How to Play

Black Maria is the British Hearts family's signature trick-avoidance game for 3 to 6 players (best at 3). Every heart captured is worth 1 penalty point, the [Q♠] (Black Maria) 13, the [K♠] 10, and the [A♠] 7, for a total of 43 penalty points per deal. Players pass 3 cards to the right before play; lowest cumulative score wins.

Black Maria is the British Hearts family's signature trick-avoidance game for 3 to 6 players (optimal at 3). Every heart captured is worth 1 penalty point, the Queen of Spades (the 'Black Maria') 13, the King of Spades 10, and the Ace of Spades 7, for a total of 43 penalty points per deal. Players pass three cards to the right before play, and the winner of the match is the player with the lowest cumulative penalty score after an agreed number of deals. A typical match of nine deals lasts 30 to 45 minutes.

Players

3 to 6 players, optimal at 3; every player for themselves (no partnerships). The first dealer is chosen by cutting for low card; the deal rotates clockwise after each hand. Match length is typically set to a multiple of three deals (for example 9 or 12) so that every player deals an equal number of times.

Card Deck

One standard 52-card deck, no jokers. Ranks within each suit run Ace (high) down through King, Queen, Jack, 10, ..., 2 (low). There is no trump suit in Black Maria. For even deals with reduced numbers of players, remove cards: remove for 3 players (51 cards dealt 17 each); remove and for 5 players (50 cards dealt 10 each); remove all four 2s for 6 players (48 cards dealt 8 each); 4 players use the full deck dealt 13 each.

Objective

Avoid capturing penalty cards in tricks. The four penalty cards are every heart (1 point each, 13 total), the Queen of Spades (13 points, the 'Black Maria'), the King of Spades (10 points, 'Black Baz'), and the Ace of Spades (7 points). The total available penalty per deal is 43 points. Over the agreed match length, the player with the fewest accumulated penalty points is the winner.

Setup and Deal

1. Apply any required card removals for your player count and shuffle the remaining pack thoroughly. The dealer offers the deck to the player on their right to cut.
2. Deal all cards face-down, one at a time clockwise, beginning with eldest hand (the player to the dealer's left). Every player should have the same number of cards.
3. Passing phase: Each player selects exactly 3 cards from their hand and passes them face-down to the player on their right (the key difference from American Hearts, which passes left). Do not look at cards passed to you until you have passed your own. After all passes, pick up the three received cards and merge them into your hand.
4. Misdeal: A void deal if any player has the wrong number of cards, or if a card is exposed during the deal; same dealer re-deals.

Gameplay

1. Leading the first trick: Eldest hand (the player to the dealer's left) leads any card to the first trick. Unlike American Hearts, there is no restriction on leading spades or any specific suit on trick 1; hearts, however, may not be led yet (see Hearts broken).
2. Trick structure: Play proceeds clockwise. Each player in turn plays one card face-up to the centre. You must follow suit if you hold any card of the led suit; if void, you may play any card (called a discard or sluff).
3. Winning the trick: The highest card of the led suit wins; there is no trump suit, so off-suit cards cannot win. The trick winner collects the four (or however many players' worth of) cards face-down in front of them and leads the next trick.
4. Hearts broken: A player may not lead a heart to a trick until a heart has been 'broken' (discarded on a non-heart lead earlier in the hand). A player whose hand contains only hearts may lead one by necessity, which also breaks hearts.
5. Reneging (revoking): Failing to follow suit when able is a renege. If caught before the next trick is led, the offender takes back the illegal card and plays a legal one. If caught later, the usual penalty is that the offender automatically takes all 43 penalty points for that deal.
6. End of hand: The hand ends when every card has been played. Each player totals the penalty cards in their captured tricks: 1 per heart, plus 13 for , 10 for , and 7 for if they captured any of those.Q♠K♠A♠

