Classic HeartsPlay Classic Hearts online against computer opponents. Avoid taking hearts and the Queen of Spades to keep your score low in this timeless trick-taking game.
Classic Hearts
Classic Hearts is a digital adaptation of the traditional four-player trick-taking card game. The goal is simple but requires careful planning: you want to end up with the fewest points possible. In this game, every heart you take adds a point to your score, and the dreaded Queen of Spades adds a massive 13 points. You play against three computer opponents, trying to outsmart them by sloughing off your high cards and avoiding tricks that carry penalties.
A typical round starts with a passing phase where you can offload three of your worst cards to an opponent. From there, it’s a tense balancing act. You’ll need to follow suit when a card is led, but when you can’t, you have the perfect opportunity to dump your penalty cards on someone else. The game continues across multiple rounds until one player reaches 100 points, at which point the player with the lowest score is declared the winner.
Controls
The game is fully playable with just a mouse or touchscreen.
- Mouse/Touch: Click or tap a card to select it during the passing phase, or to play it into the middle of the table during a trick. You do not need to drag the cards.
Tips for Winning
- Pass high cards carefully: The Ace and King of Spades are the most dangerous cards because they are guaranteed to take the Queen if she is played. Pass them away if you don’t hold the Queen yourself.
- Keep low hearts: Don’t pass away your low hearts (like the 2, 3, or 4). You need them to safely lose tricks when hearts are eventually led.
- Count the Spades: There are 13 spades in the deck. Keep track of how many have been played so you know when it’s safe to play your own without the Queen dropping on you.
- Beware the Moon: If one player manages to collect all 13 hearts and the Queen of Spades, they “shoot the moon,” adding 26 points to everyone else’s score instead. Watch for players taking every trick and stop them if you can.