Shoot the Moon in Hearts — Rules & Strategy
Shooting the moon (sometimes called “running the cards”) is the boldest play in Hearts. One player captures every heart and the queen of spades in a single hand — and flips the scoring in their favor.
What counts as shooting the moon
If one player captures all 13 hearts and the queen of spades in a single hand, that player scores 0 for the hand and each opponent scores 26. This is called shooting the moon (or “running the cards”).
You must take all 26 penalty points yourself in one hand. If any other player wins a heart or the Q♠, the moon fails and normal scoring applies.
How moon scoring works
One player captures every heart and the Q♠. That player scores 0 for the hand; each of the other three players scores 26 instead of their usual trick points.
Instead of adding 26 to your own total, you add 0 while everyone else adds 26. That swing can win a close match or catch up from behind.
When to try
- You hold many high hearts and spades after the pass — especially A♥, K♥, and Q♠.
- You are void in a side suit and can trump in with hearts early.
- Opponents are short on hearts and may be forced to feed you.
- You are behind in the match and need a large swing — not when you already have the lowest score.
How opponents stop a moon
- Lead low hearts when you can afford to lose the trick — give someone else a heart.
- Hold the Q♠ until the moon runner must win it.
- Dump a heart on a trick the runner is winning before they collect everything.
On Classic Deck Games
The hand-end overlay calls out when someone shot the moon. Normal hand scores still apply to everyone else if the moon fails partway through.