Hearts

  1. Objective: Have the *lowest* score at the end of the game. The game ends when a player reaches or exceeds 100 points.
  2. Setup: 4 players, standard 52-card deck. Each player is dealt 13 cards.
  3. Penalty Cards: Each Heart card is 1 point. The Queen of Spades (Q♠) is 13 points.
  4. Passing: Before each round, players pass 3 cards to an opponent. The cycle is: Pass Left, Pass Right, Pass Across, then Hold (no pass).
  5. Gameplay: The player with the 2 of Clubs (2♣) must lead it to start the first 'trick'.
  6. Trick-Taking: Players must 'follow suit' (play a card of the suit that was led) if they can. If not, they may play any card.
  7. Winning a Trick: The highest card of the *led suit* wins the trick. The winner takes the 4 cards and leads the next trick.
  8. Rules: You cannot lead a Heart until Hearts have been 'broken' (discarded on a previous trick). You cannot play penalty cards on the very first trick (unless you have no other choice).
  9. Shooting the Moon: If one player manages to win *all* penalty cards (all 13 Hearts + Q♠), they score 0 points, and all 3 opponents get 26 points instead.
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