The Queen of Spades in Hearts
One card, 13 points: half of every Hearts hand. Handle her well and you'll rarely lose.
If you hold her
- With four or more low spades, keep her. You can follow spades with low cards until someone else's A♠ or K♠ wins.
- With few spades, pass her, or make a void in another suit so you can throw her away.
- When you're void in the suit led, dump her at once.
If you don't hold her
- Lead low spades to "smoke her out", forcing her holder to play her or run out of protection.
- Don't do this if you hold the A♠ or K♠; you'd catch her yourself.
The A♠ and K♠
These are dangerous while the queen is out. Get rid of them on tricks where the queen can't fall, or pass them.
Watch for moon shots
If one player has every heart, giving them the queen helps them shoot the moon. Sometimes taking her yourself is the lesser evil.
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FAQ
How many points is the Queen of Spades in Hearts?
13.
Should you lead spades in Hearts?
Leading low spades to flush out the queen is good if you don't hold the A♠ or K♠.