[2] Hearts itself emerged in the United States during the 1880s, The Standard Hoyle of 1887 reporting that it had only been played there for "the last five years" and was "probably of German origin".

It was a no-trump, trick-taking game for four players using a full pack of cards, the aim being to avoid taking any hearts in tricks.

[4] Meanwhile, in Britain, the game of Black Maria, with its additional penalty cards in the suit of spades, emerged in 1939.

[5] Both it and another offshoot, Omnibus Hearts, are "sufficiently different and popular to justify descriptions as separate games.

It was won by an Englishman named Steven Wilson, who discovered his skill at the game after winning the perfect round of 104-104-104-0 against a computer in 1999.

Because Wilson demolished all of his opponents at the 2002 Championship, it was not renewed for a second year; too many top players dropped out as they were so distraught by the loss.

Players draw a fixed number of chips, typically 25 or 50, which may or may not have a monetary value.

If cards are faced in the pack, the dealer reshuffles, offers it for the cut and re-deals.

If a player revokes, they lose the trick and pay the pre-agreed penalty in chips.

If two or more players have the lowest number of hearts, they divide the spoils and any remainder stays on the table for the next round.

A player who revokes in order to avoid taking 13 chips, pays 8 to each opponent.

The variant of Auction Hearts appears for the first time in the 1897 edition of Foster's Complete Hoyle.

Its novel feature is that, after the deal, players may bid in sequence to declare the penalty suit.

It is identical to the basic Black Lady game, but with the J♠ as the penalty card, worth 10 "hearts" (i.e.

However, its distinguishing feature is that the Q♠, the Black Lady, is an additional penalty card worth 13 points.

Over time, the game has developed elaborations such as 'shooting the moon' and passing cards in different directions with each deal.

[11] It usually includes passing to the right (not left as in other variants) which is considered more challenging because you don't know any of the next player's cards.

"[6] In effect, Omnibus Hearts is really a variant of Black Lady where the bonus card of 10♦ is included which earns 10 plus points for the player who takes it in a trick.

In the first, partners sit opposite one another and combine their scores, a team that successfully shoots the moon causing the other to earn 52 penalty points.

The player holding the 10♦ becomes the silent partner of the winning bidder and they combine their scores.

Foster remarks that "this adds nothing to the interest or skill of the game; but rather tends to create confusion and delay, owing to the numerous disputes as to the correctness of the count.

"[28] Nevertheless, the game has been regularly listed right up to the present day with the Little Giant Encyclopedia (2009) giving an alternative name of Chip Hearts.

[c] Royal Hearts was a commercial variant of the game produced in the early 2000s by Parker Brothers, now owned by Hasbro.

Undershooting, or following suit with a card just slightly lower in rank to the current high card, is a common strategy for those playing later to a trick; this allows a player, for instance, to safely play a Queen that may otherwise win a trick underneath the King or Ace of the suit.

Although it appears wise to play low hearts first, it is usually better to hold onto them until it is clearer, from the fall of the cards, to whom you are giving them.

The exception to this is when one's plain suit cards are high or dangerous, but hearts are relatively low.

This is usually a highly advantageous situation; because the player cannot follow suit, they cannot win any trick in which that suit is led, and can also use that opportunity to play risky cards off-suit, such as high face cards or penalty Hearts (known as "sloughing").

Being long in a suit, especially Hearts, can have its own advantages, however one potential disadvantage is that the player may find themselves unable to "lose the lead" at the end of the hand after all other cards of the long suit have been played, and be forced to take several penalty-filled tricks.

A common strategy for shooting the moon is to be long in Hearts and to play them in descending order, forcing other players to follow suit and thus giving all their Hearts to the player attempting the moon shot.

Many variants like Black Lady/Black Maria give special importance to the Q♠, specifically to avoiding capturing it.