Learn the game
Hearts rules
Learn the Hearts rules used in DeNiro Card: the deal, legal moves, scoring and how to win. House rules vary; these are the rules at DeNiro Card tables.
Choose a Hearts tableHow to play Hearts
- Lowest score wins: you are avoiding points. Each heart is 1 point, the Queen of Spades is 13, and taking the Jack of Diamonds subtracts 10. That bonus is always on.
- Three or four players, chosen on the setup card. With four players everyone gets 13 cards and the pass goes left, then right, then across, then a hold hand with no pass, repeating.
- With three players the 2 of Diamonds is removed, everyone gets 17 cards, and the pass goes left, then right, then a hold hand.
- Whoever holds the 2 of Clubs leads it. Follow the led suit if you can.
- No heart or Queen of Spades on the first trick unless you hold nothing else. The Jack of Diamonds may be played on the first trick.
- Hearts can't be led until a heart has been played, unless hearts are all you hold.
- Highest card of the led suit takes the trick and leads the next one.
- Shoot the moon (take all 26 penalty points) and 26 comes off your own score. The one exception: if adding 26 to each opponent instead would end the match right there and leave you the only player on the lowest score, the table does that instead.
- The game ends after the hand in which anyone reaches 100. The lowest total wins; a tie for lowest plays another hand.
- Your clock: at a coin table against the computer you get up to 90 seconds for each move, and the table header counts down the exact time left. If it runs out, the table plays that move for you on the merits. You are not forfeited, nothing extra is charged, and your stake and payout are unchanged. Each of your first three missed moves keeps the full clock; miss a third in a row and the rest of the hand runs at computer speed, about two thirds of a second a turn, which in practice finishes it for you. Making one move yourself puts the full clock back. An Online table against real people runs its own, separate clock; watch the same countdown there.
Common questions
How many players and cards are in Hearts?
Three or four players, chosen on the setup card. With four players everyone gets 13 cards and the pass goes left, then right, then across, then a hold hand with no pass, repeating. With three players the 2 of Diamonds is removed, everyone gets 17 cards, and the pass goes left, then right, then a hold hand.
How is Hearts scored, and what is shooting the moon?
Lowest score wins: you are avoiding points. Each heart is 1 point, the Queen of Spades is 13, and taking the Jack of Diamonds subtracts 10. That bonus is always on. Shoot the moon (take all 26 penalty points) and 26 comes off your own score. The one exception: if adding 26 to each opponent instead would end the match right there and leave you the only player on the lowest score, the table does that instead.
When does a game of Hearts end?
The game ends after the hand in which anyone reaches 100. The lowest total wins; a tie for lowest plays another hand.
Playing in DeNiro Card
Practice lets you play any game with no account and no coins. Coin tables use virtual play coins and need a DeNiro account; choose a coin stake before joining one. Leaving an active coin game forfeits the stake and adds a 10% leaving fee. Play coins have no cash value and cannot be cashed out.
Choose a Hearts table