Hearts is an "evasion-type"
trick-taking playing card game for four players, although variations can accommodate 3–6 players. The game is also known as
Black Lady,
The Dirty,
Dark Lady,
Slippery Anne,
Chase the Lady,
Crubs,
Black Queen and
Black Maria, though any of these may refer to the similar but differently-scored game
Black Lady. The game is a member of the
Whist family of trick-taking games (which also includes
Bridge and
Spades), but the game is unique among Whist variants in that it is an evasion-type game; players avoid winning certain penalty cards in tricks, usually by avoiding winning tricks altogether.