Play Black Maria Online

The Queen is only part of the problem

In classic Hearts, the Queen is the one spade you dread taking. Black Maria adds the King and Ace to that list. Those 3 cards carry 30 points between them, more than all 13 Hearts combined.

There are 43 penalty points in a deal. A low score is good; taking tricks is useful only when you can control what is in them.

Pass 3 cards right, then follow suit

This 4-player version deals 13 cards each and passes 3 cards to the right every hand. Select your pass at the table and confirm it. Unlike classic Hearts, the pass direction does not rotate.

The 2 of Clubs leads the first trick. Play a card of the led suit if you have one. If you cannot follow suit, you can discard another suit, but on the first trick you must discard a non-penalty card if you have one. The highest card of the led suit wins the trick and takes its penalties.

You cannot lead Hearts until they have been broken, unless your hand contains only Hearts. The table highlights legal choices and prevents an illegal play.

One trick can cost 30 points

Imagine a spade lead where the 4 cards are 2♠, Q♠, K♠ and A♠. The Ace wins and its owner takes 13 + 7 + 10 = 30 points. Holding the highest card gave that player control, but at a steep cost.

This is why a low spade can be valuable protection. If you hold 3♠ and K♠ when someone leads a spade, playing the 3 keeps the King in your hand without taking the trick. Passing away all your low spades can leave you forced to play a costly high one later.

Shooting the moon means taking all 43

Collect every Heart plus Q♠, K♠ and A♠ in the same hand to shoot the moon. On this table, the other players receive 43 points and you receive 0. Missing even one penalty card leaves you with the points you collected.

Do not assume a player taking several Hearts is making mistakes. If they are also collecting the high spades, keeping one penalty away from them may prevent a much bigger swing.

Black Maria, Black Mariah and Black Lady

You may see Black Mariah used as another spelling. The name Black Lady often refers to the Queen of Spades or a Hearts version with that Queen as the only spade penalty. This table specifically uses the 3-spade scoring shown above. Check that difference before applying rules from another version.

Prefer the familiar 26-point deal? Play classic Hearts. For a reward card that can offset penalties, try Omnibus Hearts. All versions are listed in Hearts games.