trick-taking · USA
Black Lady
Also known as Black Lady Hearts · American Hearts · Chase the Lady · Black Maria (close cousin)
Black Lady is the standard American form of Hearts, named after its most dreaded card: the Queen of Spades, the "Black Lady" worth a punishing 13 penalty points. It's a trick-avoidance game where, unlike most card games, you want the LOWEST score. Every heart costs 1 point and the Q♠ costs 13, so there are 26 points to dodge each hand — and half of them ride on a single card. Pass three cards to an opponent, then try to slither under tricks and slip the Black Lady to a rival. Or get greedy and "shoot the moon" by taking all 26 points yourself. On Love Card Games it runs on our Hearts engine, so Black Lady is the exact game you load — free in your browser against smart bots or friends, with no download and no signup.
4–4 players · free · no download · no signup
How to play Black Lady
- Get dealt 13 cards, then pass 3 to an opponent in the current direction (left, right, across, or a no-pass keeper hand).
- The player with the 2♣ leads it to start the first trick — no hearts or Q♠ allowed on that trick.
- Follow the led suit if you can; if not, play anything and use the chance to dump the Black Lady or a heart.
- Don't lead a heart until hearts are broken (one has been discarded on another suit).
- Aim to take as few points as possible — or grab all 26 to shoot the moon. Lowest score when someone hits 100 wins.
Black Lady rules
Goal
Avoid taking tricks that contain hearts or the Queen of Spades. Each heart is 1 penalty point and the Q♠ (the Black Lady) is 13 — 26 points are dealt out every hand. Play continues until someone reaches 100 points, and the player with the LOWEST total wins.
Players & deal
Classic Black Lady works for 3 to 6 players, but four is the standard game and the version you play here. The full 52-card deck is dealt out evenly — 13 cards each at four players — with aces high. (At three or five players, a card or two is removed first so everyone gets an equal hand; our table seats four.)
Passing cards
Before each hand you choose 3 cards to pass to an opponent, and you must pass them before looking at the cards coming to you. The direction rotates every deal: pass left, then right, then across, then a 'keeper' hand where no one passes at all, then the cycle repeats.
Playing the hand
The player holding the 2♣ must lead it to open the first trick. You must follow the led suit if you can; if you're void, you may play anything — except no point cards (no hearts and no Q♠) may be dumped on the very first trick. There is no trump: the highest card of the led suit wins the trick and leads the next.
Breaking hearts
You may not lead a heart until hearts have been 'broken' — that is, until a heart has been discarded on a trick led in another suit. The only exception is when your hand contains nothing but hearts. Many players also allow the Q♠ to break hearts the moment it falls.
Shooting the moon
If you capture ALL the penalty cards in one hand — all 13 hearts plus the Black Lady, worth 26 — you 'shoot the moon': you score 0 and every other player takes 26 points instead. It's high risk, since taking just 25 of the 26 leaves you stuck with a near-maximum score.
Strategy tips
- The Black Lady is the whole game — pass away the A♠ and K♠ unless you're holding enough low spades to dodge the Q♠ safely.
- Try to go void in a suit early so you can discard the Q♠ (or hearts) onto a trick you don't win.
- Keep a few low spades back: leading low spades flushes out the Queen before she can land on you.
- Hold low cards in every suit so you can duck under tricks and avoid 'winning' the wrong ones.
- Watch the table for someone collecting points on purpose — if a player might shoot the moon, deliberately take a heart to break it up.
- Count which suits opponents have run out of — a void player is your prime target for the Black Lady.
Variants
Hearts (the modern name for Black Lady) · Black Maria (Q♠ 13, K♠ 10, A♠ 7) · Omnibus Hearts (10♦ bonus card) · Cancellation Hearts (6+ players, two decks) · No-pass Hearts (skip the passing phase)
Black Lady — frequently asked questions
What is the Black Lady in Hearts?
The Black Lady is the Queen of Spades (Q♠), the highest-penalty card in the game at 13 points. The game is named after her, and the whole strategy revolves around not getting stuck with her.
How is Black Lady different from regular Hearts?
Black Lady IS the standard American form of Hearts — the version where the Queen of Spades counts 13 points on top of 1 point per heart. The plain ancestor game scored only hearts; adding the Black Lady created the game almost everyone now just calls 'Hearts'.
Does Black Lady play on the Hearts engine here?
Yes. On Love Card Games, Black Lady runs on our Hearts engine — pass cards, dodge the Q♠, break hearts, and shoot the moon. It's the same game, no separate download.
How do you win at Black Lady?
By having the LOWEST score when a player reaches 100 points. You score 1 per heart and 13 for the Queen of Spades, so you want to take as few of those as possible — or take all 26 to shoot the moon and dump them on everyone else.
What is shooting the moon?
Capturing every penalty card in a single hand — all 13 hearts plus the Black Lady (26 points). Instead of scoring 26, you score 0 and all other players are hit with 26 points each.
Can I play Black Lady free online with no signup?
Yes — Black Lady is free to play right in your browser at Love Card Games, against smart bots or with friends, with no download and no signup required.