Thousand (1000) card game rules
Thousand is a trick-taking card game where the bidding matters most. In each deal, one player promises to score a certain number of points. Reach that number, and it goes on your score. Fall short, and you lose the same amount.
The game came to Poland from the east and has been a family favourite there for generations. Poles call it tysiąc, which simply means thousand. These rules cover the standard game for three. You'll find the games for two and four players and the popular house rules under Variants.
- Players
- 2-4 (best with 3)
- Playing time
- 45-90 min
- Age
- 10+
- What you need
- A 24-card deck (nines to aces), plus paper and a pen to keep score
Updated: 2 November 2026
Aim of the game
The first player to reach 1000 points wins. You score points for the cards you take in tricks and for marriages. In each deal, one player, the declarer, plays alone against the other two.
A trick is one card from each player, played in turn. Whoever plays the best card wins the trick.
Cards and their values
You play with 24 cards: nine, jack, queen, king, ten and ace in each of the four suits. Take them from a standard deck and set the rest aside. In each suit, a card worth more points also ranks higher. So the ten beats the king.
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Ace | 11 |
| Ten | 10 |
| King | 4 |
| Queen | 3 |
| Jack | 2 |
| Nine | 0 |
The whole deck is worth 120 points. That is the most anyone can take from cards in one deal. Only marriages can add more.
The deal
- Draw cards to pick the first dealer. After that, the deal passes to the left.
- The dealer shuffles and deals 7 cards to each player.
- The dealer puts the last 3 cards face down in the middle of the table. These cards are the musik, the Polish name for the kitty. They go to whoever wins the bidding.
Bidding
In the bidding, you say how many points you will take this deal. Card points and marriages both count. The highest bidder becomes the declarer.
- The player to the dealer's left opens with 100. This bid is compulsory, even with a poor hand.
- Going clockwise, each player either raises the bid or passes.
- Every bid must be higher than the last one and a multiple of 10: 110, 120, 130 and so on.
- Once you pass, you are out of the bidding for this deal.
- The bidding ends when two players have passed. If nobody raised, the opener becomes the declarer at 100.
You may bid over 120 only if you hold a marriage, that is, the king and queen of one suit. Your limit is then 120 plus the value of your marriages. With the marriage in spades (40), you can bid up to 160.
The musik and the contract
- The declarer turns the musik face up for everyone to see. Then they pick up the three cards, so they now hold 10.
- The declarer gives each opponent one card of their choice, face down. Now everyone holds 8 cards.
- The declarer announces the contract: the number of points they will play for. It can't be lower than the winning bid.
- The contract may be higher than the bid, in steps of 10. Without a marriage there is no point going over 120, because the cards are worth only 120. Raising makes sense when the musik brought you a marriage or an ace.
Most players give away weak cards, often to clear out a short suit. Giving away an ace or half of a marriage is rarely wise.
Playing the tricks
The declarer leads to the first trick. Play goes clockwise. Whoever wins a trick leads to the next one. A deal has 8 tricks.
- If you have a card of the suit led, you must play one. This is called following suit.
- If you can, you must also beat the cards already played with a higher card of that suit. If the suit led isn't trumps but the trick holds a trump, any card of the suit led will do.
- If you can't follow suit and there is a trump suit, you must play a trump if you have one. If the trick already holds a trump, beat it if you can. If you can't, play a lower trump anyway.
- If you have neither the suit led nor a trump, play any card.
The highest trump wins the trick. If no trump was played, the highest card of the suit led wins. A card of another suit never wins, not even an ace.
Each deal starts with no trumps. The first marriage declared makes its suit trumps (see Marriages).
Marriages
A marriage is the king and queen of the same suit. It scores extra points and makes its suit trumps.
| Suit | Points |
|---|---|
| Hearts | 100 |
| Diamonds | 80 |
| Clubs | 60 |
| Spades | 40 |
- You can declare a marriage only when it is your turn to lead. To lead means to play the first card of a trick.
- To declare, lead the king or the queen and say "marriage". You must still hold its partner at that moment.
- Add the marriage's value to your points for this deal straight away.
- Its suit becomes trumps from this trick on. It stays trumps until the end of the deal, or until someone declares another marriage.
- The opponents can declare marriages too. They must first win a trick to get the lead.
Holding the pair alone scores nothing. Play the king or queen without declaring, and the marriage is lost. Most players lead the queen. If someone beats it, they take only 3 points instead of 4.
Scoring
After the last trick, everyone counts the card points in their tricks and adds their marriages.
- If the declarer makes the contract, they add the contract to their score. Any points over it are lost.
- If the declarer falls short, they subtract the whole contract. Even one point short is a failure.
- The declarer's points are never rounded. With a contract of 110, a total of 108 fails.
- Each opponent adds their own points, rounded to the nearest ten. A 5 rounds up: 35 counts as 40, and 34 as 30.
| Player | Cards | Marriages | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Declarer | 92 | 60 | +140 |
| Opponent A | 23 | 0 | +20 |
| Opponent B | 5 | 0 | +10 |
Update each player's running total after every deal. A score can drop under zero.
The 800 rule
If you start a deal with 800 points or more, you score nothing in it as an opponent. Points only come from deals where you are the declarer. So the last points to 1000 must come from your own contracts.
If you fail a contract and drop under 800, the rule no longer applies. You score as an opponent again.
Some Polish players call this being "on the barrel". For a stricter endgame, see the variant The barrel at 880.
End of the game
The game ends after the deal in which someone reaches 1000 points or more. You don't need to hit exactly 1000.
