Hearts Strategy: Pass Smart, Go Void, Dodge the Queen

How scoring shapes Hearts strategy

Each heart you take costs 1 point and the Queen of Spades costs 13, so every round holds exactly 26 penalty points. On NitroPlayer the game ends after the round in which anyone reaches 100, and the lowest total wins. The only exception is shooting the moon: take all 26 points yourself and you score 0 while each other player gets 26.

That means Hearts strategy comes down to three moments: the pass, the cards you throw when you cannot follow suit, and the rare round where one player tries for the moon. If you need the basic rules first, the Hearts game page covers them. This guide goes deeper.

What to pass in Hearts: the odds behind it

We worked out the exact deal odds for a 52-card deck, then ran 400,000 simulated deals with the same passing rules the computer players use on NitroPlayer at the default level. Here is what the numbers say about the pass:

Two lessons stand out. First, a short suit is almost always available: 89% of hands have one. Second, passing it works more often than not, but not always: about 4 times in 10 the player passing to you sends a card back into that suit. So pass the short suit, but look at what you receive before planning your discards.

Pass these cards first: the Queen of Spades (unless you hold four or more low spades with her), the Ace and King of Spades when your spades are short, and high hearts. Use the rest of the pass to empty a short club or diamond suit.

Going void: the hand from the video

The video uses one fixed hand: clubs 2, 5, 9; diamonds 4, 8; spades 3, 6, Queen; hearts 2, 3, 7, King, Ace. It is round 1, so the pass goes left.

1. Pass the Queen of Spades, the 8 and the 4 of diamonds. The Queen is 13 points you no longer have to dodge, and the two diamonds were your whole diamond suit.
2. Check what comes back. In this deal the three cards you receive are high clubs, so you are now void in diamonds. You also know exactly who holds the Queen: the player you passed to.
3. Lead the 2 of clubs. The holder of the 2 of clubs always leads the first trick, and nobody may drop points on it unless they have no other choice.
4. Dump the Ace of hearts. When diamonds are led, you cannot follow suit, so you may play any card. You throw your highest heart, and someone else takes that point.

Why the Ace of hearts and not the 2? High hearts are the ones most likely to win a heart trick later. Low hearts can usually duck under other players' cards, so keep them.

How to handle the Queen of Spades

• Keep her only with cover. With four or more low spades you can follow every spade lead with a small card and wait for a chance to discard her.
• Watch the Ace and King of Spades. If you hold them without small spades, a spade lead can force you to win the trick that carries the Queen.
• Know where she sits. If you passed her, you know her owner. Do not win a spade trick with the Ace or King while that player still has to play: they can drop the Queen right on your card.
• Flush her out with low spades. If you hold only small spades and no Queen, lead spades. The player holding the Queen with the Ace or King above her is the one who gets hurt.

What to throw when you cannot follow suit

A void is only useful if you use it well. When a suit you do not hold is led, discard in this order:

1. The Queen of Spades, if you still have her.
2. The Ace or King of Spades, while the Queen is still out.
3. Your highest hearts, starting with the Ace.
4. High cards in suits where you hold only one or two, to set up your next void.

One rule on NitroPlayer limits this: on the very first trick you cannot drop a heart or the Queen unless your hand leaves no other choice. From trick two on, every discard is open. Discarding a heart also breaks hearts, which lets anyone lead them later.

How to shoot the moon in Hearts

To shoot the moon you must take all 13 hearts and the Queen of Spades in one round. It pays 26 points to each other player and 0 to you, but if any other player takes even one heart, you are stuck with a large score.

Try it only with a hand like this:

• Long, high hearts: six or more, including the Ace, King and Queen.
• Control of spades: the Queen with the Ace or King, or long spades.
• Strength or a void elsewhere, so you can win the lead back.

Keep the plan quiet early: win tricks with high clubs and diamonds first, then run the hearts once they are broken. The defense is simple. If one player has taken every point so far, win a single heart yourself, even if it costs you a point. One point is far cheaper than 26.