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Four-player Thousand

Played in fixed partnerships across the table. Two players sit North-South, two East-West; they share running scores and cooperate openly during play.

Setup​

  • 24-card deck as standard.
  • Two players sit across from each other on each team.
  • One of the four players is the dealer; in some variants the dealer sits out the deal; in others, the dealer plays as a fourth.

Two configurations​

Configuration A — dealer plays, no talon​

  • Each of the four players is dealt 6 cards.
  • No talon. All 24 cards are in hands.
  • Auction proceeds clockwise from the player to dealer's left.
  • Trick play: 6 tricks total.

Configuration B — dealer sits out (3 active + dealer)​

  • Same as standard 3-player Thousand, but with 4 people at the table.
  • The dealer sits out the hand; their partner plays alone for the partnership.
  • The dealer rotates clockwise after each deal so each player sits out once per cycle of 4 hands.

Configuration A is more common in Ukrainian play; Configuration B is more common in Russian and Polish four-player tables.

Partnerships​

  • Partners are across the table; they keep a shared running score.
  • During play partners may not show cards or signal, and may not speak about their hands.
  • Only one partner is the declarer in any given deal; the other plays as a defender alongside the opposing pair.

Wait — that last point is the trick. In four-player Thousand, when one partner becomes declarer:

  • The declarer plays for their team alone (still a single-player contract, scored to the partnership total).
  • The declarer's partner is out of the deal in Configuration A (in some tables they play normally as a defender; the rule must be agreed).
  • In Configuration B the declarer's partner is the sitting-out dealer anyway.

Marriages and scoring​

  • Marriage values unchanged — 100 / 80 / 60 / 40 for ♥ / ♦ / ♣ / ♠.
  • Each partnership has a single running score; the first partnership to 1000 wins.
  • Barrel rules apply to the partnership total, not to individuals.

When to choose this variant​

Choose four-player Thousand when:

  • You have exactly four players and want everyone in the game.
  • You want a partnership dynamic (Bridge-flavoured trick play).
  • You enjoy slower, more cooperative play than the cut-throat 3-player game.