Myths About Hearts For You To Think About

You know what hearts is, don’t you? It’s that classic card game that’s been entertaining families and friend groups for generations - it’s been there for decades, and it’s a great source of fun that can help you while away chilly winter evenings when you would much rather be inside by the fire or be the perfect end to a fun barbecue with loved ones before the sun finally sets.

That’s the great thing about heats; whether you play around the kitchen table with friends or go online and play with strangers, the simple way the game is played and the variations that can come from just one round - you’re never certain of a win, that’s for sure! - are pretty captivating. It’s no wonder it’s such a popular way to enjoy a card game, and it’s going to be that way for decades, perhaps even centuries, to come.

If you’re a fan of the hearts game, you probably already know a lot about it. Maybe you think you know everything about it. But, just like when you’re playing, hearts is full of surprises, and you just never know what you might learn when you look deeper into it.

Because of that, you’ll find there are loads of myths that have grown up around hearts, so some of the things you think you know might not be quite accurate. Surprised? Well, keep on reading, and you’ll soon see what we mean - and once you know what information is a fact and what’s a myth, you’ll probably find your enjoyment (and success) rises even more.

The Queen Of Spades Is Always Bad

Ah, the queen of spades… no one wants to see her in their hand, do they? She’s the most undesirable card of them all and the one that players will want to avoid at all costs - although sometimes it’s not possible to do that, is it? The issue is that the queen of spades has 13 points attached to her (ouch!) so that particular card is usually seen as a burden because it’s tough to get rid of and painful when you do. However, rather than fearing the queen of spades, why not think of things differently and realize that the idea that she’s always bad is actually a myth? She’s not always bad, just sometimes.

Sometimes, if you’re playing tactically, the queen of spades is actually a fantastic card to end up with because you can use it to force other players into tricky situations, forcing them to play cards they’d rather not and giving them the points instead of keeping them to yourself.

Plus, when you’re playing a multiplayer game like you might with online hearts, the queen of spades can be a useful bargaining chip - if you can entice an opponent to take it, it can completely change the direction of the game and perhaps make you the victor when you thought you were sure to lose.

Shooting The Moon Is A Risk Too Far

Shooting the moon (having all the hearts plus the queen of spades) is a fantastic hand, and it means you’ll have no points to worry about, but your opponent is going to end up with 20. Not great for them, amazing for you - it could seal the game in your favor. But there’s a catch… trying to collect all those cards could mean having to collect a lot of points along with them, and even if you do end up with them all, you might find it’s not worth it - if you’ve collected more than 20 points in your quest for the cards, it might not be the winning hand you thought it would be, for example.

Since this is a blog about hearts’ myths, you’ll want to know whether shooting the mood really is too much of a risk to take - and the answer is no, it’s not. It’s actually something that can pay off handsomely, as long as you assess the game right and work out the potential for points early on. It’s high-stakes, yes, but it’s not a disaster, and sometimes it’s definitely worth trying. But not if you’re a novice. If you’re just starting out, it’s best to keep things simple and just learn as you go until you feel more confident in your playing and you’re ready to add strategies to the mix.

Online Hearts Isn’t Fun

There’s another myth floating around that you might want to think about, especially if you’ve heard it and believed it, and it’s stopped you from trying new ways to play hearts - the myth is the idea that online hearts just isn’t fun. It’s not fun because there’s no social element, and you’re just looking at a screen, clicking the button on a mouse (or perhaps using a touchscreen, but the principle is the same), so you’re missing out on a lot when you choose online hearts over and above any other way of playing, such as the traditional way with real, physical cards.

There are two things to think about here, and we’ll start with the fact that playing hearts offline is definitely a social experience - it’s at least a two-player game, but you can have up to six players if you want (four is usual, however), which means you’ll be talking to lots of people and there’s going to be a lot of banter and fun whether you tease one another over your gameplay and choices or you’re talking about other things besides hearts (yes, that’s something you can do!). This is one of the best parts about playing hearts, actually; you get to be with loved ones and have a great time while playing an entertaining game. It’s far more fun than watching a movie together, and it’s a lot better for your brain as well. Plus, there’s something so nostalgic about the simple nature of just having a deck of cards and a table to play on that can warm anyone’s heart (no pun intended).

So it makes sense that people might assume that when you choose to play online hearts, all of that fun and the social aspect will suddenly go away - you’re just playing against strangers who you can’t see or hear or interact with. It’s a silent way to play without any laughter or fun at all.

And that’s the second thing we need to think about. Firstly, for some people, it’s not about the social aspect at all, and they’d actually much rather be playing in silence, especially if they’ve chosen to play online hearts to help them learn more about their gameplay and work out their strategy a little better. They just want to play, so going online where they don’t have to interact with anyone could be the ideal solution. However, remember this is a blog about myths, and therefore, we have to say that online hearts not being fun because you can’t talk to others and feel like you’re really part of some kind of community, even if it’s only for a short while, isn’t the case (unless, as we’ve said, you want it to be, that is).

