Setup and passing
Deal 13 cards to each player. Before play, everyone passes 3 cards: to the left on the first deal, then right, then across, then no pass, and repeat.
Playing a trick
Whoever holds the 2♣ leads it to the first trick. Follow the suit led if you can; if not, play any card. There is no trump: the highest card of the led suit wins.
You can't lead hearts until a heart has been played on another suit (“hearts are broken”).
Scoring
Each heart you capture is 1 point and the Q♠ is 13, so a deal holds 26 points. Points are bad.
Shoot the moon: capture all 26 and you score 0 while everyone else gets 26.
Winning
The match ends when someone reaches 100. The player with the lowest score wins.
Tips to win
- Pass away high spades (A♠, K♠) if you don't hold the Q♠; they can catch it.
- Try to get void in a suit early so you can dump hearts and the Q♠ on others.
- Watch for a moon shot: if one player is taking every heart, keep one heart for yourself.
FAQ
What is shooting the moon?
Taking all 13 hearts and the Q♠ in one deal. Instead of 26 points, you score 0 and every opponent gets 26.
How is Bray different from Hearts?
Bray has no passing, no 2♣ rule, hearts can be led any time, the Q♠ is worth 12 and taking no tricks earns a −12 bonus.
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