Games around the world
Durak
Durak is the most popular card game in Russia and much of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The name means "fool": there is no winner, only a loser, the last player left holding cards. Students from the region often teach it to friends abroad, which is how many people outside the former Soviet Union first meet it.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Players | Two to six, best with three or four |
| Deck | 36 cards, sixes to aces |
| Trumps | The suit of the card turned up under the stock |
| Aim | Get rid of all your cards; the last player holding cards is the durak |
| Length of a game | Ten to twenty minutes |
How a round works
Each player is dealt six cards. The attacker plays a card, and the defender must beat it with a higher card of the same suit or with any trump. The attacker, and in most versions the other players, can then add cards of a rank already on the table. If the defender beats every card, the bout ends and the cards are discarded. If not, the defender picks them all up. Everyone draws back to six from the stock, and play moves on.
The main versions
In throw-in Durak (podkidnoy), other players add cards to the attack. In transfer Durak (perevodnoy), a defender who holds a card of the same rank as the attacking card can lay it down and pass the whole attack to the next player. Families and regions also have house rules about how many cards may be thrown in and whether a player can throw in after the defender has given up. A free online version of Durak lets beginners try both versions against computer players.
Learning it abroad
Most groups learn from one person who grew up with the game, so ask which version they play before the first deal. Writing the house rules down saves arguments later.