Modern online hearts is all about interaction, and a lot of the time, you can banter and play around with the people you’re competing against just as if - or almost as if, as it’s usually a text-based way of communicating rather than actually speaking - you’re all sitting around a table together playing in the traditional way. In fact, you could even feel it’s better than a traditional hearts game because rather than talking and interacting with people you’ve known for a long time - all your life, in some cases - you’re given the opportunity to talk to people from all over the world. You might learn something new or impart some information to people who are looking for knowledge, and at the very least, you’ll broaden your horizons and meet people you would never have met in ‘real life’.

Hearts Is All About Luck

This is an interesting point, and it’s definitely worth bringing up because for many people who don’t regularly play hearts games or who perhaps only know the basics and have never played (or even those who never seem to do very well even if they play a lot), hearts really is all about luck. That’s how it looks when you watch the game, it’s how it feels when you play the game, and it’s what the overriding idea must be if you don’t know precisely how it all works.

But is it true?

No.

As with any game, online hearts and traditional hearts alike does have some element of luck to it, especially if you consider an opponent’s bad playing skills to be lucky for you, for example. However, there’s also a huge amount of skill involved, and the fact that there are strategies you can learn (see our other blogs for more information on some of those ideas) is proof, if proof were needed, that it’s not just luck that wins the day or the game when it comes to hearts.

Experienced hearts players understand the importance of reading the table, predicting their opponents’ moves, and adapting their own gameplay and specific strategies and plans to take into account the cards in play. Skillful card management, good timing, and the ability to control the flow of the game - all of which is possible with the right techniques and plenty of practice (something online hearts is perfect for, by the way) is the way to go, and luck has nothing to do with any of that (okay, maybe luck has a little to do with it, but that’s just the icing on the cake - you’ll have put in the hard work before you get to that stage).

You Can Only Play Hearts Casually

Hearts is often seen as a casual, laidback, fun kind of card game that doesn’t have any particular stakes and that you’ll play with loved ones because it’s a good way to spend time together, having a good time. It’s fun. It’s nothing to think too hard about or pay that much attention to, and it’s definitely not something to take very seriously.

How can that be a myth when, as anyone who’s ever played hearts knows, it’s absolutely the truth?

Well, the myth we’ve listed is that you can only play hearts casually, and that’s where we start to get to the nitty-gritty of things. You definitely can play hearts casually, that’s one hundred percent fact, but you can also play hearts much more seriously, and that’s an interesting thing to be aware of, especially if you happen to be pretty good (or very good) at hearts games and if you happen to know how to win more times than you lose. That’s because there are such things as hearts tournaments and online hearts tournaments, proving that there’s more than one way to play the game and that anyone who wants to take it as seriously as possible can definitely do so and win money for their trouble.

It’s hearts’ mix of skill, psychology, and risk-taking (and risk management, come to that) that makes it such a great game to compete in; if you like a little bit of competition and you enjoy hearts, finding a tournament isn’t hard - just take a look online, and you’re sure to come across a handful, and those tournaments are going to attract all kinds of players from seasoned pros to those who are just starting out and trying something new because they love the game and they want to see if they can win some money from it.

If you like the idea of entering a hearts’ tournament, the best thing to do first is to watch other people play - you can often choose to be a spectator at these events, but even if that’s not possible, there are plenty of videos showing you how the competitions are run, how to get involved in them, and what you’ll be expected to do. Do your research first, especially if there’s a fee to enter (you don’t want to waste your money), and you never know; playing hearts seriously might become your new favorite thing.

Online Hearts Doesn’t Feel Real

Another common misconception about hearts is that when you play online hearts, as opposed to the traditional way of playing when you’re holding actual cards in your hands, there’s something missing - the game just doesn’t feel real. Whether it’s the experience of shuffling the cards yourself to start proceedings, dealing them out to everyone, or, as we’ve said, just the fact that you don’t have them in your hands and they’re on a screen, it’s just not the same, and some people would argue that that special tactile sensation just can’t be replicated.

We’re not here to argue that point because when you play online hearts it’s not the same as traditional hearts and you won’t have cards to hold in your hands. However, we will say that that doesn’t mean online hearts feels any less real and it doesn’t mean that the game doesn’t play out in the same way - it’s just that it’s on a screen and not there in front of you.

And although it’s not exactly the same, you’ll find that a lot of online hearts platforms do look as authentic as they can, with realistic graphics, intuitive interfaces, and responsive controls and moves that mimic the real thing very well indeed. It’s as close to playing with real cards as you can get without actually using real cards (and since there are many benefits to not actually needing to use real cards, including convenience, speed, and the time it takes to set the game up and put it away again, that’s no bad thing).

Plus, don’t forget that online platforms often provide extra features that make the game even better, like tutorials for new players (or those who want to brush up on their skills), the chance to look at your stats, and even the opportunity to play against AI opponents, which can really help give you some ideas about moves you might make in the future.

Final Thoughts

Hearts is a great game that everyone can enjoy, and even if you’re not interested in learning the techniques and strategies that are out there, it’s still fun to just see where the cards take you and what the outcome might be.

That’s why it’s so important to work out what’s fact and what’s fiction before you start playing. Knowing that some of the biggest issues you might have with hearts aren’t even anything you need to worry about could be the thing that gets you into the game and proves that it’s worth playing; imagine what you’d be missing if you just assumed all the myths we’ve mentioned above were true!

So next time you gather round the table or log in for an online match, remember the real truths about hearts and play with them in mind to make the most of the cards you’re dealt.

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