How to Win Hearts the Finer Points (Rickety Kate)
HEARTS (otherwise known as RICKETY KATE) , This card game may be played by almost any number of players (4-6 people being optimum.), HOW TO PLAY HEARTS (or Rickety Kate): The dealer deals out all the cards., The person who has the 2 OF CLUBS always...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: HEARTS (otherwise known as RICKETY KATE)
All cards in a deck are used except Joker.
Hearts are each worth one point* , and the only other card worth points is the Queen of Spades (also called Rickety Kate!) She, Rickety, is worth 13 points.
The aim of the game is NOT to win points...the winner is the person with the lowest number of points by the time anyone has reached 100 points. , (If, due to the number of players, cards are left over, put them aside until the next deal** Place your cards in their suits in order from low to high so that you can keep a better mental picture of what's been played (i.e. so you can keep in mind which cards you hold remain the highest or lowest in each suit as the game progresses.) Each player selects 3 cards and hands them to the player on their left (or, on the computer game, as displayed by the arrow showing where your cards will be passed) without showing anyone else which cards have been passed on.
In selecting which 3 cards to pass on, it is sometimes wise to short-suit (pass on cards that leave you without a suit, if possible, so that when that suit is led/played, you are unable to follow suit thus can throw a 'dangerous' card away that may win you points later in the game when, in following suit, you are forced to play a card that wins a trick that may include Rickety or Hearts.
Short-suiting your clubs can be a good move (if you have 3 or less dealt to you), as when the first lead (which is always CLUBS) is played, you may be able to throw off your ACE OF SPADES, say, so that you have less likelihood of winning a trick that includes Rickety! HOWEVER, to throw the Ace of Spades off if you have Rickety and a few more spades, may also force you to play Rickety in a Spade lead, before you would have otherwise needed to! Generally speaking, 5 cards of one suit that includes 2 low cards
- say the 3 and the 5
- is often enough to prevent you from having to play the Ace or even Rickety on a trick that wins points.
Another option may be to pass on Rickety...but ensure you've not got high cards of especially one suit that are likely to win a trick in which Rickety has been played when someone couldn't follow suit! e.g.
If you have, say, 2, 9, J, Q, A clubs, you may well win points on later leads of Clubs when that suit has been led a few times.
It may be wiser to pass on 3 high cards of a suit that you don't have low cards to cover, or high cards from various suits.
Remember, if you’ve a lot of cards of one suit, it’s likely someone else doesn’t, and therefore when they don’t follow suit, your high card may well win Rickety or a Heart.
Keep in mind, too, that although you’re passing on 3 cards that you don’t want, you’ll be receiving 3 cards that someone else doesn’t want – very often an Ace, or A, K, or Q of Spades, or a couple of high cards to the suit you just eradicated! , The person to their left must follow suit (if possible).
Play continues to the left.
No points can be played on the FIRST hand played
- that is, no-one can play Rickety Kate (Q Spades) or a heart on that FIRST round only.
For that reason normally the Ace of Clubs will come out and win that trick
- otherwise possibly the King, for example.
The winner of that round will now lead a card of any suit EXCEPT HEARTS. (Hearts cannot be led until either someone has played a Heart on a round when they CANNOT FOLLOW SUIT, or, if a player has NO OTHER SUIT IN HIS HAND and has the lead.) An Ace of a suit is USUALLY a safe lead at this stage, as it is likely everyone has at least one card of that suit…unless you, or another player, hold many of that suit.
HOWEVER, don’t lead the Ace of Spades, as Rickety may earn you 13 points if you don't hold her in your own hand.
As you get a better feel of the game, you can begin to COUNT the number of cards that have fallen in any suit that you're not feeling is safe that's in your hand.
There are 13 CARDS for each suit
- therefore, if you have for example Rickety in your hand, and you've counted that 11 Spades have been played but that the Ace (or King) of Spades has not yet been tabled, it would be safe to lead Rickety because you'd know that the higher card must be played because they must follow suit.
Otherwise, if a suit is led that they don’t hold in their hand, they may well throw their Ace away leaving you with Rickety and possibly the lead, even later in the round.
The more you play, the more things you will notice you can do to control the game.
For example, you may decide NOT to pass on all your high cards, or even to keep say, the Jack rather than a low card, to ensure you can get the lead back if you're sitting with the King of Spades in your hand without lower cards to protect you from having to play that card and win the trick with Rickety included.
If you win a safe trick with the Jack (even if it has a point in it that you’d prefer not to win), by then leading back the 5, then 3, you may open the door for the holder of Rickety to play her on a trick that someone has to play a higher card over your 5 or 3, thus leaving your K or A Spades out of danger of drawing Rickety.
Again, though, that’s where it’s advantageous to count cards – you may know that there are still cards in people’s hands that are higher than your 5 and
3.
On the other hand, you may realise that your 5 and 3 are the last two left of that suit, and you’d possibly score Rickety!; -
Step 2: This card game may be played by almost any number of players (4-6 people being optimum.)
