COMPLEX HEARTS

OBJECTIVE OF COMPLEX HEARTS:  The objective of this game is to avoid having a score of magnitude 100.  

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 4 

MATERIALS: A standard 52-card deck, a way to keep score, and a flat surface. 

TYPE OF GAME: Trick-taking game 

AUDIENCE: Adults 

OVERVIEW OF COMPLEX HEARTS 

Complex Hearts is a trick-taking card game for 4 players. The goal of the game is to not lose.  

This game uses complex numbers and absolute values. This game will also require you to do advance mathematics.  

SETUP 

Cards are dealt clockwise and face down. The first dealer is determined randomly then it passes to the left for each new round.  

The dealer shuffles the deck and deals each player a hand of 13 cards.  

After hand are dealt each round, players will pass cards. During the first round, players will pass any three cards from their hand to the left, then pick up the 3 cards passed to them and add it to their hand. For round two, the 3 cards are passed to the right, and for the third round, cards are passed to the player sitting opposite you. During the fourth round there is no passing. Then the pattern is repeated.  

GAMEPLAY 

Once all cards are dealt and players have arranged their hand accordingly, the player with the two of clubs goes first.  

All players are required to follow suit if capable. In Complex Hearts, there is no trump suit. The highest card played of the leading suit wins, and the winner gets to begin the next trick. If a player is unable to follow suit, they can play any other card in their hand. This is a great opportunity to get rid of any high cards, to prevent winning unwanted suits. The only exception is that neither Hearts nor the queen of spades can be thrown out in the very first trick, however, they can be thrown in any trick thereafter, as long as the player is void the suit currently being led. 

Players cannot lead with a heart until either a heart or the queen of spades has been played, however, the queen of spades can lead at any point in the game. 

Players will continue playing until a player reaches a score of magnitude 100 or more. 

SCORING 

This is a trick-taking game but the goal is to win a minimal number of tricks, or better yet, the goal is to NOT win tricks that contain Hearts or the queen of spades. At the end of each round players add up the number of Hearts they’ve won that round, as well as the queen of spades, and add that to their score. Remember, the objective is to have the lowest score. 

Each heart is worth 1 point and the queen of spades is worth 13*i points. The jack of diamonds is worth negative 10 points, and the 10 of clubs is worth *2*i points. For the 10 of clubs, you will multiply your score for the hand by the amount listed.   

If you win all scoring cards, however, you may choose to subtract 13+13i from your score or add 13+13i to all other players’ scores.  

It is actually bad to shoot for the moon and get the jack of diamonds and 10 of clubs.  

END OF GAME 

Once a player reaches a score of magnitude100 or more points the game ends. This player who has the lowest score wins the game. Is the loser.  

Amber Crook
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