Three players,51 cards,43 penalty points per hand; no moon bonus.

← On a small screen, scroll the diagram horizontally. →

Removing 2♣ leaves 51 cards, dealt seventeen each to three players. After passing three right, play no-trump tricks centrally; there is no shared stock. Fans and piles are schematic; the rules specify card counts.
Removing 2♣ leaves 51 cards, dealt seventeen each to three players. After passing three right, play no-trump tricks centrally; there is no shared stock. Fans and piles are schematic; the rules specify card counts.

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Context and selected form

Black Maria is a British member of the Hearts family. It is unrelated to Finnish Mustamaija, also translated as Black Maria. The documented British game has several scoring schemes. We choose hearts plus three high spades, always passing right, with no special reward for taking all penalties: that last provision is our explicit teaching-table agreement.

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Pack, deal and pass

Remove 2♣from a standard 52-card pack; no jokers. All suits rank A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2, apart from the missing card. Choose first dealer randomly and rotate left. Shuffle, cut on the right and deal clockwise singly until everyone has 17 cards. Each selects three and places them face down for the player on their right. Everyone must commit their pass before picking up the three arriving from their left. Never alternate pass directions and never skip the pass.

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Seventeen tricks

Dealer’s left leads any card, including a heart or high spade. Continue clockwise; follow suit if possible, otherwise play anything. No trumps. Highest card of the suit led wins and its owner leads next. There is no requirement to break hearts, no compulsory opening card and no first-trick ban on penalty discards. Play all 17 tricks with no draw. Keep each player’s captured cards separate.

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Penalties and finish

Every heart costs 1, queen of spades 13, king of spades 10, ace of spades 7; other cards cost zero. Total 13+13+10+7=43. Add captured penalties to individual running scores; lowest is best. Taking all 43 still adds 43 in this profile. End after a completed hand in which anyone reaches or exceeds 100; lowest total wins. Our tie agreement shares the lowest-score win. Otherwise shuffle all cards and move dealer left.

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Worked hand

A captures Q♠and four hearts:13+4=17. B captures K♠and three hearts:10+3=13. C captures A♠and six hearts:7+6=13. All thirteen hearts are accounted for and 17+13+13=43. Equal hand scores for B and C remain equal; no suit tiebreak applies.

← On a small screen, scroll the diagram horizontally. →

No trumps. B has no clubs and may discard Q♠, even on the first trick. A: A♣; B: Q♠; C: K♣. A wins with the club ace. The spade queen is not trump and gives A 13 penalty points.
A wins with the club ace. The spade queen is not trump and gives A 13 penalty points.

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Other Black Maria profiles

Some tables count only hearts and Q♠, while others use face-value heart penalties and a much higher target. Four-player games keep 2♣and deal thirteen each. American Hearts adds different passing and leading restrictions; do not import them into this British profile.

Common questions

May I lead a heart on the first trick?+

Yes. There is no restriction on heart leads here.

Does capturing every penalty card reverse the score?+

No. Our stated table profile has no shooting-the-moon bonus.