What is shooting the moon in Hearts?
Shooting the moon means you capture every penalty card in a hand: all 13 Hearts plus the Queen of Spades. That’s 26 points worth of penalty cards. You can practice moon attempts in Play Hearts Online.
Moon scoring (table)
| If a player takes… | They score… | Others score… |
|---|---|---|
| All 13♥ + Q♠ (26 points) | 0 | 26 each |
When is a moon attempt realistic?
- You’re long in Hearts (many hearts) and can control the suit late.
- You have high cards that can safely win tricks in multiple suits.
- Passing gave you strong control cards (or removed dangerous gaps).
How do opponents defend?
Defenders try to win a penalty trick themselves to “break” the moon attempt. They’ll also try to dump a heart or the Q♠ onto someone else.
Moon attempt: quick decision guide
| Signal | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| You can win early tricks in 2+ suits | You can force control and keep momentum. |
| You’re missing key high cards | Moon is riskier; opponents can “steal” a penalty trick. |
| Opponents show defensive discards | They may be trying to stop you; switch to low-risk play. |
Moon attempts are closely tied to scoring; review Hearts scoring rules if you’re unsure what changes.
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 (points table)
- Queen of Spades penalty
- Passing directions & planning
- Breaking hearts rule
- Win rate and variance
- Cards in Hearts (13 tricks)
- Is Hearts free online?
- Play without downloading
- Who leads the first trick?
Back to the game: Play Hearts Now.