- Objective |
- Setup |
- How to Play |
- Strategy |
- Variations |
- History |
- Video |
- Tips
Durak is one of Russia’s most popular card games, and it’s so easy for people of all ages to learn. During the game, you’re trying to get rid of all your cards so you don’t become the Durak, or the “fool,” with cards left in your hand. While Durak is pretty luck-based, there’s still a bit of skill you can master to win your next game. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through the rules for setting up and playing a game , along with some variations to try out once you master the game.
Durak Card Game: Quick Overview
During a round of Durak, the attacker plays cards from their hand. The defender plays higher value cards to block incoming attacks. Cards are discarded if the defender wins, or they take all the played cards into their hand before the next round. Whoever is the last player with cards in their hand loses and becomes the Durak!
Steps
Durak Game Setup
-
1Remove 2s-5s from a deck of cards. Durak uses a standard deck of playing cards with some of the lower values removed. Take out the jokers along with all of the 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s, so you have 36 cards left for the deck. [2] X Research source
- If you want to play a longer game of Durak, you can use the full deck of cards. Just remember to remove the jokers first.
- In Durak, Aces are the highest value in the deck and 6s are the lowest value.
-
2Shuffle and deal 6 cards to each player. Choose a random person to be the first dealer. Shuffle the deck thoroughly, and then deal out the cards one at a time to each player until everyone has 6 cards in their hand. Set any leftover cards face-down in the middle of the table. [3] X Research source
- Durak works best as a 4-player game, but you can play with anywhere between 2 to 6 people.
- Players can look at their own hands, but keep them secret from everyone else.
- The deck is traditionally called the “Talon.”
-
3Place the top card face-up under the deck to reveal the trump suit. Take the top card of the deck and flip it face-up for everyone to see. Turn the card perpendicular to the deck and place it underneath the stack so the suit is still visible. This suit is the trump suit , or the strongest suit for your game. After that, you’re ready to start playing! [4] X Research source
- If you’re playing with 6 people and there are no cards in the Talon, then the dealer places their last card face-up in front of them to determine the trump suit. Once everyone has seen it, the dealer puts the card back in their hand.
How to Play Durak
-
1The first attacker plays any card to start the attack. Whoever has the lowest card in the trump suit gets to be the first attacker and the person to their left becomes the first defender . The attacking player can choose any card from their hand and play it face-up in front of the defender as the opening attack of the bout. [5] X Research source
- While you can choose any card, lower-valued cards are better for the first attack. Check out our section on winning strategies to learn why.
-
2The defender can block with a higher card of the same suit or a trump card. The defender now has a chance to block the attack. However, attacks can only be blocked by a higher-valued card of the matching suit or by any trump card. If the defender has a legal card to play, they may play it face-up on top of the attack card to block it. [6] X Research source
- Example : If the trump suit is hearts and the attacker played a 7 of spades, the defender could play an 8 of spades or higher, or any card in the trump suit to block the attack.
- Trump cards are stronger than any other suits in the game, so they work for defending even if the card has a higher printed value.
- If the attack card is in the trump suit, then the defender has to block with a higher-valued trump card.
-
3Attackers may play more matching cards to continue their attack. The first attacker gets the opportunity to attack with another card from their hand, but only if it matches the value of any other card played in the bout. If the first attacker can’t or decides not to attack, the player to the left of the defender gets a chance to attack as well. [7] X Research source
- In a 4-player game, if the second attacker also cannot attack, the remaining player becomes the third attacker and can play a card from their hand.
-
4End the attack when the defender runs out of cards or is unable to block. After each attack, the defender has a chance to block the attack with a card from their hand. If the defender uses all of the cards in their hand to block or if they’re unable to block an incoming attack, then the bout immediately ends. [8] X Research source
- There can only be a maximum of 6 attacks during a bout. After the 6th attack and the defender’s response, the bout ends.
- Even if the defender has a card they can use to block, they don’t have to play it. Saving stronger cards can be advantageous during a future turn.
-
5The defender discards or adds the played cards to their hand. If the defender was able to block all of the incoming attacks, discard all of the cards from the bout and remove them from the game. However, if the defender is unable to block even a single attack, they take every card played during the bout and add it to their hand. [9] X Research source
-
6Refill your hands back to 6 cards. Starting with the first attacker, players draw cards from the Talon until they have 6 cards in their hand again. After the first attacker, anyone else who joined the attack draws their cards. Lastly, the defender draws their cards. [10] X Research source
- If a player already has more than 6 cards in their hand, they don’t draw anything from the Talon.
- Once the deck is empty, the person who draws next takes the revealed trump card into their hand. After that, no one else can draw cards at the end of a bout.
-
7Continue the game with a new attacker and defender. If the defender wins the bout by blocking all attacks, they become the new attacker. If they lose, the person to the left of them becomes the attacker instead. The new defender is whoever is the next person to the left of the attacker. Play another bout as normal. [11] X Research source
- When the defender loses a bout, they also lose the opportunity to attack during the next bout.
-
8Continue playing bouts until 1 person has cards left in their hand. Keep taking turns attacking and defending. After the deck runs out of cards and you aren’t able to draw, players keep playing bouts until they get rid of all the cards in their hands. When only player has cards left in their hand, they become the Durak and lose the game! [12] X Research source
- Near the end of the game, the number of cards in the defender’s hand determines how many times they can be attacked. If they only have 2 cards, they can only be attacked twice.
Expert Q&A
Video
Tips
- Make sure everyone knows which version of the Durak rules you’re playing with so no one gets confused during the game.Thanks
References
- ↑ https://playjoy.com/en/durak/rules/
- ↑ https://www.coololdgames.com/card-games/shedding/durak/
- ↑ https://playjoy.com/en/durak/rules/
- ↑ https://www.catsatcards.com/Games/Durak.htm
- ↑ https://www.pagat.com/beating/podkidnoy_durak.html
- ↑ https://www.pagat.com/beating/podkidnoy_durak.html
- ↑ https://www.pagat.com/beating/podkidnoy_durak.html
- ↑ https://www.catsatcards.com/Games/Durak.htm
- ↑ https://playjoy.com/en/durak/rules/
- ↑ https://www.catsatcards.com/Games/Durak.htm
- ↑ https://www.pagat.com/beating/podkidnoy_durak.html
- ↑ https://www.pagat.com/beating/durak.html
- ↑ https://www.coololdgames.com/card-games/shedding/durak/
- ↑ https://www.pagat.com/beating/perevodnoy_durak.html
- ↑ https://www.pagat.com/beating/podkidnoy_durak.html
- ↑ https://www.coololdgames.com/card-games/shedding/durak/
- ↑ https://www.rbth.com/lifestyle/333885-durak-card-game-russia