Editing Hearts (card game) (section)

== Earliest rules (1887) ==
The following rules are based on those published in ''The Standard Hoyle'' of 1887.{{sfn|The Standard Hoyle|1887|pp=234–240}}

=== Preliminaries ===
The game is usually played by four players, but three to six can be accommodated (see below). The aim is to avoid taking any cards of the heart [[suit (cards)|suit]] in [[tricks (cards)|tricks]]. A [[standard 52-card pack]] of [[English pattern]] cards is used, cards [[ranking (cards)|ranking]] from [[ace]] (high) down to the two. Players draw a fixed number of [[chips (cards)|chips]], typically 25 or 50, which may or may not have a monetary value. The [[deck (cards)|deck]] is [[shuffled]] by the [[dealer (card player)|dealer]], [[cut (cards)|cut]] by the player to the right, and then [[dealing (cards)|dealt]] clockwise beginning with [[eldest hand]], the player left of the dealer, until each player has thirteen cards. There are no [[trumps (cards)|trumps]]. If cards are misdealt, the deal passes to the left. If cards are faced in the pack, the dealer reshuffles, offers it for the cut and re-deals.

=== Playing ===
Eldest hand leads to the first trick. Players must [[follow suit]] if able; otherwise may [[discard (cards)|discard]] any card. The trick is won by the highest card of the [[led suit]] and the trick winner leads to the next trick. If a player [[revoke (cards)|revokes]], they lose the trick and pay the pre-agreed penalty in chips.

=== Scoring ===
A player taking all 13 hearts pays 13 chips: four to each opponent and one to the table. Otherwise, the player with the lowest number of hearts wins and the others pay that player in chips the number of hearts they took. So if A has one heart, B two, C four and D six, A will receive 2 chips from B, 4 from C and six from D making 12 ''in total''. If two or more players have the lowest number of hearts, they divide the spoils and any remainder stays on the table for the next round. So if A and B have two hearts, C has three and D has six, C pays 3 chips, D pays 6 and A and B claim 4 each, leaving the remaining chip on the table. A player who revokes in order to avoid taking 13 chips, pays 8 to each opponent.

==== Variants ====
There are two scoring variants known as the Double Game of Hearts (or Eagle Game of Hearts):
# The hearts score the following in chips: ace 14, king 13, queen 12, jack 11 and pip cards their face value (e.g. the nine is worth 9 chips)
# The hearts score the following in chips: ace 5, king 4, queen 3, jack 2 and pip cards their face value.