What is Black Maria?
In the standard game every heart costs one point and the queen of spades thirteen, 26 points in each hand. Black Maria keeps those and makes two more spades dangerous: the king of spades costs 10 points and the ace of spades 7, so 43 points are at stake in every hand. Holding high spades becomes a real risk, because any of the three top spades can fall on a trick you win.
The hand is set up differently too. Every hand, each player passes three cards to the player on their right; there is no left, across or hold rotation. The deal moves one seat to the left after each hand, and the player on the dealer's left leads the first trick with any card they like: there is no two of clubs to open with.
Play is simpler than in the standard game. You must follow suit if you can, but hearts can be led at any time, and penalty cards may be played on the first trick. Nobody can shoot the moon: taking every penalty card simply costs all 43 points. As in the standard game, the game ends when a player reaches the target score, and the lowest score wins.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Hearts | Black Maria |
|---|---|---|
| Penalty cards | Standard HeartsEach heart 1 point and the queen of spades 13. | Black MariaEach heart 1 point, the queen of spades 13, the king of spades 10 and the ace of spades 7. |
| Points in a hand | Standard Hearts26. | Black Maria43. |
| Passing | Standard HeartsThree cards. With four players the pass goes left, right, across, then no pass, in turn. Three and five players pass left, right, then hold; six players pass left, right, across (three seats on), then hold. | Black MariaThree cards to the player on your right, every hand, at every table size. |
| First lead of a hand | Standard HeartsThe holder of the lowest club in the pack leads it: the two of clubs, or the three or four of clubs when the lower clubs are taken out for five or six players. | Black MariaThe dealer changes every hand, moving one seat to the left, and the player on the dealer's left leads any card. |
| Leading hearts | Standard HeartsNot until a heart has been played in the hand, unless you hold only hearts. | Black MariaAllowed at any time. |
| Penalty cards on the first trick | Standard HeartsNot allowed while you have another card you can play. | Black MariaAllowed. |
| Shooting the moon | Standard HeartsTaking every heart and the queen of spades scores the 26 points for everyone else instead, or takes 26 off your own score if the table chose that rule. | Black MariaNo moon: a player who takes every penalty card scores all 43 points. |
| Cards left out | Standard HeartsThree to six players. Four use the full pack; three leave out the two of diamonds; five the twos of clubs and diamonds; six the twos of clubs, diamonds and spades and the three of clubs. | Black MariaThree to six players. Four use the full pack; three leave out the two of clubs; five the twos of clubs and diamonds; six all four twos. |
| Other options | Standard HeartsSpot Hearts, Omnibus, the moon rule and the target score can be chosen. | Black MariaSpot Hearts and Omnibus work with Black Maria: with Spot Hearts the hearts score their rank and the queen of spades 25, while the king and ace keep 10 and 7. The moon rule has no effect, and the target score is chosen as usual. |
History
Black Maria is a British member of the Hearts family, often called the British version of Hearts and usually played by three. It is an elaboration of Black Lady, the form of Hearts in which the queen of spades is a penalty card. Hubert Phillips claimed to have invented the game during the First World War, and its rules first appeared in print in The Complete Book of Card Games of 1939, written by Phillips with B. C. Westall, who rated it the best of the games for three players.
The rules here follow the usual description: three cards passed to the right, the eldest hand on the dealer's left leading the first trick, the ace of spades worth 7, the king 10 and the queen 13, and 43 points in every deal. With three players the two of clubs is left out; with five, the twos of clubs and diamonds; with six, all four twos. Some general accounts of Hearts give the ace and king the other way round, 10 and 7; most descriptions of Black Maria give the values used here.
Most descriptions have no moon, though one author gives an optional rule in which a player who takes every penalty card has 43 points taken off their score instead; that rule is not played here. Black Maria is usually played for an agreed number of deals, a multiple of the number of players so that everyone deals equally often. Here it ends at the target score, like the standard game.