What Is Durak?
Durak means Fool in Russian, and it is the most popular card game in Russia and across post-Soviet countries. Unlike most card games, you are not trying to WIN — you are trying to avoid being the last player still holding cards. Players take turns attacking and defending. Fail to defend and you pick up the entire pile of cards. Successfully defend and you become the next attacker. The game continues until only one player is left with cards — that player is the Durak, the Fool.
What You Need
- A 36-card deck — take a standard 52-card deck and remove all 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s. Keep 6 through Ace in all four suits.
- Two to six players
Setting Up the Game
- Shuffle all 36 cards.
- Deal six cards to each player face-down. Players look at their own cards.
- Place the remaining cards face-down in the center as the stock pile.
- Flip the very bottom card of the stock pile face-up so everyone can see it, then slide it partially under the stock pile so it remains visible. The suit of this card is the trump suit for the entire game. Trump cards beat every non-trump card.
- The player holding the lowest trump card goes first as the attacker. If no one has trump, the player to the left of the dealer attacks first.
How to Play — Attacking and Defending
The game consists of a series of attacks. One player attacks, the player to their left defends.
Attacking
The attacker places one card face-up in front of the defender. This is the attacking card that must be beaten. The attacker may also add more attacking cards during the same attack, but only if their rank matches a card already on the table — either an attacking card or a defending card.
Defending
The defender must beat each attacking card by playing a card on top of it. To beat an attacking card, the defender must play either:
- A higher card of the same suit (a 10 of Clubs beats a 7 of Clubs), OR
- Any trump card (any trump beats any non-trump card regardless of rank)
If trump was the attacking card, the defender must play a higher trump to beat it.
Limits on the Attack
The attacker cannot play more attacking cards than the defender has cards in hand. The maximum attack is six cards total.
Successful Defense
If the defender beats every attacking card, all played cards are removed from the game — discarded face-up in a separate pile, out of play for the rest of the game. The defender becomes the next attacker, and play moves clockwise.
Failed Defense
If the defender cannot or chooses not to beat all attacking cards, they pick up EVERY card on the table — both attacking and defending cards — and add them all to their hand. They do not attack next round. The player to their left becomes the new attacker.
Drawing Cards
After each attack (win or lose), players draw cards from the stock to refill to six cards. The attacker draws first, then other players clockwise, then the defender. Once the stock is empty, no more drawing.
Leaving the Game
Once the stock is empty, any player who plays their last card is done — they leave the game safely. The game continues among remaining players until only one player holds cards.
Winning and Losing
There is no winner — there is only the Durak. The last player holding cards loses and is the Fool.
Tips for New Players
- Preserve your trump cards — they are your only way to beat high non-trump cards. Using trump on low attacking cards is wasteful.
- When attacking, start with your lowest cards — force the defender to use their good cards on easy attacks.
- If you cannot beat an attacking card, it is sometimes better to take the pile early rather than let the attacker add more cards to the attack.