Avoid the queen, or shoot the moon

Take a seat in a Victorian parlour and play a proper hand of Hearts. Pass three cards, follow the suit that was led, and leave the hearts — and the queen of spades — to somebody else.

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Genre: Card game
Controls: Touch
Mouse
Keyboard
Devices: Desktop
Tablet
Mobile
Released: 2026

Did you like Hearts?

Hearts

Hearts is the classic four-player trick game, dealt on burgundy baize under a brass oil lamp. Every heart you win costs you a point and the queen of spades costs you thirteen, so the whole evening is spent ducking under other people's cards. Before each hand you hand three cards to your left, then to your right, then across the table, then a hand where nobody passes at all. The two of clubs leads, you must follow suit if you can, and hearts stay shut until somebody is forced to throw one.

The other three seats are painted cameos in gilt frames: Colonel Hargrave behind his monocle, Aunt Lavinia with her lorgnette raised, and Mr Pennrose the poet with ink still on his fingers. They gasp when the queen drops, they look smug when they slip her to you, and they have something to say about most of it. Choose Easy if you want the table to be generous, Normal if you want it to count suits and shed the queen sensibly, or Sharp if you want three opponents who track every card, sit on their stoppers and notice a moon attempt in time to ruin it.

Take all thirteen hearts and the queen in a single hand and you have shot the moon: give the other three twenty-six apiece, or take twenty-six off your own score instead. A running scoreboard between hands keeps the totals and a hand-by-hand history, and the evening ends the moment somebody reaches a hundred, with the lowest score winning. Legal cards are lit as you play, a hint will suggest one, and you can take a card back until the next player answers it. Two house rules wait on the title screen: the jack of diamonds worth minus ten, and a queen who may not fall on the first trick.

Tips for Hearts

In Hearts every heart you take costs a point and the queen of spades costs thirteen, so the safest plan is to get rid of danger before it finds you. Use the pass to hand on cards that are likely to win tricks you do not want, the queen above all, and remember the direction changes each hand: left, right, across, then a hand with no pass. Once you cannot follow suit, that is your chance to drop the queen or a heart onto someone else's trick.

Shooting the moon means taking all thirteen hearts and the queen in one hand. It is a big swing, but it fails if anyone else takes a single heart, and Sharp opponents notice an attempt in time to ruin it, so try it against Easy first. Legal cards are lit as you play, H suggests one, and you can take a card back until the next player answers it, so lean on those while you learn. The game ends when someone reaches a hundred, and the lowest score wins.

How to play Hearts

Hearts is played by four players with a standard deck of fifty-two cards, thirteen each, and in Kiloo's game the other three seats are computer opponents. Each hand begins with a pass: you choose three cards to hand to the player on your left, then in the next hand to your right, then across the table, and then comes a hand where nobody passes.

The player holding the two of clubs leads the first trick. Everyone plays one card in turn and must follow the suit that was led if they can; if you cannot, you may play any card. The highest card of the suit that was led wins the trick, and its winner leads the next one. Hearts cannot be led until one has been thrown on an earlier trick by someone who could not follow suit.

At the end of each hand, every heart you won counts one point against you and the queen of spades counts thirteen. Take all thirteen hearts and the queen and you have shot the moon: give the other three twenty-six points each, or take twenty-six off your own score. The game ends when someone reaches a hundred, and the lowest score wins. On a computer, click a card to play it, or pick one with 1 to 9, 0, minus and equals and press Enter. On a phone or tablet, tap the card. Legal cards are lit, H asks for a hint, U takes back your last card, P pauses and M mutes.

About Hearts

Hearts is a classic trick-taking card game for four, and an unusual one, because the aim is to avoid the tricks with points in them rather than win them. It has long been a favourite at card tables and on computers, and it is a good way into trick-taking games in general, since following suit and remembering what has been played are skills you use in many others.

Kiloo's Hearts deals the cards on burgundy baize in a Victorian parlour under a brass oil lamp. The other three seats are painted cameos in gilt frames, Colonel Hargrave, Aunt Lavinia and Mr Pennrose, who gasp, look smug and comment as the hands go by. It suits newcomers and seasoned players alike. Easy is a generous table to learn at, Normal counts suits and sheds the queen sensibly, and Sharp tracks every card and notices a moon attempt in time to ruin it. Lit legal cards, hints and taking a card back help while you learn, the scoreboard keeps the totals and a hand-by-hand history, and two house rules on the title screen add variety for regular players.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hearts free to play?

Yes. Hearts is free to play in your browser on Kiloo. There is nothing to download and no account to create. Three computer opponents take the other seats, so you can start a game straight away at Easy, Normal or Sharp.

Can I play Hearts on my phone?

Yes. On a phone or tablet you tap a card to play it, and on a computer you click it. With a keyboard, 1 to 9, 0, minus and equals pick a card and Enter plays it. H asks for a hint and U takes back your last card.

What is shooting the moon in Hearts?

Shooting the moon means winning all thirteen hearts and the queen of spades in a single hand. When you manage it, you can either give each of the other three players twenty-six points or take twenty-six off your own score.

Which house rules can I turn on?

You can switch on two house rules from the title screen. One makes the jack of diamonds worth minus ten points, so it becomes a card worth winning. The other stops the queen of spades from being played on the first trick.

How do you win at Hearts?

Hearts is won by having the lowest score. Each heart you take costs a point and the queen of spades costs thirteen, and the game ends as soon as someone reaches a hundred. The player with the fewest points at that moment wins.

How does passing work in Hearts?

Before each hand of Hearts you choose three cards to pass. The direction changes every hand: first to the player on your left, then to your right, then across the table, and then a hand with no pass at all before the order starts again.