The word hearts has several different meanings. It can refer to the biological organ that pumps blood through our body. It's also a suit in playing cards, represented by the red heart symbol. Hearts is additionally the name of a popular card game. Finally, the heart symbol represents love and emotion in many cultures.
The heart is a vital biological organ located in the center of the chest, slightly to the left. Its primary function is to pump blood throughout the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients to all tissues. The heart has four chambers: two upper chambers called atria, and two lower chambers called ventricles. This muscular organ is essential for life, beating approximately seventy times per minute to maintain circulation.
In playing cards, hearts is one of the four suits in a standard deck. The hearts suit is represented by a red heart symbol and contains thirteen cards from Ace through King. Hearts is one of the two red suits, along with diamonds. The other two suits, spades and clubs, are black. Each suit has equal value in most card games, though hearts holds special significance in certain games.
Hearts is a popular trick-taking card game typically played by four players. The objective is to avoid taking certain penalty cards: any card from the hearts suit and the Queen of Spades. Each heart card taken gives you one penalty point, while the Queen of Spades gives thirteen penalty points. The player with the lowest total score at the end of the game wins. This makes Hearts unique among card games, as players try to avoid winning certain tricks rather than winning as many as possible.
To summarize what we've learned about hearts: it's primarily a vital organ that pumps blood through our bodies. In playing cards, hearts is one of four suits represented by red heart symbols. Hearts is also the name of a card game where players avoid taking penalty cards. Finally, the heart symbol universally represents love and emotion across cultures.