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By: Ikedi Ani-okoye.

Hearts game explained

Hearts (also Black Lady, Chase the Lady and Black Maria) is a trick-taking playing card game for four players (although versions for other numbers are known). A standard deck of 52 playing cards is used. The objective of the game is to avoid taking tricks containing any heart and the queen of spades because these cards carry negative points to the winner of the trick. There are no trumps.

Hearts dealing and passing

Deal and play are clockwise. All the cards are dealt out one at a time, so that everyone has 13.

On the first hand, after the deal, each player passes any three cards face-down to the player to their left. When passing cards, you must first select the cards to be passed and place them face-down, ready to be picked up by the receiving player; only then may you pick up the cards passed to you, look at them and add them to your hand.

On the second hand each player passes three cards to the player to their right, in the same way. On the third hand each player passes three cards to the player sitting opposite. On the fourth hand no cards are passed at all. The cycle then repeats until the end of the game.

Hearts Tricks

The player holding the 2 of clubs after the pass plays that card to start the first trick. (If the 2 of clubs has been removed for the 3-player game, then the 3 of clubs is led.)

Each player must follow suit if possible. If a player has no cards in the suit led, a card of any other suit may be discarded. Exception: If a player has no clubs when the first trick is led, a heart or the Black Maria cannot be played.

The highest card of the suit led wins a trick. The winner of the trick keeps all cards won in a single stack in front of himself or herself, face down. The winner of a trick starts the next trick.

Hearts may not be led until a heart or the Black Maria has been played (this is called "breaking" hearts). The queen can be led at any time. There is no trump suit in Hearts.

CONCLUSION

The various types of card games include trick taking games, card exchange games, patience games, shedding or accumulating games, casino games and collectible card games. The type of card game depends upon the number of players and their interest. It is also based on the rules of game, the skill of the players and the time needed for a game.