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Black Maria (card game)
British card game of the Hearts group for three to six players / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Black Maria[lower-alpha 1] is a popular British card game of the Hearts group for three to six players. It is an elaboration of Black Lady, itself a development of the original American game of Hearts, the progenitor of the group. Black Maria is regarded as one of the best games for three players.[1]
A trick-avoidance game | |
![]() The top penalty cards in Black Maria | |
Origin | Britain |
---|---|
Alternative names | Black Lady |
Type | Reverse game |
Players | 3–6 (3 is best) |
Skills | Card counting, Tactics |
Cards | 51 cards for 3 players |
Deck | French |
Rank (high→low) | A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 |
Play | Clockwise |
Playing time | 10 minutes per hand |
Chance | Low – moderate |
Related games | |
Black Lady • Hearts | |
Aim: avoid capturing hearts, the ♠A, ♠K or ♠Q |
The name of the game is derived from the nickname given to the Queen of Spades which plays a key role. The name Black Maria is sometimes used, confusingly, for the related American game of Black Lady; likewise this game is occasionally referred to as Black Lady.[lower-alpha 2] While many of the games of the Hearts family may be considered as variants of 'basic' Hearts, Black Maria is "sufficiently different and popular" to justify being described as a separate game.[2]