Scoring

• Per penalty card: Each heart in captured tricks scores 1 point; scores 13; scores 10; scores 7. Total penalty per deal: 43 points.Q♠K♠A♠
• Running total: Add each deal's penalty to each player's cumulative score at the table.
• Hitting the moon (optional slam rule): In groups that use this rule, a player who captures every penalty card in a deal (all 13 hearts plus , , and , 43 points in total) subtracts 43 from their own score instead of adding it. The traditional Wikipedia description of Black Maria does not include this rule; agree before play begins. A failed attempt scores normally.Q♠K♠A♠
• Fixed match length: Play a set number of deals (commonly 9 or 12, always divisible by 3 so each seat deals an equal share); the lowest cumulative score at the end wins.
• Variable end by threshold: Some groups play to a threshold (commonly the match ends after the deal in which any player exceeds 100 points); the lowest score at that moment wins.

Winning

• Match winner: The player with the lowest cumulative penalty score at the end of the agreed match (fixed-deal or threshold format).
• Tie-breakers: If two or more players are tied on the lowest score at match end, play one extra deal among only the tied players; the one who captures the fewest penalty points in that deal wins. If still tied, repeat.
• No team or joint wins: Black Maria is strictly individual; there is no partnership or combined-score mode.

Common Variations

• Dirty Lady (alternative British rules): Pass cards to the left (not right); exclude from passing (you must keep it if dealt); use modified heart penalties ( = 5, = 4, = 3, = 2, other hearts = 1); collecting all 14 penalty cards counts favourably rather than shooting the moon.Q♠A♥K♥Q♥J♥
• Slippery Anne: Simpler scoring; only carries penalty points (13), hearts are neutral. Much quicker learning curve.Q♠
• Omnibus Hearts: Add or as a bonus card worth minus 10 (subtract 10 from the capturer's score). Adds a reason to sometimes want to take a trick.J♦10♦
• American Hearts divergence: Pass left instead of right; only hearts (1 each) and (13) are penalties; total 26 penalty per deal; the rule restricts the first-trick lead. Black Maria's higher penalty total and right-pass are the signature British differences.Q♠2♣
• Cancellation Black Maria (6 or more players, two decks): Shuffle two 52-card decks together; if two identical cards land in the same trick, they cancel each other and the highest remaining card wins.
• Four-way pass rotation: Cycle pass directions across deals (right, left, across, hold) for more variety.

Tips and Strategy

• Passing is the most important decision. Default: pass your highest spades (, , ) before they can win a trick you do not want; pass high hearts if you are long in them; never pass to a player on your right if you need them to take it later.Q♠K♠A♠Q♠
• Track the spade count: once is on the table and or are still in hand with nothing below them, you are one spade lead away from eating Maria. Shed them on non-spade leads as soon as you can.Q♠K♠A♠
• Void a suit early. Voiding lets you discard penalty cards (hearts, Maria, , ) into tricks led in the voided suit with no risk.K♠A♠
• Hold a low heart as a 'duck'. A 2 or 3 of hearts is nearly useless elsewhere but invaluable as a way to dodge a heart-led trick late in the hand.3♥
• Under 'hit the moon' rules, watch for a player suddenly capturing trick after trick; dump a mid-range heart into a trick they cannot easily win, breaking their run before they collect all 43 points.

Glossary

• Trick: One round of play in which every player lays one card; the highest card of the led suit wins and collects the cards.
• Follow suit: Play a card of the same suit as the led card, if you have any. Mandatory where possible.
• Led suit: The suit of the first card played to the current trick; determines what you must follow.
• Discard / sluff: Play a non-led-suit card because you are void in the led suit; cannot win the trick.
• Black Maria: Nickname for , worth 13 penalty points.Q♠
• Black Baz: Nickname for , worth 10 penalty points in the full Black Maria rules.K♠
• Hearts broken: The state of the hand after any heart has been discarded on a non-heart lead; only then may hearts be led.
• Hitting the moon (slam): Capturing every penalty card in a deal; under the optional slam rule, the capturer scores -43 instead of +43.
• Renege / revoke: Failing to follow suit when able; severely penalised.
• Eldest hand: The player to the dealer's left; leads the first trick in each deal.