If several players reach 1000 or more in the same deal, the declarer wins if they are one of them. Otherwise, the higher score wins. Equal scores are a draw.
Variants
Two players with two musiks
- Each player gets 10 cards. The remaining 4 cards form two musiks of 2 cards each.
- The non-dealer opens with the compulsory 100. Then you take turns to bid.
- The declarer picks one musik, turns it up and adds it to their hand. Then they put any 2 cards aside face down, to get back to 10.
- You play 10 tricks, with the usual rules for following suit, beating and trumps.
- Whoever wins the last trick takes the 2 cards put aside and the other musik. Their points go to that player.
Some players don't count those four cards for anyone. Agree on it before you start.
Two players with a stock
- Each player gets 6 cards. The other 12 cards form a face-down stock.
- There is no bidding and no musik. Each player scores all the points they take.
- The non-dealer leads to the first trick.
- After each trick, the winner draws the top card of the stock, then the other player draws.
- While the stock lasts, you don't have to follow suit. You may play any card.
- Once the stock runs out, the usual rules for following suit and trumps apply.
- Marriages work as in the game for three.
- A player with 1000 or more at the end of a deal wins. If both get there, the higher score wins. If the scores are tied, play one more deal.
Four players
- One player sits out each deal. Polish players say they sit "na musie", on the musik. In the version given here, it is the dealer. At some tables, the player to the dealer's right or opposite the dealer sits out instead.
- The three active players get 7 cards each, and 3 cards go to the musik.
- The bidding and the play are the same as with three.
- The player sitting out scores from the musik: 50 for each ace in it. If it holds the king and queen of one suit, they also score that marriage.
- A player sitting out with 800 points or more scores nothing from the musik, because they are not the declarer.
Agree on who sits out before you start.
The bomb
The bomb lets the declarer walk away from a deal without losing points. It is a house rule, so agree on it before you start.
- The declarer calls a bomb after seeing the musik, instead of announcing a contract. The deal is not played.
- The declarer's score doesn't change.
- Each opponent scores 60. With four players, it is 40.
- Usually each player has one bomb per game. Some tables allow two, and some play without bombs.
Another common form works differently. Nobody scores for the first bomb. For every later one, each opponent scores 60, or 40 with four players.
In the Russian game, the same move is called rospis. The first two are free, and every third one costs the declarer 120 points.
The barrel at 880
This variant replaces the 800 rule with a tougher endgame.
- If your score lands anywhere from 880 to 999, it is set to 880. You are now on the barrel.
- If you jump straight to 1000 or more, you win, as in the standard rules.
- On the barrel, you have three deals to win. To do it, you must become the declarer and make a contract of at least 120.
- If you fail a contract, you subtract it and come off the barrel.
- As an opponent on the barrel, you score nothing. After the third deal without a win, you lose 120 points and come off.
- Tables that play the barrel often penalize zeros too. Every third zero costs 120 points.
Some tables start the barrel at 800. Agree on the number before you start.
Frequent questions
How much is each marriage worth?
Hearts 100, diamonds 80, clubs 60 and spades 40. A marriage only scores if you declare it when you lead to a trick. Just holding the pair is not enough.
Do you have to beat the card played?
Yes. You must follow suit and play a higher card when you can. If you can't follow suit, you must play a trump, if there is a trump suit and you hold one. Only when you have neither can you play any card.
Does the declarer have to make the contract exactly?
No, they need at least the contract. But only the contract goes on the score sheet. With a contract of 120 and 150 points taken, the declarer scores 120.
What does the declarer lose for a failed contract?
The whole contract, not the winning bid. Say you won the bidding at 110 and raised the contract to 130. If you fail, you lose 130. The opponents still score their own points.
Do you need exactly 1000 to win?
No. Reaching 1000 or more wins. Just remember the 800 rule: if you start a deal with 800 or more, you only score as the declarer.
What is the barrel?
It is the endgame of the barrel variant. Your score is held at 880, and you get three deals to win (see the variant The barrel at 880). Some Polish players also use the name for the 800 rule of the standard game.
What is a bomb in Thousand?
It lets the declarer give up a deal after seeing the musik. The declarer loses nothing, and each opponent usually scores 60. It is a house rule. Agree before the game whether you use it and how many bombs each player gets.
Can you bid over 120 without a marriage?
Not in the standard rules. You can only score more than 120 with a marriage. Before the musik is turned up, you don't know if you'll get one. Some tables do allow a blind bid over 120, in the hope that the musik brings a marriage.
Can you declare a marriage on the first trick?
Yes. The declarer may declare one with the very first lead. Some tables only allow it once the player has won a trick. Agree on it before you start.
How do you round a score ending in 5?
In the standard rules, up: 25 counts as 30. Some tables round a 5 down. The declarer's points are never rounded.
Can you ask for a new deal?
Not in the standard rules. Many tables let a player with all four nines ask for a redeal. Some allow it for a very weak hand too. The request usually comes before the bidding.
What if an opponent takes no tricks?
They score zero. They can't declare a marriage either, because they never get the lead. The standard rules have no penalty for this. Some tables take 120 points off for every third zero.
Can an opponent win by reaching 1000?
In the standard rules, yes, if they started the deal under 800. Many tables cap an opponent's score at 990, so only the declarer can end the game.
Can a score go negative?
Yes. A declarer who fails a contract early in the game drops under zero. Write the score with a minus sign and play on.
Log your plays
Save the plays of every game you play. See who wins most often and what you play the most.