Hearts

Variant played: No trump · hearts and the Queen of Spades are penalties · Version 1.0.0

Objective

Score as few points as possible by avoiding hearts and the Queen of Spades.

Setup

1. 4 players, 13 cards each.
2. Before each round, pass 3 cards: left, right, across, then no pass; repeat the cycle.
3. The holder of the 2 of clubs leads the first trick.

Turn or round flow

1. You must follow suit if possible.
2. Otherwise, any card may be played, subject to the first-trick restrictions.
3. The highest card in the requested suit wins the trick and leads the next one.
4. Hearts are broken when a heart is discarded; they cannot be led before that, unless the player has only hearts.

Legal actions and obligations

• On the first trick, no hearts or Queen of Spades may be played unless the player has no other legal card.
• Ranks in each suit run from 2 to Ace; no suit is trump.
• A player must follow suit when possible.

Score

• Each heart is worth 1 point; the Queen of Spades is worth 13; total 26.
• If a player takes all 26 points, they shoot the moon: they score 0 and the other three score 26, under the standard option.
• Scores are cumulative; the lowest total wins.

End of game

• A round ends after 13 tricks.
• The game ends at the end of a hand when a player reaches 100 or more; lowest score wins.

Locked special cases and variants

• If tied for the lowest score, play an extra round.
• The jack of diamonds -10 and subtractive moon shot are disabled.

Artificial intelligence

The AI uses only its hand, public cards, the allowed history, and the legal actions sent by the server.

• Easy avoids taking immediate penalty points.
• Normal passes dangerous cards, plays low, unloads the Queen of Spades at the right time, and watches broken hearts.
• Hard remembers void suits, detects an attempt to shoot the moon, and adapts the defense.