How to play Durak

Durak means “fool”. Get rid of all your cards. There’s no winner: the last player still holding cards is the durak.

Setup

• 36 cards, 6 up to Ace. Everyone gets 6.
• The next card is turned face up under the stock. Its suit is trump for the round, and it is the last card drawn.
• Whoever holds the lowest trump attacks first. The defender is always the player to the attacker’s left.

Attacking

• The attacker plays any card face up.
• More cards may be thrown in by the attacker or any other non-defender, but only cards whose rank is already on the table (attack or defence cards both count).
• At most 6 attack cards per bout, never more than the defender held when the bout began, and at most 5 in the very first bout.

Defending

• Cover each attack card with a higher card of the same suit, or with any trump.
• A trump can only be beaten by a higher trump.
• Can’t or won’t? Pick up everything on the table. The others may still throw in matching cards, and you take those too.

After the bout

• All beaten: the cards are discarded and the defender attacks next.
• Picked up: the defender loses their turn; the player to their left attacks.
• Everyone draws back up to 6: the attacker first, the defender last.

The end

• Once the stock is empty, a player with no cards is out and safe.
• The last player left holding cards is the durak. If the final two empty their hands together, it’s a draw.

Transfer variant

Before beating anything, the defender may add a card of the same rank and pass the whole attack to the next player, provided that player has enough cards to face it. Transfers can chain.

Controls

• Tap a glowing card to play it, or drag it onto the table. As defender, drop it on the card you want to beat.
• Beaten / Pass ends your throw-ins once everything is covered. Pick up takes every card on the table.
• With hints on, tap a dimmed card to see why it can’t be played.

Frequently asked questions