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Step 3: HOW TO PLAY HEARTS (or Rickety Kate): The dealer deals out all the cards.
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Step 4: The person who has the 2 OF CLUBS always plays first
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Step 5: placing that card into the middle
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Step 6: face up.
Detailed Guide
All cards in a deck are used except Joker.
Hearts are each worth one point* , and the only other card worth points is the Queen of Spades (also called Rickety Kate!) She, Rickety, is worth 13 points.
The aim of the game is NOT to win points...the winner is the person with the lowest number of points by the time anyone has reached 100 points. , (If, due to the number of players, cards are left over, put them aside until the next deal** Place your cards in their suits in order from low to high so that you can keep a better mental picture of what's been played (i.e. so you can keep in mind which cards you hold remain the highest or lowest in each suit as the game progresses.) Each player selects 3 cards and hands them to the player on their left (or, on the computer game, as displayed by the arrow showing where your cards will be passed) without showing anyone else which cards have been passed on.
In selecting which 3 cards to pass on, it is sometimes wise to short-suit (pass on cards that leave you without a suit, if possible, so that when that suit is led/played, you are unable to follow suit thus can throw a 'dangerous' card away that may win you points later in the game when, in following suit, you are forced to play a card that wins a trick that may include Rickety or Hearts.
Short-suiting your clubs can be a good move (if you have 3 or less dealt to you), as when the first lead (which is always CLUBS) is played, you may be able to throw off your ACE OF SPADES, say, so that you have less likelihood of winning a trick that includes Rickety! HOWEVER, to throw the Ace of Spades off if you have Rickety and a few more spades, may also force you to play Rickety in a Spade lead, before you would have otherwise needed to! Generally speaking, 5 cards of one suit that includes 2 low cards
- say the 3 and the 5
- is often enough to prevent you from having to play the Ace or even Rickety on a trick that wins points.
Another option may be to pass on Rickety...but ensure you've not got high cards of especially one suit that are likely to win a trick in which Rickety has been played when someone couldn't follow suit! e.g.
If you have, say, 2, 9, J, Q, A clubs, you may well win points on later leads of Clubs when that suit has been led a few times.
It may be wiser to pass on 3 high cards of a suit that you don't have low cards to cover, or high cards from various suits.
Remember, if you’ve a lot of cards of one suit, it’s likely someone else doesn’t, and therefore when they don’t follow suit, your high card may well win Rickety or a Heart.
Keep in mind, too, that although you’re passing on 3 cards that you don’t want, you’ll be receiving 3 cards that someone else doesn’t want – very often an Ace, or A, K, or Q of Spades, or a couple of high cards to the suit you just eradicated! , The person to their left must follow suit (if possible).
Play continues to the left.
No points can be played on the FIRST hand played
- that is, no-one can play Rickety Kate (Q Spades) or a heart on that FIRST round only.
For that reason normally the Ace of Clubs will come out and win that trick
- otherwise possibly the King, for example.
The winner of that round will now lead a card of any suit EXCEPT HEARTS. (Hearts cannot be led until either someone has played a Heart on a round when they CANNOT FOLLOW SUIT, or, if a player has NO OTHER SUIT IN HIS HAND and has the lead.) An Ace of a suit is USUALLY a safe lead at this stage, as it is likely everyone has at least one card of that suit…unless you, or another player, hold many of that suit.
HOWEVER, don’t lead the Ace of Spades, as Rickety may earn you 13 points if you don't hold her in your own hand.
As you get a better feel of the game, you can begin to COUNT the number of cards that have fallen in any suit that you're not feeling is safe that's in your hand.
There are 13 CARDS for each suit
- therefore, if you have for example Rickety in your hand, and you've counted that 11 Spades have been played but that the Ace (or King) of Spades has not yet been tabled, it would be safe to lead Rickety because you'd know that the higher card must be played because they must follow suit.
Otherwise, if a suit is led that they don’t hold in their hand, they may well throw their Ace away leaving you with Rickety and possibly the lead, even later in the round.
The more you play, the more things you will notice you can do to control the game.
For example, you may decide NOT to pass on all your high cards, or even to keep say, the Jack rather than a low card, to ensure you can get the lead back if you're sitting with the King of Spades in your hand without lower cards to protect you from having to play that card and win the trick with Rickety included.
If you win a safe trick with the Jack (even if it has a point in it that you’d prefer not to win), by then leading back the 5, then 3, you may open the door for the holder of Rickety to play her on a trick that someone has to play a higher card over your 5 or 3, thus leaving your K or A Spades out of danger of drawing Rickety.
Again, though, that’s where it’s advantageous to count cards – you may know that there are still cards in people’s hands that are higher than your 5 and
3.
On the other hand, you may realise that your 5 and 3 are the last two left of that suit, and you’d possibly score Rickety!;
About the Author
Teresa Kim
Enthusiastic about teaching DIY projects techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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