Queen of Spades in Hearts
Queen of Spades (Q♠)
Worth 13 penalty points - the same as all 13 hearts combined. Also called the "Black Lady," "Black Maria," or "Calamity Jane." The single most impactful card in Hearts.
Q♠ Point Value
- Each heart: 1 point
- All hearts combined: 13 points
- Queen of Spades: 13 points
- Maximum per hand: 26 points
Impact
Capturing Q♠ with just 2 hearts = 15 points. That's more than half the total penalty points in one trick.
Strategies for the Q♠
If You Have It:
- Pass it (most common) - Get rid of it during the passing phase
- Dump it - Play it when you can't follow suit
- Lead through - Lead low spades to smoke out higher spades, then play Q♠ safely
- Shoot the moon - Keep it if you're collecting all penalty cards
If You Don't Have It:
- Watch spade count - Track how many spades have been played
- Void spades - If you have few spades, pass them to create a void
- Don't take spade tricks with A♠/K♠ until Q♠ is gone
Q♠ Rules
- Cannot be played on the first trick (same as hearts)
- Does NOT break hearts - it's a spade
- Can be played on any spade trick if you have it
- Must capture Q♠ to shoot the moon