How to Play Durak

Durak ("fool") is Russia's most played card game. There's no winner, only a loser: the player stuck with cards at the end.

The deck

A 36-card deck, 6 up to ace in each suit, ace high. Each player gets six cards. The bottom card of the deck is turned face up: its suit is trump for the game, and it's drawn last.

The player holding the lowest trump attacks first.

A bout

1. The attacker plays one card.
2. The defender must beat it: a higher card of the same suit, or any trump (a trump only by a higher trump). Or the defender takes.
3. While every attack has been beaten, the attacker may throw in more cards, one at a time, whose rank is already on the table (attack or defence cards). The defender beats each in turn.
4. Limits: at most six attacks in a bout, and never more open attacks than the defender has cards.
5. The attacker ends the bout (Done). If everything was beaten, the table is discarded and the defender attacks next.

Taking

If the defender takes, the attacker may still throw in cards of ranks on the table; then the defender picks up everything on the table, and the same attacker attacks again.

Drawing

After each bout, both players draw back up to six, the attacker first. The trump card is the last card drawn.

The end

When the deck is gone and a player runs out of cards, the other player is the durak. Both out at once is a draw.

Playing on kawu

• Two players: you against the computer. Cards you can play now are bright; the rest are dimmed.
• Hint suggests an attack, a defence, a take or when to end the bout.

Next, read the Durak strategy guide. For another game with trumps, try Euchre.

Last updated 2026-10-20