HEART HUNTER (HARTENJAGEN)

Hey there! Have you heard of Heart Hunter? It’s an exciting card game that’s popular in the Netherlands, where it’s known as Hartenjagen. The game is usually played with four players, but you can also have a blast with three players using a shortened deck.

Heart Hunter is split into two phases. In the first phase, the goal is to avoid capturing Hearts, the Jack of Clubs, and the Queen of Spades. These cards will give you penalty points, and we definitely don’t want those! Once we move on to the second phase, everything flips around – now you want to collect as many Hearts, the Jack of Clubs, and the Queen of Spades as possible. Why? Because they allow you to deduct points from the penalty points you earned in the first phase. The ultimate objective is to be the first player to reach a score of zero or less. That’s when victory comes knocking at your door!

THE CARDS & THE DEAL

When it comes to Heart Hunter, it’s important to know that the game can be played with either a 52-card pack for 4 players or a 36-card pack for 3 players. For the 3-player game, you’ll use cards 6 – A to make the deck shorter, but remember that even in both player counts, Aces are always high.

Now, let me walk you through the basic steps of playing Heart Hunter. First, you need to determine a dealer. To do this, shuffle the deck and then deal 13 cards to each player.

THE PLAY

PHASE 1

In Heart Hunter, the player who is dealt the 2 of Clubs leads the first trick. After that, play passes to the left, and each player must follow suit if they can. However, if a player doesn’t have a card of the same suit, they can play any card they want. The trick is won by the highest card in the suit that is led, and the player who wins the trick leads the next one.

Here’s an interesting twist: in Heart Hunter, players can lead Hearts to the trick at any time during the game. They don’t have to wait for Hearts to be broken. This rule also applies to the Jack of Clubs and Queen of Spades.

In Phase 1 of the game, we try our best not to collect any Hearts, the Jack of Clubs, or the Queen of Spades. The goal is to avoid these cards as much as possible.

We keep playing and following the same rules until all twelve rounds are completed. At the end of each round, we count up everyone’s scores. If nobody has reached a score of 100 (or 50 for a faster game), we continue playing Phase 1 and start a new round. The cards are gathered and passed to the next player on the left.

Phase 1 continues until one or more players reach the scoring threshold. When this happens, Phase 1 ends, and we move on to Phase 2.

PHASE 2

When we get to Phase 2, we want to collect as many Hearts as possible, along with the Jack of Clubs and the Queen of Spades. Everything else stays the same as in Phase 1. The player who gets dealt the 2 of Clubs starts the first trick of the round. We have to follow suit if we can, but if we can’t, we can play any cards we want. The highest card in the suit that the first player led wins the trick. Whoever wins a trick gets to lead the next one.

We keep playing Phase 2 rounds until one or more players’ scores reach zero or go negative. If multiple players end up with the same score of zero or less, we keep playing until there’s a winner.

A WORD ABOUT THE 3 PLAYER GAME

In a game with 3 players, each round only has 15 points available. The score needed to move on to Phase 2 is 80 points (or 40 if we want a shorter game).

SCOREKEEPING

When it comes to playing Hearts, there are two phases to keep in mind. In both phases, the goal is to score points using strategy and skill.

Let’s talk about Phase 1. In this phase, the players add up the points they’ve captured to their score. Each heart card is worth 1 point, while the Jack of Clubs is worth 2 points. And watch out for the Queen of Spades, because she’s worth a whopping 5 points!

Phase 1 continues until a player reaches 100 points (or 80 points in a 3 player game). Once that happens, it’s time to move on to Phase 2.

In Phase 2, things get a little trickier. Now, instead of adding points, players will be deducting them. For every point they capture, they subtract it from their score. The game keeps going until someone’s score reaches zero or falls below zero. That player is the winner!

SHOOTING THE MOON

Now, here’s where it gets really interesting. During either phase of the game, if a player manages to capture all of the points for the round, they have shot the moon! In a four-player game, that’s 20 points, and in a three-player game, it’s 15 points.

Shooting the moon in Phase 1 is a real power move. The player gets to add 20 (or 15) points to all of their opponents’ scores. But be warned, shooting the moon in Phase 2 has consequences. The player actually has to deduct 20 (or 15) points from their own score.

WINNING

So, who’s the winner? Well, the first player to get their score to 0 or less is the champion of Hearts. It’s all about strategy, timing, and a little bit of luck. Can you be the one to come out on top?