The defense is abandoned when the defender is unable or unwilling to defeat one of the cards they were attacked with. This continues until the defense is abandoned or defender successfully fends off all attacks, as described below. The defender must then defend against this card. Any other player, including the initial attacker, may now contribute to the attack by playing another card of the same rank as any of the cards face-up on the table. This card is played atop the attacking card in question. The defender then attempts to defeat this card by playing a higher card of the same suit (aces are high), or any trump card, irrespective of rank. The attacker begins by playing any card that they wish face-up. The player holding the lowest trump in play serves as the first attacker, and the player to their left becomes the first defender. Despite the fact that it is exposed, the turned-up card is the last card of the stock and will be the final card to be drawn. Place the remainder of the deck on top of this card at a ninety-degree angle, forming the stock. Turn up the first card of the deck stub the suit of this card becomes the trump suit. Shuffle and deal six cards to each player. Starting from a deck of Denexa 100% Plastic Playing Cards, remove all of the 2s through 5s, leaving only aces through 6s in all four suits. The object of Durak is to avoid being the last one with cards left in their hand, who is labeled the durak ( дура́к, meaning fool or idiot).ĭurak is played with a diminished deck of only 36 cards. The individual-play version is described here. Several sources call it Russia’s most popular card game, and John McLeod even asserts “It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that every Russian who plays cards knows this game.” 1 Many variants exist, including partnership versions and versions for six or more players. Durak is a Russian game for two to five players that is popular in the countries that once made up the USSR.

Durak games