Durak Online — the Russian Card Game
The most popular card game in Russia and Eastern Europe: attack, beat off the attacks with higher cards and trumps, and whatever you do, don’t end up as the durak – the fool.
Pick how many computer opponents you want and don’t be the last one holding cards!
How to play Durak
Durak uses a 36-card deck, from 6 up to Ace. Everyone gets 6 cards and the next card is turned face up under the deck: its suit is trump for the whole game. The player with the lowest trump attacks first.
The attacker plays a card and the defender has to beat it with a higher card of the same suit or with any trump (a trump can only be beaten by a higher trump). After each card is beaten, the attacker – and the other players – can throw in more cards of any rank already on the table, up to 6 attacking cards. If the defender beats everything, the cards are discarded and the defender attacks next.
If you can’t or don’t want to beat a card, tap Take: you pick up every card on the table and lose your turn to attack. After each attack everyone draws back up to 6 cards. Once the deck runs out, players who get rid of their cards are safe, and the last one left holding cards is the durak.
Frequently asked questions
What does durak mean?
Durak is Russian for “fool”. The game has no winner, only a loser: the last player holding cards is the durak of that round.
Which version of Durak is this?
It’s the classic “throw-in” version (podkidnoy durak), where every attacker can add cards matching the ranks on the table. In the transfer version (perevodnoy durak), the defender can also pass the attack on to the next player by adding a card of the same rank.
When should I take the cards instead of beating them?
Early in the game, while the deck is still big, it’s often better to take a couple of low cards than to waste a high trump. Near the end, trumps decide everything, so keep them for the final attacks.