How To Play Hearts With Only Two Players

In 1996, Jennie and I were travelling through Europe on train and wanted to play the game of hearts with only two people. Somewhere on the way from Umeå to Brindisi, we came up with this modified version of the game.

In Hearts, the entire deck of cards is normally dealt out to all players at the start of the game. This presents a problem with only two players. If the entire deck of cards is dealt out, then both players can figure out the entire hands of the other player.

So, to successfully play Hearts with two players a few modifications must be made to the game.

The key modifications that allow you to play the game with only two players are:

• each player is only dealt 7 cards
• each player always draws a card after playing a card

• a trick consists of 4 cards successively placed down by two players in an alternating fashion

The result is a game that captures the spirit of hearts, but with a lot more of an element of chance added. Some of the strategy that a 3-6 person game of hearts has will obviously not work as well. However, the added dose of luck that the rules below provide helps level the playing field for players of unequal skill, so that this game can be a way to introduce hearts to someone without them always losing.

1. Start with a full deck of 52 playing cards.

2. Deal out 7 cards to each player and put the rest of the deck face down between the players.

3. Whoever has the lowest value club card starts play by putting that club card face up next to the stack of cards (this is player 1).

4. Player 1 then draws another card.

5. Player 2 is now required to play a card from the same suit as the one placed by player 1. If player 2 does not have a card of the matching suit, then the player is free to play any card from that hand.

6. Player 2 then draws a card.

what follows is the key modification to make two player hearts possible

7. Player 1 now must play a third card with the requirement to match the suit of the initial card placed.

8. Player 1 draws a card.

9. Player 2 now must play the fourth card of the round.

10. After four cards have been placed face up, whoever placed the highest value card that matched the suit of the initial card placed
wins all four cards. These groupings of 4 cards are called “tricks”.

11. The winner of the trick now begins another hand by playing a new card.

Play cannot start off with a heart, until a heart has been played as a non-leadoff card. If a player must lead off and has only hearts in her hand, then it is OK to lead off with a heart.

12. Play continues with these 4 card rounds until there are no more cards in anyones hands. When the draw deck is gone, the requirement to draw a card after every turn is ignored.

13. When all cards have been played, count up the points to see who wins.

• the queen of spades is worth 13 points
• each heart is worth 1 point
• (optionally) the jack of diamonds is worth -10 points

• A player can shoot the moon by winning all heart cards and the queen of spades. This feat is awarded with -26 points.

A Few Sample Rounds of Play

Dealt Hands:

Player 1: ♥3, ♣2, ♣8, ♣Q, ♦5, ♦6, ♦9

Player 2: ♠3, ♠4, ♥2, ♣3, ♣9, ♣J, ♦10

Trick 1:

Player 1 plays: ♣2 (draws ♣10)
Player 2 plays: ♣J (draws ♠2)
Player 1 plays: ♣Q (draws ♣A)
Player 2 plays: ♣9 (draws ♣6)

Player 1 wins the trick with the ♣Q.

Hands are now:

Player 1: ♥3, ♣8, ♣10, ♣A, ♦5, ♦6, ♦9

Player 2: ♠2,♠3, ♠4, ♥2, ♣3, ♣6, ♦10

Trick 2:

Player 1 plays: ♣A (draws ♥A)
Player 2 plays: ♣6 (draws ♥4)
Player 1 plays: ♣10 (draws ♥9)
Player 2 plays ♣3 (draws ♣7)

Player 1 wins trick with ♣A and so will begin third turn.

Hands are now:

Player 1: ♥3, ♥9, ♥A, ♣8, ♦5, ♦6, ♦9

Player 2: ♠2,♠3, ♠4, ♥2, ♥4, ♣7, ♦10

Trick 3:

Player 1 plays: ♦9 (draws ♠5)
Player 2 plays: ♦10 (draws ♦4)
Player 1 plays: ♦6 (draws ♦2)
Player 2 plays: ♦4 (draws ♦10)

Player 2 wins trick with ♦10 and so will begin fourth turn.

Hands are now:

Player 1: ♥3, ♥9, ♥A, ♣8, ♦2, ♦5

Player 2: ♠2,♠3, ♠4, ♥2, ♥4, ♣7, ♦J

Trick 4:

Player 2 plays: ♠2 (draws ♠K)
Player 1 plays: ♠5 (draws ♠8)
Player 2 plays: ♠4 (draws ♠6)
Player 1 plays: ♠8 (draws ♣5)

Player 1 wins trick with ♠ 8 and so will begin 5th turn.

Hands are now:

Player 1: ♥3, ♥9, ♥A, ♣5, ♣8, ♦2, ♦5

Player 2: ♠3,♠6, ♠K, ♥2, ♥4, ♣7, ♦J

Trick 5:

Player 1 plays: ♦2 (draws ♣4)
Player 2 plays: ♦J (draws ♦A)
Player 1 plays: ♦5 (draws ♠A)
Player 2 plays: ♦A (draws ♥8)

Player 2 wins trick with ♦A so will begin 6th turn.

Hands are now:

Player 1: ♥3, ♥9, ♥A, ♣4, ♣5, ♣8, ♠A

Player 2: ♠3,♠6, ♠K, ♥2, ♥4, ♥8, ♣7

Trick 6:

Player 2 plays: ♣7 (draws ♥10
Player 1 plays: ♣5 (draws ♠J)
Player 2 plays: ♠K (draws ♦Q)
Player 1 plays: ♣8 (draws ♥5)

Player 1 wins trick with ♣8 so will begin 7th turn.

Hands are now:

Player 1: ♥3, ♥5, ♥9, ♥A, ♣4, ♠J, ♠A

Player 2: ♠3,♠6, ♥2, ♥4, ♥8, ♥10, ♦Q

Trick 7:

Note that since nobody has yet put a heart down, player 1 cannot yet lead off with a heart.

Player 1 plays: ♣ 4 (draws ♥J)
Player 2 plays: ♥10 (draws ♦8)
hearts have now been broken
Player 1 plays: ♠A (draws ♥K)
Player 2 plays: ♥8 (draws ♥6)

Player 1 wins the trick with the ♣4.

Play continues in this manner until nobody has any cards left.

Saturday February 14, 2009