Durak
About the game and how to play
Durak is the most popular card game across the former Soviet Union. A trump suit is set, and players take turns attacking and defending. The aim is to get rid of your cards as fast as you can — whoever is still holding cards at the end is the “durak”, the fool. Play alone against bots or online with up to 6 friends.
- Players
- 1–6 players
- Category
- Board and card games
- Price
- Free, no download, no sign-up
- Where to play
- In the browser on phone, tablet and computer
Can be played with friends in an online room
How to play
- Choose a game against bots or an online room; the trump card is turned up automatically.
- The attacker plays a card; the defender beats it with a higher card of the same suit or a trump.
- If you cannot beat the attack, you pick up the cards on the table.
- The first to shed all their cards wins; the last one holding cards is the durak.
Tips
- Save your trumps for the endgame: while the deck is still thick, picking up two or three low cards is often cheaper than spending a high trump to beat them.
- Attack with a rank you hold more than one of, so you can keep throwing in cards of that rank after the defender beats the first one.
- Everyone sees the cards a defender picks up, so remember them; once the deck runs out, those cards tell you a lot about what that player can still defend with.
- In transfer games, check whether you hold a card of the attacking rank before you start beating anything, because an attack can only be passed on while no card has been beaten yet.
Frequently asked questions
How does transfer Durak (perevodnoy) work here?
If the room has Transfer turned on, the defender can pass the attack on by adding a card of the same rank, as long as no card has been beaten yet and every card on the table shares that rank. The next player then defends against all of them; a transfer that would land back on the attacker is not allowed, so it never happens in a two-player game.
How many cards can be thrown in during one attack?
Up to six, and never more than the defender held when the attack began. Every player except the defender may add cards whose rank is already on the table, even after the defender has decided to pick up.
Who attacks first, and who goes next?
The player holding the lowest trump opens the first attack. After a successful defence the defender attacks next; if the defender picks up, they lose their turn and the player after them attacks.
Can a game of Durak end in a draw?
Yes. If the last remaining players all run out of cards in the same bout after the deck is empty, nobody is left holding cards and the game ends in a draw with no durak.