Black Queen, Hearts and Spades: how the three trick-taking games differ
If you have played Hearts or Spades, Black Queen will feel familiar for about two minutes. All three are trick-taking games: you follow suit, the highest card wins the trick, and the winner leads. After that they go in three different directions. Here is how they differ, and where Black Queen sits.
The short version
| Hearts | Spades | Black Queen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Usually 4 | Usually 4 | 4 to 10 |
| Teams | None, everyone for themselves | Two fixed partnerships, known from the start | Hidden partners, different every hand |
| Bidding | None | Each player bids a number of tricks | An auction for points; the highest bid wins |
| Trump | None | Always spades | Chosen by the bid winner each hand |
| What scores | Penalty cards: hearts and the Queen of Spades | Tricks won against the bid | Points in the cards: 5s, 10s, Aces and the Queen of Spades |
| Aim | Take as few penalty points as you can | Make your team's bid | Meet your bid, or stop the bidder's side |
These are the most common house rules. Each game has variations, so check how your own table plays.
Hearts: avoid the points
In Hearts you are on your own, and most of the game is about not winning certain cards. Hearts and the Queen of Spades carry penalty points, and the lowest score wins. There are no teams and no bidding. The skill is in dodging, passing awkward cards, and sometimes trying to take everything at once. (You can play Hearts on this site too.)
Spades: make your number
Spades is a partnership game. Two teams of two sit opposite each other, spades are always trump, and every player bids how many tricks they expect to win. The team's goal is to reach its combined bid. Partners are known from the first card, so the game is about trust and counting.
Black Queen: bid for points, find your partner
Black Queen takes the part of Spades that is a fun auction and the part of Hearts that is a special Queen of Spades, then adds one idea of its own: the bidder's partner is secret.
- The auction is about points, not tricks. Only 5s, 10s, Aces and the Queen of Spades score, 150 points in a deck, so a trick is worth what is inside it.
- The bidder chooses trump and names a card. Whoever holds that card is their partner, and nobody knows who until it is played.
- The Queen of Spades is the prize. In Hearts you avoid it. In Black Queen it is worth 30 points, the most of any card, and everyone wants it on their side.
- Teams change every hand. The same person can be your partner one hand and your opponent the next.
Which one should you try?
- You like to plan and avoid risk: Hearts.
- You like a steady team game: Spades.
- You like bluffing, reading the table and big reveals: Black Queen.
- You have more than four people: Black Queen, which plays with up to 10. See how a big table works.
The rules of Black Queen fit on one page: how to play Black Queen. Or just start a hand: it is free, and bots will fill the seats.
Watch the rules in under two minutes
Questions
Is Black Queen the same as Hearts?
No. Both use the Queen of Spades, but Hearts has no teams or bidding and you avoid penalty cards. In Black Queen you bid for points and play with a secret partner.
Does Black Queen need a fixed partner like Spades?
No. Partners are secret and change every hand, depending on who holds the card the bidder names.
Which game is the easiest to learn?
That depends on you, but all three can be learned in a few minutes. Black Queen's rules are on one page.