Russian card games: Durak, Thousand and more
Four games that fill a Russian card table: Durak, Thousand, Kozel and Preferans. How they differ, how many cards each one needs, and which of them you can play on our site.
Russian card games usually mean Durak, Thousand, Kozel and Preferans. They share a small deck, from 24 to 36 cards, a trump suit and plenty of counting. Tricks matter in Thousand, Kozel and Preferans, while Durak is built on attack and defence. What changes is the number of players and what you count: cards in hand, points and marriages, or contracts and whists.
Start with Durak. The rules take five minutes, the deck is a normal one, and our table works for two, three or four players. Thousand is the next step, while Kozel and Preferans need a group and an agreement on the house rules.
Durak: the game everyone starts with
Durak uses a 36-card deck, from six to ace. Each player gets six cards, and the next card goes under the deck to set the trump suit. The attacker plays a card, and the defender beats it with a higher card of the same suit or with a trump. If the defender beats everything, the table is cleared. If the defender cannot beat a card or does not want to, they say "beru" and pick up everything on the table. The first player to get rid of all cards wins, and the last one left with cards is the durak, the fool.
In the throw-in version, podkidnoy, other players can add cards of the ranks already on the table. In the passing version, perevodnoy, the defender gets a third option: instead of beating a card, they add a card of the same rank and pass the attack to the next player. You can pass only before you have beaten anything, and you cannot pass more cards than the next player holds. The full rules are in our Durak rules guide, and the passing variant has its own guide.
Durak is played by two to six people. Our own game has no team mode, though two against two is a common house rule.
In Durak: The Journey, the classic game against the computer is free, with three opponents to choose from. A hint button explains why a move is good. One-on-one passing Durak is free too, with its own button in the menu. A rules set for 99 rubles opens the table for three and four players, three-player passing Durak and a mode where only the attacker may throw in cards. Everything that was free stays free.
Thousand: bidding and marriages
Thousand is a game for exactly three players. The deck has 24 cards, from nine to ace, each player gets seven, and three cards go face down to the talon. The ranking is unusual: the nine is the lowest card, then jack, queen, king, ten and ace. The ten beats the king.
A hand begins with bidding. Players say how many points they promise to take, starting at 100 and raising by five. The winner turns over the talon, gives each opponent one card and names the contract. Then comes the play, and points come from cards in tricks and from marriages, a king and queen of the same suit. A marriage is declared on your turn and sets the trump suit: hearts are worth 100 points, diamonds 80, clubs 60 and spades 40.
The race is to 1000 points. At 880 a player lands on the barrel and can leave it only by making their contract, with three attempts. Three passes in a row give a bolt, which wipes the points for the hand. The whole deck is worth exactly 120 points, so without a marriage in hand there is no point in bidding above 120. Our Thousand rules guide has the full scoring.
Thousand: The Journey seats exactly three players. The rules live on a separate screen, and the interface explains what is expected of you.
Kozel: the folk trick-taking game
Kozel is a folk trick-taking game with no single set of rules. It uses a 36-card deck and is usually played by four people in two partnerships, though tables for two or three exist. The goal is to take more than half the points in tricks. The losing side collects penalty points, and the game runs to an agreed score.
The variations are wide. Some tables turn a card for trump, others let the dealer choose, some play without trumps. Scoring and penalties differ from company to company. Agree on the details first, then deal: there is no "standard" Kozel to sit down to.
We do not have a Kozel game on our site. We describe it only to complete the picture.
Preferans: contracts and whists
Preferans is the most complex of the four. It uses a 32-card deck, from seven to ace, and is played by three people. Each player gets ten cards and two go to the talon. The players bid for the right to take the talon and choose a contract, then play the hand with tricks and whists, and the result goes into a pool.
Knowing the rank of the cards is not enough. You have to judge how many tricks your hand can take, decide when to whist and when to pass, and understand how the pool is scored. A newcomer loses first on tactics and then on arithmetic. Learn it from an experienced player or a detailed guide, not from a single page.
We do not have a Preferans game either. Like Kozel, it stays here for anyone choosing a group game.
What they have in common
| Game | Deck | Players | What you count | Difficulty | On our site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durak | 36 cards | 2-6, 2-4 here | cards in hand | low | yes |
| Thousand | 24 cards | 3 | points and marriages | medium | yes |
| Kozel | 36 cards | 2-4 | tricks | medium | no |
| Preferans | 32 cards | 3 | contracts and whists | high | no |
All four need no board or pieces: a deck, a table and a group are enough. The goal is what separates them. Durak is a shedding game, so tricks are not counted and the point is to leave the hand first. Thousand is a points game, with the talon and marriages adding arithmetic. Kozel is simple trick-taking with card points and penalties. Preferans is a contract game: you promise a number of tricks and answer for the promise.
Where to play
Two of the four games run in a browser on our site: Durak: The Journey and Thousand: The Journey. Both open on a phone and on a computer, nothing to install. The menu also has play with real people.
If you are choosing a game for an evening, start with Durak. When the rules feel natural, move to Thousand: it asks you to count, but the hands are tighter. We do not have Kozel or Preferans, and we will not pretend otherwise.
More options for a group and for two players are collected in our card games collection and in the article Card games for friends.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards are in Durak?
A 36-card deck, from six to ace. Each player gets six cards, and one more card sits under the deck to show the trump suit.
What is the difference between podkidnoy and perevodnoy Durak?
In podkidnoy the defender beats a card or picks it up. In perevodnoy they can add a card of the same rank and pass the attack on, but only before beating anything.
How many people play Thousand?
Exactly three. The deck has 24 cards, each player gets seven, and three cards go to the talon.
Can I play Kozel or Preferans on your site?
No. Our browser games are Durak and Thousand only. We describe Kozel and Preferans, but we do not offer them as our games.
What do the in-game purchases include?
Every purchase is optional and one-time. A rules set for 99 rubles opens extra tables and modes, and table rules for 149 rubles add more. A full chest for 399 rubles bundles everything, and "Everything in both games" for 649 rubles unlocks the same items in Durak and Thousand. There are no subscriptions and no automatic charges.
Which game should a beginner start with?
Durak. It forgives mistakes, a hand is short, and the rules stick after one evening. Try Thousand after that.
