What’s hearts like as a card game? I’m getting a bit tired of cribbage and looking for a new game to play socially. It seems like it could be very strategic, the idea of shooting the moon versus avoiding hearts and the QoS working in opposition to one another is fiendish.
Am I right in saying that the hearts on windows XP is a load of bollox? It seems too easy to shoot the moon, from what I hear this should be a realtively rare occurrence when playing with people.
Would love to hear people’s opinions. I’m kind of reluctant to join the rest of the world and learn to play texas hold em, so a different game would be cool.
Personally, IMHO? I like it. You’re right in that it’s mostly about strategy (hanging onto your cards, making the right moves) but there’s also a small element of luck in there that makes it just exciting enough. It’s my card game of choice.
I played it a lot as a kid; nice game, fairly bloodthirsty. Cancellation Hearts (played with 2 decks, same cards played don’t count for taking tricks) is really bloodthirsty.
I used to play Hearts regularly in high school, often instead of going to class, and recomend it highly. We used to play for a penny a point, big stakes :eek: , and nobody ever got dinged too badly. There is both strategy and luck involved but it’s much lower key than bridge. And it makes for great table talk among friends. The threats fly. Playing the Queen was always fun, especially when it was unexpected. I think you’ll like it with the right group of people.
Hearts is great fun. Windows Hearts is, IMO, too easy once you learn how to fool the computer players into making stupid moves. It’s easier to shoot the moon in the compuater game because the computer players can’t really anticipate what you are doing - real players will see it coming a mile away and react accordingly.
I’m a pretty straightforward player. I try to go dead on at least one suit as quickly as possible and try to throw out low cards when I can, so as not to take control of the hand and potentiall get stuck with a ton of points. I hang on to my deuces though, there’s no reason not too! I always take great pleasure in sticking other players with the Queen of Spades. Hmmm now I want to play again!
the best way to play is with two decks and 8 to 10 people
“double deck cancellation hearts” can get very vicious, bu fun
if the duplicate of a card is played that trick, they cancel each other out; if it was the highest card of the trick, the next highest takes it
I like Hearts, but I haven’t played in a while. I used to be pretty good at Freeverse’s Hearts Deluxe. I played on a Mac, and I’m pretty sure there’s a PC version. At any rate, it lets you play against other people over the net, as well as against some very strong computer opponents.
It’s my favorite card game, at least among ones played with actual playing cards.
What I find the most entertaining about it is how often it has multiple competing dynamics going on… it’s a cerebral thinking game with SMACKDOWN excitement, it’s an individual game with strong teamwork elements (particularly when played by good players), and it’s a game where you win by taking nothing, unless you take everything.
We had an interesting discussion of it a few months back in this thread.
Hearts is my card game of choice. Some people prefer the teamwork of Spades, but I prefer the free-for-all (with unspoken partnerships, of course) of Hearts.
It can be fun on any level, but is most fun when everyone knows how to play and plays well. Like any card game, there’s a little bit of luck involved as far as what cards you get dealt, but a big part of the strategy (and probably first thing a player should learn to do well) is what to pass.
I love the simplicity of the game and how it allows for quite a bit of complex strategy. Like playing as if you’re shooting the moon so everyone saves their high cards and then dumping the lead on someone else and letting everyone else share the points. Or leading hands just so, to hit the low score with the QoS.
Man, I want to play now!
And yeah, Windows Hearts is a joke, though a good way to get a feel for the rules.
