The Heart Group

Hearts is one of the foremost of the non partnership games that provides an opportunity for skill in the play of cards. in fact, Hearts and its many variants, in which the object is to avoid taking certain cards and tricks, is the answer to people who always complain they hold poor cards and very few trumps. Actually, in Hearts and its allied games, the premium is on holding poor cards.

REGULAR HEARTS

This is the basic and simplest form of Hearts, but it is not played as often today as my own Heart game and the many other variations and related games.
Requirements

1. A standard deck of 52 cards.
2. Four hands make the best game, but as few as two and any number more than four may play. If more than six play, a double deck should be used. Each person plays for himself, although partnerships may be arranged in the four-handed game.

Rank of Cards. Ace (high), king, queen, jack, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two (low). The suits have no relative rank although the play revolves about the hearts.
The object of the Game. To win the game by scoring fewer points than any of your opponents. In short, to try to avoid taking hearts.
Selecting Dealer and Seating Positions

1. The players seat themselves at any place around the table. Where they sit at the beginning is not important.
2. Any player may shuffle the pack and offer the pack to any other player to cut.
3. Each of the players is dealt a card face up. The player drawing the highest card selects his seating position, then the drawer of the second highest, and so forth. In case of ties, each tied player receives another card until the tie is broken. On the first draw, should two players receive high card, each receives another professional card to decide the order of seat selection.
4. The player who was dealt low card starts the game by dealing the first hand. From then on, the deal moves to the dealer’s left, clockwise.

Shuffle and Cut. Any player may shuffle, the dealer last. The player at the dealer’s right cuts the cards.
The Deal. The cards are dealt one at a time as far as they can be dealt, equally. The remaining cards are placed on the table face down, forming a widow or blind. The player who wins the first trick takes the blind; no one may look at these cards during play.
The Pass. Right after each deal and before the start of the play, after looking at his hand, each player selects any three cards in his hand and passes them face down to the player at his left without exposing them to the others. Each player must pass three cards .before looking at the three cards he receives from his right. In six-and seven-handed play, only two cards are passed to the left.,
The Play. The leader (the player to the dealer’s left) makes the opening lead. Each player must follow suit to a lead if able; if unable, a player may discard any card he wishes. Highest-ranking card of the suit led wins the trick.
Each heart counts 1 point. When Hearts is being played as a match, five hands constitute a match. At the end of each hand the points taken in tricks by each player are totaled and entered under his name on the score sheet . When a single hand is played as a game, the player who scored the fewest points is declared the winner and he collects the difference in points between his score and that of each of the other players. In brief, he collects 1 point for each heart held by the losing players. If two or more players tie for the fewest points taken, they divide the winnings, and if there are odd units left over, they cut or draw high card to determine who shall receive the odd units.
The player who scores the fewest total points for the five games is declared the winner and gets credit for the difference between his score and that of each of the losers.
Settlement. When play is completed, there are several ways of settling, of which the following methods of using chips are the most popular:

1. Each player begins with a specific number, say 50 or 100 chips. For every heart he takes in play he puts a chip into the pot or kitty. The player who has taken the fewest hearts wins the pot. If two or more players tie for lowest number of hearts, they divide the pot equally, and if there are odd chips, they are carried over to the next pot.
2. Another method, which emphasizes the element of chance, is known as “jackpots,” or “sweepstakes.” After each hand is over, the players put one chip into the pot for each heart that they took. If any player took no hearts, he collects the entire pot; if two or more players took no hearts, they divide the pot equally; and if there are any odd chips, they are carried over to the next pot. If no player is free of hearts, the pot accumulates until some players or player takes no hearts. Some play that a jackpot may be won only when one player is clear of hearts, while others play that a jackpots is carried over to the next deal if anyone player takes all 13 hearts.
3. Possibly the best-known way of Hearts settling is the Howell method. In it, each player, after a hand is over, puts as many chips into the pot for each heart that he has taken as there are other players in the game. He then subtracts the hearts that he took from the number 13, and the difference represents the chips he may take back from the pot. Example: A player has taken four hearts in a four-handed game. He puts 12 chips into the pot (4 times 3). He takes back 9 chips (13 minus 4). Altogether, he has paid in 3 chips (12 minus 9). If, as in some variants, where a double deck is used, the number to subtract from is 26 instead of 13.
4. If a pencil-and-paper score is kept, each player is charged 1 point for every heart that he took. When any player reaches 50 or 100 points, the player with the lowest score is the winner. This method is called cumulative scoring.

Additional Rules

Misdeals. The following determines whether or not a misdeal has occurred:

1. If a dealer or player turns up a card or cards belonging to another player during the deal, that deal is void, a misdeal is declared, and the same dealer deals again.
2. If a dealer or player turns up a card or cards belonging to himself, the deal stands.
3. If a card is found face up in the deck during the deal, a misdeal is declared and the same dealer deals again.
4. If one or more players have too few or too many cards and this is discovered before the first trick is completed, a misdeal is declared and the same dealer deals again.
5. If a player has too few cards and this is discovered during the play of the final trick, he must take the last trick. If he is more than one card short, he must take in every trick which he cannot play.

Play Out of Turn. A lead or play out of turn must be retracted if demand is made by a : player before all have played to the trick; , however, if all have played, the play out of turn stands as a regular turn of play without penalty.
Reneges. Failure to follow suit when able constitutes a renege. A renege may be corrected before the trick is picked up from the table and turned face down. If it is not discovered until later, the renege is established, play immediately ceases, and the reneger must pay each player 10 units. In match-style play, 10 points for each of the other participants is added to the offender’s score sheet. For example, in a four-handed game the offender adds 30 points to his score sheet. The other players jot down a zero for
their scores.
Strategy in Regular Hearts. The basis of play is to win no tricks, or only harmless tricks. It is best to get rid of high cards as soon as possible. That is, high cards that can be forced to take tricks in three leads of a suit should be played early rather than late in the game. Aces and high cards accompanied by some low cards are not dangerous as a rule, but middle cards (eight, nine, ten) without low cards are very dangerous, especially after the first round of a suit has been led. Middle cards should be discarded whenever chance permits, so long as any lower cards loo poker of the suit
remain unplayed.
A good lead at any time is in a short suit. This play often will lead to the opportunity for early discarding on leads by other players in that suit. When playing under cumulative or Howell method scoring, it frequently is wise to take a few hearts in the early going rather than be stuck with a greater number later in the hand.