I'll Gladly Give You My Heart (Hearts (PC))

Member Name: vinodgm

Product:	Hearts (PC)
Date:	25/09/01 (41 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Extreme fun, Use your brain and wits

Disadvantages: A bit to addictive for me

I’ll gladly give you my heart but I doubt you would want it. Not that you need a transplant or something but in this game a heart is 1 point and the object of the game is to get the least number of points possible.

The game of Hearts comes as standard with all computers using Windows. Playing with this version is fun and will help you to learn the game. But if you’re looking for serious fun and action then this game has to be played online against real live players.

The Object of the Game
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The game is played by a minimum of 4 players. A certain score is set. For example 100 points. Whenever any one player reaches 100 points the game is over and the person who has the lowest number of points, from the balance three players, is the winner.

Starting the Game
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One deck of cards is used which is 52 cards. Each of the four players is dealt 13 cards. This means that the complete pack has been dealt.
In the first round you select three out of your thirteen cards, which will be passed to the player on your left. In the second round your three selected cards will be passed to the player on your right and in the third round your three selected cards are passed to the player opposite you. In the fourth round you do not pass any cards and retain all your 13 originally dealt cards. The process is repeated until a winner has been decided and then the game is over.
The person who has a two of clubs will start the play.

Playing The Game
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As mentioned above, the person who has the two of clubs will start the play. All other players must then follow the suit played i.e. in this case it is clubs. Each player will play a card i.e. Four cards will on the table. The person who threw the highest of the four cards will be given these cards. These cards cannot be used by you again.
If a certain suit has been started and you do not have t
hat suit in your hand, you may then play any other card of any other suit. If you have played a different suit than the one started by the first player you will not be given the four cards.
The person who collects the four cards will start the next hand.
This process is continued until all the players finish all cards.

Points
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As mentioned earlier whenever a person reaches to 100 points the game is over. Out of the remaining three players the person with the lowest number of points is declared the winner.
So obviously you are trying to avoid getting points. This is where the scoring aspect comes into it. Each heart card (heart suit) is worth 1 point. The Queen of Spades (I will refer to it as QS) is worth 13 points.
The game must be played in a way that you avoid getting any heart cards or the QS. If you have these cards in your possession after being dealt the 13 cards originally, you can either dispose of them when given the option to change 3 cards at the starting of the game or you can dispose of them whilst the game is in progress.
After each hand your total number of points is calculated and added to your score.

There is one other way in which you can actually get 26 points added to all the other three players scores or you can have these 26 points deduced from your own score. (This option is not available on the Windows Free Versions. It is available on the online versions – live play).
This is referred to as “SHOOT THE MOON”.
In order to “Shoot the Moon” you must get all the heart cards (all thirteen hearts) and the QS. This can be a dangerous tactic since if you miss just one of these cards then you end up with all the points added to your score. Also the other three players will realize what your upto and try to deny you doing it.

Tactics
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The tactics of this game can only be achieved by actually playing the game. A person can only explain t
he rules of the game but cannot show you how to actually play. If you want to really enjoy this game practice on your computer first and when you feel you have mastered it then you can try the online versions.

When I was first introduced to Hearts I thought in my mind “What a Boring Game”. When I actually tried it and got the hang of it I really loved it. It is very addictive and you need to use a lot of common sense and wits against the other players.

I play daily online and my favourite place is Yahoo. They have a wonderful games section and at any given time you will find thousands of people playing in many different rooms.
Here a ranking system has been introduced and the more you win the higher you are ranked.

If you have not tried this game I think you are missing out on something really fun and special. Give it a go. You wont regret it and for all I know I may see you at Yahoo.

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