Rules of the Game Tūkstantis
How many players play?
The card game Tūkstantis is played by 2, 3, or 4 players.
Tools required for the game
The card game Tūkstantis is played with a traditional deck, usually with 24 cards. The card rank order is as follows: ace (11 points), ten (10 points), king (4 points), queen (3 points), jack (2 points), nine (0 points). In total, the deck has 120 points (4×11 + 4×10 + 4×4 + 4×3 + 4×2).
The first dealer is usually decided by drawing lots. In subsequent rounds, the cards are dealt clockwise, with the player sitting to the left becoming the dealer.
Objective of the Card Game Tūkstantis
To be the first to collect the most points – 1000 points.
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Card Game Tūkstantis. How to play?
When 4 players play
The dealer thoroughly shuffles the cards and first gives them to the player sitting on the right to cut. Then the cards are dealt to all players (except the dealer) – initially, 3 cards are given, and 3 face-down cards are placed on the table (these are called the Purchase in the game).
Later, players are dealt 4 more cards, so each player receives a total of 7 cards.
If any player receives 4 nines, they reveal them on the table, and the dealer must collect all players' cards, shuffle the deck, give it to the player on the right to cut, and deal the cards again in the same way.
If a player receives 3 nines, they can organize a card lottery. The player places all 3 revealed nines on the table, and the other 2 remaining players place 1 face-down card each – either red or black. The lottery organizer chooses one of their nines, and then the first point calculation begins:
If none of the players guess the color of the lottery organizer's chosen card, the organizer receives the first 100 points.
If one player guesses the color and the other does not, the guesser receives 100 points.
If both players guess the color, they each share 50 points.
Each round has “Betting” and “Playing” phases.
Betting Phase
After dealing the cards and/or organizing the lottery, the game begins. The player sitting to the left of the dealer is the first to announce their bet, which is usually 100 points, so the player must loudly shout “One hundred!”.
Then the remaining players, in turn, must increase the bet, adding 10 points each time, e.g., 110 or 120.
The bet is increased, and players compete until 2 players in a row say they pass and shout “Pass!”. Moreover, once a player passes, they do not participate in the further rounds of this game. Then the dealer reveals all 3 cards placed on the table at the beginning of the game and gives them to the winner.
In the betting phase, the number of points desired to be collected at the end of the game is determined. In this case, it is worth remembering that the maximum possible is 120 points, so it would seem that you can only bet up to 120, but the game Tūkstantis has special “tips” that make playing much more interesting.
It is important to have not only the highest value cards (ace and ten) but also card “pairs” – a king and queen of the same suit.
Each pair of card suits also has a different value in points:
Spades king and queen – 40 points
Clubs king and queen – 60 points
Diamonds king and queen – 80 points
Hearts king and queen – 100 points
It is important to mention that you can change your bet if, with those 3 cards, for example, you get a pair of the same color – black or red – as it increases the value of the purchase.
In this case, you can increase your bet to more than 120 points, for example, if you have a spades king and queen, your bet can be up to 160 points, if you have a hearts king or queen – 220 points.
Another important highlight
Having a pair only allows you to add an additional point sum because, during the “Playing” phase, you might not actually score points. If a player sees that they will not collect the required number of points to win the competition, they can refuse to play once during the entire game.
Then both of their opponents are awarded 60 points each. Why increase the bet? The answer is simple – this way, you get closer to winning.
After the betting phase, the player who announced the highest number of points they plan to collect has the right to take the 3 face-down cards on the table.
At that time, the player has 10 cards in their hand but must distribute 1 card to each of their opponents.
Interestingly, the player does not have to give away exactly those 3 cards from the table – they can freely choose and give away cards they already had.
The game Tūkstantis then continues with 8 cards for each player. There are also slightly different variations of the game – the winner of the purchase may not distribute the cards but keep them, placing 3 unnecessary face-down cards on the table and later placing the cards of the tricks taken on them.
In this case, players continue “Thousand” with 7 cards.
The purchase can also be won in a special way, which would bring you even more points. A risk-loving player can compete and place bets without even looking at their cards. This betting stage can be called “blind” or “dark”.
If other game opponents state a number of points that the latter no longer wants to exceed, then he can look at his cards and then has 2 options – to play and compete further in the usual way or to pass.
By purchasing in this way:
Both winning and losing are valued double;
If you refuse to play (pass), opponents receive 120 points each;
The dealer looks at the purchase cards without showing them to others and gives them face down to the buyer.
Moreover, essentially the card dealer does not participate in the game, he “sits” and for dealing he earns the number of points of the purchase cards.
Game Stage
After the betting stage ends, the game with tricks begins. The first card is played by the player who wins the purchase. Each player's cards are played one by one in a clockwise direction.
The player who starts a new round of tricks is essentially the one who sets the main suit and type of cards for the opponents.
Also, when playing with cards of the same suit, you must play a higher card than your opponent if you want to win the trick. If it happens that you no longer have cards of that suit – you can play a card of the opposite suit (also of any value).
It's important to think logically – if you don't have the same suit card or a trump, which is determined by playing pairs (a played queen determines the trump of that trick) or your opponents don't have them either, it's always best to discard nines, which are essentially worthless cards.
