Hearts(3)

NAME

Hearts - MicroEmacs version of the card game Hearts

SYNOPSIS

Hearts

DESCRIPTION

Hearts is a trick-taking card game for four players, played with a standard pack of 52 cards. The user plays the south hand against three computer opponents named West, North and East. The object of the game is to score as few points as possible.

Each player is dealt 13 cards. Before play begins each player passes 3 cards to another player, and receives 3 in return. The queen of spades may never be passed. The three cards received are held up out of the hand for a moment before they settle into it, so that they can be seen. The player to the dealer's left leads the first trick and may lead any card. Each player in turn must follow the suit that was led if they are able, otherwise they may play any card. The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, and the winner leads the next one.

By default there are no restrictions on what may be led or played - any card may be led to the first trick, hearts may be led at any time and points may be taken on the very first trick. Each of the three traditional restrictions may be turned on individually from the options page.

SCORING

Under the default house scoring a hand is worth 33 points:

Queen of spades


10 points

Ace of hearts


5 points

King of hearts


4 points

Queen of hearts


3 points

Jack of hearts


2 points

Two to ten of hearts


1 point each

The classic scoring, in which every heart is worth 1 point and the queen of spades is worth 13 for a total of 26, may be selected from the options page.

If a single player takes every point in a hand they have shot the moon. That player scores nothing and every other player is given the full value of the hand instead.

The game ends when any player reaches the target score, 100 points by default. The player with the lowest score at that point is the winner.

CONTROLS

The game may be played with the mouse or the keyboard. To play a card, or to select a card to be passed, click on it with the left mouse button. Cards selected for passing are raised out of the hand.

Using the keyboard:

left and right


Move the highlight along the hand. The highlight wraps round at either end, so the quickest way to a card on the far side of the hand is often to run off the near edge.

space or return


Play the highlighted card, or select it to be passed.

d


Deal the next hand.

p


Pass the selected cards.

c


Clear the current pass selection.

Continue


While the cards just received are on show, any key or click puts them into the hand and starts play without waiting for the pause to run out.

o


Show the options page.

s


Save the options and leave the options page.

x


Quit the game. On the options page it cancels instead, so the game cannot be left by accident from there.

esc h


This help page.

To the right of the board are the control buttons. These are shown only when they may be used, so Deal and Options appear between hands, and Pass and Clear while cards are being passed.

Note that the screen may be updated at any time using "C-l".

OPTIONS

The options page is reached with the Options button between hands. Press 1 to 9 to change a setting, then Save ("s") to keep the changes and remember them between sessions, or Cancel ("c") to put everything back as it was. Saved changes take effect from the next hand dealt.

Difficulty


Five levels from Beginner to Expert. The lower three play by judgement alone; the upper two also search, playing the hand out many times over against guessed distributions of the cards they cannot see before choosing. The weaker levels are weaker because they miss things - they do not always find the best card, and they do not keep track of who has shown out of a suit - not because they play at random.

Each level was measured against the one below it over several thousand hands, so every step up is a real increase in strength rather than simply a slower one.

Passing


Pass left every hand, or rotate left, right and across. There is no hold hand.

Scoring


House scoring for a 33 point hand, or classic scoring for a 26 point hand.

Jack of Diamonds


The Omnibus Hearts variant, off by default. When enabled the jack of diamonds is worth -10 points to whoever captures it. It is not needed to shoot the moon, and the bonus still applies if the player shooting the moon takes it.

First lead


When enabled the holder of the two of clubs must lead it to the first trick. Off by default, in which case the player to the dealer's left leads any card.

Leading hearts


When enabled a heart may not be led until a heart has been played to some earlier trick, unless the hand holds nothing else. Off by default.

First trick


When enabled no card carrying points may be played to the first trick unless there is no alternative. Off by default.

Game ends at


The target score, 50, 100 or 200 points.

Play speed


How quickly the computer players play their cards.

NOTES

Hearts is a macro defined in hearts.emf.

The computer players use no information that is not available to the user. They see their own cards, the cards that have been played, the points taken and which players have shown out of a suit - all of it on the table for anyone to follow. At the higher levels they also count how many cards each player still holds, and deal the unseen cards out at random among them to search; the identity of those cards is never consulted.

SEE ALSO

Patience(3), Triangle(3).

Ref: Hearts(3) File: m3mac101.3 Date: 2026/08/16

(c) Copyright JASSPA 2026