score wins.

== Variants ==
=== Initial points ===
* Start with 50 points
* Start with 75 points
* Start with 100 points

=== Rule set ===
* Hearts
* Omnibus Hearts: {{diamond|J}} is +10
* Black Maria: {{spade|A}} is -7, {{spade|K}} is -10, no penalty card play limit, always pass right, no shooting the moon, player left of dealer always starts
* Spot Hearts: {{heart|A}} is -14, {{heart|K}} is -13, {{heart|Q}} is -12, {{heart|J}} is -11, and other {{heart}} are negative their face value
* Custom

=== Jack of Diamonds bonus ===
* Disabled
* Enabled ({{diamond|J}} worth +10)

=== Penalty card play limit ===
* Default (no points on first trick, cannot lead {{heart}} until they break)
* Points in the first trick (cannot lead {{heart}} until they break)
* Disabled

=== Face value scoring ===
* Disabled '''''[Meaning??]'''''
* Enabled '''''[Meaning??]'''''

=== High Spades scoring ===
* Disabled This would be the standard game. {{spade|Q}} is -13. The other Spades have no points.
* Enabled In addition to {{spade|Q}} being -13, these negative points are also added: {{spade|A}} is -7, {{spade|K}} is -10.

=== Starter card ===
* Enabled ({{club|2}} always starts)
* Disabled (player left of dealer always starts)

=== Shooting the moon ===
* Default (other players receive -26 points)
* Positive moon scoring (player receives +26 points)
* Disabled '''''[Meaning?? Does this mean Shooting the moon will not apply?]'''''

=== Pass cycle ===
* Default
* Remove no pass hands
* Always pass right

=== Skip uneventful final tricks ===
* Yes
* No

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Gamehelphearts