Simple Example:
Player A: king, jack, nine (hearts)
Player B: queen and ten (hearts)
Player C: ace (hearts)
Player A starts the move and plays the king of hearts (4 points).
Player B in this case must play a higher value card of the same suit – the ten (10 points). Logically, the player should not play the queen, as it is of lower value (3 points) than the king, unless player A had played the jack (2 points) or the nine (0 points).
Player C in this case has the highest value card – the ace (11 points). He plays it on the table, wins the trick, and starts a new round.
Another important moment in the game is that you can score points by having the already mentioned pairs of king and queen.
Moreover, the action with pairs (trick with the queen in hand also having the king) is important when you want to maintain a certain color and type of further play, for example, you play the queen and the next card will be black clubs – in this way you determine the trump of the trick.
The next move must be made with the king of clubs and other club trumps.
Several Possible Trick Outcomes with a Trump:
Opponents also play the king of clubs and the ace of clubs, but you do not win the trick. It is won by the player who played the ace, as it is the highest trump card.
If players, for example, had played the king of hearts and the ace of hearts, you would still win the trick, even though you have a lower value card – the queen, but at the same time the most powerful at the current moment of the game – the trump.
Another interesting game when playing with pairs is that the final color and type of cards – the trump – is determined by the one who last played a card on the table.
For example, you have a pair of hearts, your opponent – a pair of spades. Your opponent first played the queen of spades, thus setting the game trump, but you play the queen of hearts and immediately change the trump to your advantage! That's why this game is so dynamic and interesting.
When all moves and tricks are completed (a total of 7 or 8), it's time to count the points! If you are the leading player and want to become the winner, you must confirm that you collected the initially bet number of points, e.g., 160 points, also having a pair of clubs increases the chances of winning and collecting 103 points in tricks. If you collected such numbers – congratulations, because you won this round!
Determining the Winner and Counting Points
As mentioned, the leading player must confirm that they collected the initially bet number of points. If they do not collect – from the total sum of points collected from previous games, the number of points collected in this round must be subtracted.
Other players count their points and if the sum ends with digits 0-5, the final sum is rounded down, if 6-9 the sum is rounded up.
For example, if you collected 53 points, it is rounded to 50, and if you collected 56 points, the sum is rounded to 60 points.
Thus, the game is won by the first player to collect 1000 points.
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Special Rules for the Card Game Thousand
If you want the game to become even more dynamic, more complex, and more fun to think about, you can use these tricks in the game:
“The Left 100”
This situation occurs in the betting phase. One of the rules is that the player to the left of the dealer must start the bet by saying “One hundred!”. Sometimes it happens that both following players pass and must play with the bet amount, even if they don't want to.
In such a case, it is usually agreed that the player takes the 3 cards placed on the table at the beginning and does not show them to the opponents, using them for their own purposes.
“Bomb”
This situation also occurs when placing bets. The winner of the bets takes the 3 cards placed on the table, looks at them, and may say something to express their dissatisfaction, for example: “Oops! I expected completely different cards.”
If you see that you will not collect the required number of points-eyes as you said at the beginning (and it is likely that you will lose the game), you can throw a real “bomb,” which means the round does not take place, and your opponents immediately receive an additional 60 points each (a total of 120 points divided by 2) to their total score.
Instead of subtracting the sum of collected points from your total score, you draw a big dot – a “bomb” – on the score sheet. It is agreed that each player can perform such “bombs” 3 times in each game.
Of course, you cannot abuse this trick! Although it will help you not to lose immediately, it will not save you from failure if you do not think logically and strategically.
“800 and Stuck”
By choosing this trick, players who collect 800 or more points cannot use other tricks in the game, except when the player wins the betting game and the 3 cards from the table.
If the latter loses the game and their total score decreases, they can use all tricks again – both “Bomb” and “Left 100,” and the remaining ones. This trick allows you to “stay” in the game a little longer.
“17 or Less? No, Thanks!”
After dealing the cards and it turns out that the total of 7 cards is 17 eyes or less, you have the right to show your cards to the opponents and ask for the cards to be dealt again.
The same situation occurs when you receive 4 nines. You must perform this action before the bets – if you are late, unfortunately, the train does not wait for the sleepers.
If this happens even 2 times in a row, the card dealer immediately loses 100 of their points and passes the dealing to the player sitting on the left.
Card Game Thousand for Two
“Thousand” can also be played by two, just with fewer cards. Usually, each player is dealt 6 cards, and the others are set aside. Every other game is started by a different player. The first player to start the game by agreement must collect 100 or 120 points.
If the required number of points is not collected, a minus is recorded for them (just like when playing with four and points are subtracted after winning a 3-card purchase).
In the next game, another player must collect a certain number of eyes. Moreover, if such rules are not satisfactory, it is possible to play without point subtraction, as the game can last very long.
After a trick is made, players take one card each from the deck and continue collecting cards until the deck is gone and the cards are played.
Another variant of the game for two is possible. Both players share 8 cards each and make 2 card banks of 4 cards each.
Again, bets are placed, and the winner takes one of the banks and gives the opponent 2 unnecessary cards. The other bank remains untouched until the end of the game.
