Durak strategy: how to win

Durak is easy to learn, but good players lose far less often. These are the habits that make the difference, from the first deal to the last card.

Think in terms of not losing

Nobody wins Durak; the aim is not to be the last one holding cards. That changes how you play: getting rid of cards matters more than taking tricks, and a safe, boring defence is often better than a clever one. Count how many cards each player has and who is closest to going out.

Value your trumps

Trumps are your insurance. Every trump you spend on a small attack is one you won’t have when the deck is empty and the attacks get heavy. Beat with ordinary cards whenever you can, and keep at least one high trump for the endgame.

Low trumps are still trumps, though. A six of trumps can beat any ace of another suit, so use your lowest trumps first when you have to trump at all.

Attacking well

• Lead low. Open with your lowest ordinary cards while the deck is full. You’ll draw replacements, and you keep your strong cards for later.
• Lead pairs. If you hold two cards of the same rank, attack with one of them: when it’s beaten, you can throw in the other.
• Aim at the weak. Attack a player who is low on cards or out of trumps; they may be forced to pick up.
• Don’t feed the next attacker. The defender attacks next if they beat everything. Avoid throwing in cards that leave them strong for their own attack on you.

Defending well

• Beat with the cheapest card. Use the lowest card that does the job, and save trumps unless there is no other way.
• Know when to take. If beating an attack would cost several high cards or trumps, picking up a few low cards can be the better deal, especially early in the round.
• Watch the throw-ins. Count which ranks are on the table: if the attackers likely hold more of them, a long bout may be coming.

Remember the cards

With 36 cards, you can track a lot. Remember which aces, kings and trumps are in the discard pile, and which cards opponents picked up. The face-up trump at the bottom of the deck goes to whoever draws last, so you know exactly where it is.

The endgame

Once the deck is empty, nobody draws any more and every card counts. Plan your last few moves: keep a card the next player can’t beat, try to go out on an attack, and avoid ending up as the defender with a hand full of low cards.

Transfer Durak tips

In Perevodnoy Durak the defender can pass the attack on with a card of the same rank. Holding pairs is even stronger here, and the player on your left becomes dangerous: an attack you start can come straight back round to you with more cards on the table.

Common mistakes

• Spending trumps early. The most common mistake: beating a seven with a trump on the first bout.
• Never picking up. Refusing to take at any cost can drain your hand of strong cards.
• Forgetting who is next. Every attack also decides who attacks after it; think one bout ahead.