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Spades vs Hearts: what's actually different

Published October 22, 2026 · Updated October 28, 2026

Spade CallSpades with a partner — bid it, then make itPlay now

Spades and Hearts are both trick-taking games for four players, and in both you follow the suit that was led. The difference is the goal. In Spades you want tricks: you and a partner bid how many you will win and then try to make that number together, with spades beating every other suit. In Hearts you want to avoid tricks that contain hearts or the Queen of spades, and everyone plays for themselves. That one flip, win tricks or dodge them, changes how you pick cards, how you pass them and how you feel when the hand ends. Below is how the two compare, using the rules of Spade Call and Heartbreak, the two versions you can play free on crokocat.

What they share: tricks and following suit

Both games belong to the trick-taking family. Someone leads a card, everyone else plays one card of the same suit if they can, and the highest card of the led suit takes the trick and leads the next. If you cannot follow suit you throw away something else, and what you throw is where most of the skill lives.

If you know one of the two, you already understand the skeleton of the other. What differs is what a trick is worth, who you play with and what you are trying to do with a card you cannot use.

The goal: win tricks or dodge points

In Spades, every player bids the number of tricks they expect to take. In Spade Call you set your bid with the minus and plus buttons after seeing the other bids, and your team has to take at least as many tricks as you bid together. Make the contract and you score 10 points per trick bid plus 1 for every extra trick; fall short and you lose 10 points per trick bid.

In Hearts there is no bidding. Every heart you take is one point and the Queen of spades is thirteen, so a hand holds 26 points in all, and you want as few as possible. In Heartbreak each level is one hand and you pass it by staying under the points limit, which tightens from 10 to 7 and then 5.

Spade CallSpades with a partner — bid it, then make itPlay nowHeartbreakHearts — dodge the hearts and the Queen of spadesPlay now

Partner or solo

Spades is a partnership game. In Spade Call your partner is Leo, the player across the table, against Mia and Zoe. That changes small decisions: when your partner is already winning a trick you play low instead of overtaking, and your bid is partly a message about your hand.

Hearts is every player for themselves. Heartbreak puts you against three computer players, and nobody is on your side. Your decisions are about your own cards only, and a good hand can make a strong move at the expense of all three opponents.

The role of spades

In Spades the spade suit is trump: a spade beats a card of any other suit, so when you run out of a suit you can win a trick by playing one. Spades also cannot be led until a spade has been played on an earlier trick, unless you hold only spades. Long spade holdings win tricks late in the hand, and a short suit is a reason to save a spade for trumping.

In Hearts nothing is trump, and the suits that matter are the ones you do not want. Hearts cannot be led until they have been broken, and when you cannot follow suit you throw away a heart or the Queen of spades, handing the points to someone else. The card that is trump in one game is the dangerous card in the other.

Passing cards and the big swing

Hearts has a passing phase. In Heartbreak you pick three cards before play, with the direction changing from hand to hand: left, right, across or not at all. The Queen of spades and high hearts are the usual cards to pass, and a short suit you can get rid of early lets you throw hearts away later.

Hearts also has its famous reversal. Take all 26 points, called shooting the moon, and the others get 26 instead while you get none. In Heartbreak you should only try it with a hand full of high hearts. Spades has no passing phase and no reversal of this kind, but a team that misses its bid pays for it directly, and in Spade Call setting the other team earns three stars.

Which one is easier?

For a first game, many people find Hearts easier to start, since there is no bid to judge: you just try to take few points. Spades asks you to estimate your hand before you play, count Aces and Kings you can protect, and work with a partner you cannot talk to.

Neither game is simple to master. Spades rewards bidding well and counting spades; Hearts rewards remembering where the Queen is and knowing which suit to empty early. If you like teamwork and planning, start with Spade Call. If you like a quick, solo, careful hand, start with Heartbreak. Both are free, run in the browser and play one hand per level.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main difference between Spades and Hearts?

In Spades you try to win the number of tricks you bid, with a partner, and spades are trump. In Hearts you play alone and try to avoid hearts and the Queen of spades.

Is Hearts or Spades easier to learn?

Many players find Hearts easier to start because there is no bidding. Spades asks you to judge your hand and play with a partner, which takes a few hands to get used to.

Are Spades and Hearts played with the same cards?

Yes, both use an ordinary deck of playing cards and four players, and in both you follow the suit that was led when you can.

Is there a partner in Hearts?

No. Hearts is every player for themselves. Spades is the partnership game, where your team has to make its contract together.

What does shooting the moon mean?

In Hearts it means taking all 26 points in a hand. The other players then get 26 instead and you get none.

Where can I play Spades and Hearts free?

Spade Call is classic partnership Spades and Heartbreak is Hearts against three computer players. Both are free on crokocat and run in your browser with no download.

Guides & tips

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