Description

Durak is a Russian card game that is popular in post-Soviet states. The object of the game is to get rid of all one's cards. At the end of the game, the last player with cards in their hand is the durak.

1. The game is typically played with two to four people, using a deck of 36 cards, standard 52-card deck from which the cards 2 through 5 have been removed.
2. At the beginning of the game each player receives six cards. The bottom card of the remaining deck is laid open on the table. This determines the trump suit.
3. Six is the lowest rank and Ace is the highest. Trump card can beat non-trump.
4. The player with the lowest trump is the first attacker. The player to the attacker's left is the defender.
5. The attacker who opens the turn by playing one card face up on the table is a principal attacker. The principal attacker always has priority when pitch cards in. The attacker or any third party in line can pitch in extra attacking cards as long as they are the same rank as one of the card on the table. If the defender has beaten all attacking cards, and no other players are willing or able to add more, the turn ends, all cards on the table are discarded from play to a discard pile, and the successful defender opens the next turn as the new attacker.
6. The defender has to attempt to beat the attacking cards by playing defending cards from his hand or pick up the attacking cards if he is unwilling or unable to beat them. If the defender decided to pick up the cards, this immediately ends the turn. The player to the defender's left attacks next.
7. At the end of each turn, each player, starting from the main attacker and culminating with the defender, with fewer than six cards in their hand must draw cards from the deck until they have six cards in their hand.
8. The total number of cards played by the attackers during a turn must never exceed six. If the defender has beaten all of them, then the defense is successful.
9. The object of the game is to get rid of all one's cards. The first player who will do this is a winner, and the last player with cards in their hand is the durak.