How do you break Hearts?
“Breaking Hearts” means a Heart has been played off-suit on a trick. After that happens, Hearts may be led in future tricks. Want to see it play out? Play Hearts Online.
Rule summary (table)
| Situation | Can you lead Hearts? |
|---|---|
| No Heart has been discarded yet | Usually no |
| A Heart was played off-suit on any trick | Yes (Hearts are “broken”) |
| Your hand contains only Hearts | Yes (common exception) |
What counts as breaking Hearts?
If a player can’t follow the suit led, they may discard any card. If that discarded card is a Heart, hearts are now broken.
Example: how hearts get broken
- A player leads Clubs.
- You have no Clubs, so you discard a Heart.
- From that point onward, any player may lead Hearts on a later trick.
First trick restrictions (common)
Many rulesets restrict penalty cards on the very first trick. If you’re looking for the typical opener, see who leads first trick (2♣).
Related Hearts FAQ pages
Need a quick definition? See the Hearts glossary.
- How long does a Hearts game take?
- Is Hearts skill or luck?
- Can you play Hearts with 2 or 3 players?
- Scoring rules and penalty cards
- Queen of Spades points
- Who leads the first trick?
- Passing directions and planning
- Shooting the moon rule
- Win rate percentages
- Is Hearts free online?
- Play without downloading
- How many cards are in Hearts?
Back to the main table: Play Hearts Online.