Hearts

A typical hearts game

Hearts is one of three card games available at the parlor games table. It is free to play two days a week.

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 passes 3 cards. First, the player passes 3 cards to the left, then 3 to the right, then 3 across, then they hold their cards, (if that option was chosen by the person who set the table). 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 of spades (sometimes called the "tart" or "skank") is worth 13 points. When one captures all hearts and the queen of spades (called "Shooting the moon"), 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, you want to avoid taking tricks, as taking them will increase your chances of taking the queen of spades. At the pass, you should pass away your high cards (Aces, Kings, Queens etc.) and at least one heart lower than one in your hand. You do this so that the person whom you have passed cards to cannot shoot the moon.

When you cannot follow suit in a trick, by all means if you have the queen of spades, play her. Then you want to empty your hand of your highest cards. That way, you will have more low cards than high cards in your hand. When you can follow suit in a trick, you should play the highest card you have that will not win the trick unless you have last play and it does not matter. When leading, during the first two rounds it is more advantageous to play your highest cards of a suit than your lowest. Ideally, you want to play your highest cards first and towards the last remaining cards, only have low cards in your hand.

Another strategy is to keep the queen of spades, but only if you have at least three other spades. 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 only have a few spades in your hand including the queen. So, if you do not have at least 4 spades in your hand including the queen, then pass it.

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 will prevent someone from shooting the moon. As long as two players have won tricks containing hearts or the queen, no one can shoot the moon.

In Hearts players may collude against each other. During a hand, for example, one player might try to "shoot the moon" while the other three co-operate in order to prevent him. Also, players may try to give the person with the lowest point total the queen to diminish their lead; someone who is currently leading may want to give a person approaching the point limit the queen to hasten the end of the game.

Over the course of a whole game, who co-operates and who gets ganged up on will depend on the betting system chosen. The table-setter determines whether the winner receives the entire pot ('winner takes all') or whether the pot is shared by the three lowest-scoring players in proportion to the number of points they have ('proportionate take').

In a winner takes all match, it makes sense for three players to gang up on the player with the lowest score. But in a proportionate take match, it might profit three players to gang up on the player with the highest score, forcing him out while the other three have relatively low score and high expected payouts.

There tend to be more proportionate take tables than winner takes all ones, and the stakes tend to be higher at proportionate take tables. You can make a fair return on Hearts, without ever winning a game, by playing proportionate take games and simply avoiding getting too close to the score limit. (Playing to come second by picking on the weakest player doesn't sound like an honourable path to riches, but what kind of pirate are you if you let that worry you, eh?)

The pass is one of the most important parts of the hearts game. A good pass takes a few items into account:

Cover your pass. It's often important, against good players, to make sure that your pass contains a low heart (specifically, a heart you know you can beat). That helps to stop a player from an easy moon-shot when they pass themselves out of low hearts (since they will eventually need to either lead the low heart or surrender it).
Pass to void a suit if possible. Running yourself out of a suit on the pass enables you to get an early advantage when discarding cards. Clubs are slightly less valuable to pass out of (since you cannot dump a scoring card on the first trick) but if you can pass yourself down to one club you will be in good shape. Passing out of hearts increases your chances of shooting the moon, especially against weaker players who are less likely to pass you a covering heart.
Passing the two of clubs to another player will enable you to dump a higher club on the first trick.
Track your passes. At the start of every hand with a pass, you know where three of the cards in the deck are in addition to your hand. Use that to your advantage, especially in spades if you pass the queen or other high spades.

Ultimate list

Cerulean	Emerald	Ice
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Jade	Meridian	Obsidian
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Opal
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Trophies

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