Hearts
Hearts is one of two card games available at the parlor games table.
It is simply an online version of the card game Hearts. Hearts requires four players. The game can be played with a score limit of 50, 100, or 200 points.
Hearts' rules are simple. Each player is dealt 13 cards. After the deal, the player may pass 3 cards. First, the player passes 3 cards to the left, then 3 to the right, then 3 across, then they hold their cards. The option to hold cards may be removed at the table-setter's choice. Whoever has the 2 of clubs must lead with that card.
Play resolves in a clock-wise fashion, and the objective is to score as few points as possible. Each heart is worth one point, while the queen (sometimes called the "tart") is worth 13 points. When one captures all hearts and the queen (called "Shooting the moon", which is very hard to do), then that player receives 0 points while all other players receive 26 points, unless the player would cause someone else to reach the score limit and would not be the one having the least points (which would not make him win the game). In this case the player shooting the moon would just lose 26 points.
The game ends as soon as one or more player reach the score limit. The player with the least points wins the game.
Strategy
In Hearts, it is best to try to lose tricks, as winning them will contribute nothing to your score. At the pass, you should try to keep all your hearts and the Queen of Spades, if you have it, and pass your highest cards of other suits.
When you cannot follow suit in a trick, you should either play your highest heart, the queen of spades, or the highest card of another suit; that way, you have more low cards than high cards. When you can follow suit in a trick, you should play the highest card you have that will not win the trick. When leading, you should play your lowest card.
Another strategy is to keep the queen of spades, but this can be fairly risky. Controlling the queen of spades can allow you to let someone else capture it, relieving you of its 13 points, but this can backfire if someone leads with a spade and you must play the queen.
Additionally, if someone is taking a lot of hearts, and has taken the queen, it may be wise to intentionally capture a heart yourself. This is known as a "sacrifice," and, while it may not let you win the game, it does prevent someone from shooting the moon.
