The monograph is dedicated to the phenomenon of the card game in Russian history and culture. The process of the distribution of the card game in Russian society is analyzed, the peculiarities of the organization of the game space and time in the lifestyle of various classes are revealed, measures of state regulation of card production and trade are considered, changes in the definition of the card game as an illegal act in the norms of state legislation are traced, the rules of the most popular in Russia in the XVIII-XIX centuries, card games.