The games · Coolhand Cards

Hearts

The trick-avoiding game. Pass three cards, then take as few hearts as you can, and never the queen of spades, unless you can take them all.

Players: 4
Family: Trick-Taking
App: Coolhand Cards · iOS and Android, soon

How it goes

You hold thirteen cards and want to take as few points as you can. First you pass three cards to a neighbor: to the left, then to the right, then across, then one deal with no pass. A trick is one card from each player in turn. The highest card of the suit led takes it and leads the next. Follow suit if you can: play a card of the suit led whenever you hold one. The two of clubs leads the first trick. Every heart you take is a point, and the queen of spades is thirteen. Hearts can't be led until one has been played. When someone reaches a hundred, the lowest score wins. Take every point card in one deal and your score falls by twenty-six instead.

A good hand

The cards you want are the ones that can't be made to take a trick. Low cards in every suit let you duck under whatever is led. A suit you hold none of is a chance to drop the queen of spades on someone else's trick when it's led. Pass the cards that take tricks: spades above the queen, the top of a long suit, and any heart you'd be forced to take. A hand full of twos and threes looks weak and plays well.

The usual mistake

Following suit high on a trick that already holds points. If a heart is lying there and you play the king of the suit, you've volunteered to take it. The same goes for leading a suit you hold the top of while the queen of spades is still out. And chasing all twenty-six with a hand that has one card it can't cover: one lost trick and every point you gathered stays with you.

Played differently where you are?

Card games change from table to table, and we researched some of these games instead of playing them. If Hearts goes differently where you play it, tell us. That's one of the things the closed beta is for.

The closed beta is by invitation. How to ask to join.