Thousand
Thousand (Russian: Тысяча; Polish: Tysiąc; Ukrainian: Тисяча) is a classic point-trick card game from the Marriage family, popular across Eastern and Central Europe. The objective is exactly what the name suggests: be the first player to reach 1000 points.
The game is famous for two ingredients that combine luck with sharp tactical play:
- Auction bidding — players bid points to win the right to choose trump.
- Marriages — declaring a King + Queen of the same suit during play instantly switches the trump suit and awards a large bonus.
This documentation describes the standard 3-player Russian rules as the canonical reference, then catalogues the most common regional and house-rule variations.
Who this guide is for
- Newcomers who want to learn the game from scratch.
- Returning players who need a quick reference.
- Anyone curious about the regional differences between the Russian, Polish, Ukrainian and other variants.
How the documentation is organised
| Section | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Equipment & Setup | The deck, card ranking, and the roles each player can take. |
| Rules of Play | Step-by-step procedure for a single deal: dealing, bidding, talon, marriages, tricks, scoring. |
| Strategy | Practical tips on bidding, trump selection and trick management. |
| Variations | Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, 2-player, 4-player, and common house rules. |
A note on rules
Thousand has no single international authority. Two tables in the same city will often disagree on details — the value of the diamond marriage, the penalty for a failed barrel, whether a player may pass after seeing the talon. Wherever the rules differ meaningfully we point this out, and the Variations section is a deliberate, opinionated catalogue of the most common alternatives. Always agree the house rules before the first deal.