Gamesville.com - Help - How To Play Hearts

Question 

How do I play Hearts?

Answer

Hearts is a four-player game. Features of Gamesville Hearts include chat, avatars, and GV Rewards.

How to Play
Playing A Card
Booting A Player
Player Leaves
Table Options


How to Play
The object of Hearts is to have the fewest points at the end of the game. At the beginning of the game, each player is dealt 13 cards. Select three cards from your hand, then click the "Pass" button to pass them to another player and receive three other cards from another player.

When it's your turn to play a card, the yellow "PLAY CARD" prompt will appear above your cards. Click an available card to play it. If you don't have any cards in the suit that was led, you can play any card.

When each player has played a card, the person who played the highest card in the suit that was led wins these cards and receives all of the points for that trick.

Hearts are one point each; the Queen of Spades is 13 points; and other cards are zero points.

The player who won the trick now leads a card. Play continues in this fashion until all four players have played all of their cards.

NOTE: You cannot lead a Heart until Hearts have been "broken"--that is, when someone plays a Heart or the Queen of Spades.

Playing A Card
To play a card simply double click on it. If you single click on a card before it is your turn, the card will be nudged up slightly and when it is your turn that card will be played.

You will not be allowed to play a card that breaks suit when you don't need to. In that case, double clicking on the card will yield no result.

Select three cards to pass by clicking on them, and then click on "Pass cards." The computer will pass them to the appropriate player.

You must pass cards before you receive cards. After you pass your cards, the cards that were passed to you become visible.

Booting A Player
Only the host of a table can instigate a vote to boot a player. By clicking on the "Boot" button, the host will see a pop up listing the other three players at the table. He must click on the player he wants booted.

The other two players are then given the chance to vote if the selected player should be booted. It takes at least two of the three votes for a player to be booted out of a game.

If a player is successfully booted and the game is rated, then the remaining three players must wait for a new fourth to join the game before play can continue. If the game was unrated, a robot player will fill in for the booted player.

Player Leaves
If a player leaves during a game, the host will be offered four choices: Wait, play robot, find a new table or play a different game. If the game is rated and the host chooses to allow a robot player to fill in, the robot will assume the rating of the player that left.

Any player who leaves a rated game before it is complete will have their rating change as if they had lost the game.

In the event that you lose your Internet connection during a game, log back on and try to rejoin your game. The host may have chosen to wait for you to return, and if so you have a 10 minute grace period before you have a Quit (loss) recorded for you.

Table Options
When a host is setting up a Hearts table, there are several options he can select that affect the game play. The default options - and their alternatives - for all tables are as follows:

Players must wait until Hearts are broken before leading with Hearts. Players cannot lead a Heart until someone has broken Hearts by playing either a Heart or the Queen of Spades on a previous trick, unless the player doesn't have another card to play.

Allow the Queen of Spades to break Hearts.

Allow these types of passing: Left, Right, Across, Hold.

The score to end the game is 100 points. Other choices include 50, 150, 200 and 250 points.

In addition to the default settings above, there are further choices a host can select for his table.

Hearts or Queen of Spades can be played on the first trick.

If this option is checked off players can play either a Heart or the Queen of Spades on the first trick if they cannot follow suit.

Taking Jack of Diamonds is worth - 10 points.

If this option is checked off, then a player who takes the Jack of Diamonds has 10 points subtracted to his overall score.

Must take the Jack of Diamonds to Shoot the Moon.

In addition to claiming all of the Hearts and the Queen of Spades, a player would have to also take the Jack of Diamonds to Shoot the Moon. This option is only available if the "Taking Jack of Diamonds is worth -10 points" option is checked off.

Taking zero tricks in a round is worth - 5 points. This option allows a player who doesn't take any tricks during a round to have 5 points subtracted from his score.

You can always view the options selected for the table by clicking the "Options" button on the lower right side of the screen.

Once a game has started, the options selected cannot be changed until the game is over. Only the host can change the options settings between games.

Technical Problems

If you are having difficulties loading and running the classic games, see this Troubleshooting section of Gamesville help.