Russian playing cards some famous Russian writers, particularly Alexandre Pushkin who wrote "The Queen of Spades". Because the 6 is the lowest card of the Russian deck, Russian slang uses the derogatory word "shestyorka" meaning "underling, lackey". Russian playing cards Russian playing cards are cards that used predominantly in Russia and in the former Soviet Union. Unlike the internationally known standard French 52-card deck, most Russian card games employ either the 36 card (games such as Durak) or the 32 card (particularly Preferans) decks. Playing cards were first introduced into Russia at the beginning of the 17th century from Western and Central Europe
Unter (playing card) card was a marshal (cavalry commander) who held his suit sign hanging down. It is likely that the horses were dropped to simplify production in the late 14th or early 15th centuries. In the Spanish deck, jacks are known as "sota" which also means "under", a vestigial remnant of their common origin. The most common motifs used to depict the Unter are simple knights or even farmers. Decks of four "Unters" are used in card games such as Skat, Mau Mau, Bavarian Tarock and Schafkopf, while decks used in games such as Gaigel and Doppelkopf use eight "Unters". In Skat