PURPLE RULES FOR HEARTS
Purple Rules Modifications:
The cards dealt vary slightly from the Standard Rules. 12 Tricks are played, not the 13 Tricks in the Standard Rules.
Players Follow Color instead of Following Suit like the Standard Rules.
Scoring for the cards is different from the Standard Rules.
Object of the Game: To have the lowest Point Total when any Player reaches 100 Points or more. Players try to avoid winning Tricks that will give them Heart Suited cards.
Number of Players: 3 to 6 Players, there are usually 4 Players in a game.
The Deal: The Deal varies based on the number of Players: For 3 Players, 16 cards each with the Bronze 8 card removed. For 4 Players, 12 cards each with the Bronze 8 card removed. For 5 Players, 9 cards each with the Bronze, Green, and Silver 8 cards removed. For 6 Players, 8 cards each with the Bronze 8 card removed. No Jokers are used.
Passing: After the First Deal to the Players, each Player Passes any 3 cards from their hand to the Player on their Left. After the Second Deal to the Players, each Player Passes any 3 cards from their hand to the Player on their Right. After the Third Deal to the Players, the Players do not Pass any cards. The following Deals use the same order of Pass 3 to the Left, Pass 3 to the Right, then no Passing.
Passing is optional, all Players can agree to not use Passing before a game starts.
Following Color: With the Purple Rules, Players must Follow Color (instead of Following Suit), which is playing a card with the same Color as the Lead Card. If a Player does not Follow Color when they could, it is a Revoke, and 10 Points are added to their Total.
If a Player cannot Follow Color, they can play any card, but the card will lose to any card of the same Color as the Lead Card.
There are no Trump Cards in Hearts.
Trick Play:
The Player with the Silver 8 of Diamonds leads the first Trick.
Players must Follow Color of the Lead Card if they can.
The Highest Ranked card with the Color of the Lead Card (including the Lead Card) wins. If no card Follows Color of the Lead Card, the Lead Card wins.
The winner of a Trick keeps the cards from the Trick, and they lead the next Trick.
A Player can not Lead with a Hearts Suited card until any Hearts Suited card has been played in a Trick.
Scoring: After all of the Tricks have been played, each player places the cards they won Face Up in front of them. They take any Hearts Suited cards and use them to score toward a Total.
The Red Queen of Hearts scores 5 Points, other Red Hearts cards score 2 Points. The Gold Queen of Hearts scores 3 Points, other Gold Hearts cards score 1 Point.
Shooting The Moon: If a Player captures all 7 Red Hearts in their won cards, they can subtract 26 Points from their Total or they can add 26 Points to all other Players’ Totals.
If a Player captures all 7 Gold Hearts in their won cards, they can subtract 13 Points from their Total or they can add 13 Points to all other Players’ Totals.
Winning the Game: The Player with the lowest Total, when any Player reaches a Total of 100 or more Points, wins the game.
Basic Strategy:
There are 14 Hearts Suited cards, similar to the 13 in a Standard deck. Players want to avoid winning Tricks, especially Tricks with Hearts Suited cards. The Red Hearts score more Points than the Gold Hearts. Players will want to try to play Hearts Suited cards in their hand to a Trick they expect to lose. If a Player finds themselves with 4 or more Hearts of the same Color, they may want to attempt to Shoot the Moon.
If Passing is used, Players will of course want to Pass the highest scoring Hearts Suited cards.
Links to Standard Hearts Game Rules:
Hearts: Bicycle Learn To Play® | Pagat | Wikipedia