Hearts are considered broken after a heart is played off-suit on a trick. Once that happens, hearts can usually be led on future tricks.
How do you break Hearts?
When can you lead hearts?
| Situation | Can you lead hearts? |
|---|---|
| No heart has been discarded yet | Usually no |
| A heart was discarded off-suit | Yes |
| Your hand is all hearts | Yes, as the common exception |
What counts as breaking hearts?
If a player cannot follow the suit that was led and throws a heart instead, hearts are now broken for later leads.
How this interacts with the first trick
Many rulesets also restrict penalty cards on the first trick. That means the opening trick is usually a Clubs lead with non-penalty discards only, unless a player has no safe alternative.
See who leads the first trick if you want the exact opener.
Related Hearts FAQ pages
Need a quick definition first? See the Hearts glossary.
- Who leads the first trick in Hearts?
- Hearts scoring rules
- How many points is the Queen of Spades worth in Hearts?
- Hearts passing directions
- What is shooting the moon in Hearts?
- How many cards are in Hearts?
Back to the table: Play Hearts Online.