Hearts is a four-player trick-taking card game where the goal is to avoid penalty points. Each heart card is worth 1 point and the Queen of Spades (Q♠) is worth 13 — for a total of 26 penalty points per round. The player with the lowest score when someone hits the point limit wins the game.
Before each round begins, every player selects 3 cards to pass to another player. The direction rotates each round: Left, Right, Across, then a "Keeper" round where nobody passes. Passing is your best tool for dumping dangerous cards — get rid of the A♠, K♠, and Q♠ early unless you have enough spades to protect yourself.
The player holding the 2♣ always leads the first trick. You must follow suit if you can — if you can't, you may play any card (this is called "sloughing"). The highest card of the led suit wins the trick. Hearts cannot be led until a heart has been played on a previous trick ("hearts broken"). On the very first trick, no penalty cards (hearts or Q♠) may be played unless you have no other option.
If one player manages to take all 26 penalty points in a single round (every heart plus the Q♠), they "shoot the moon" — they score 0 and every other player receives 26 points. This is a high-risk, high-reward strategy that can completely flip the game. Watch out for opponents attempting it — take just one heart to stop them.
Seven difficulty levels from Beginner to Cyborg ☠ control how intelligently the AI opponents play. At higher levels, AI players will duck tricks more effectively, track which cards have been played, and attempt moon shots when they sense an opportunity.
Play Hearts ZAP free online — no download, no sign-up, no ads blocking gameplay. Hearts ZAP is a faithful implementation of the classic four-player trick-taking card game, built as a single-page browser game that runs on any device.
The game features a complete Hearts engine: correct passing rotation, 2♣ lead enforcement, suit-following rules, hearts-broken tracking, first-trick restrictions, and shoot-the-moon detection. AI opponents scale from beginner-friendly to ruthlessly strategic across 7 difficulty levels.
The daily challenge uses a seeded deal so every player worldwide faces the exact same hand — complete it to build your streak. Use the Challenge button to share your score and let friends play against the same deal.