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Durak Game

Durak game is a shedding card game which is a very popular activity throughout the post-Soviet states. The principal aim of this games is similar to many other shedding type games - is to discard all the cards form the player hand. The player who is the last one to get rid of the cards is nicknamed a fool (durak) and loses the game.

Game Principles

• The game is performed with 36-card deck (2's-5's are removed);
• 2-6 players perform the game;
• 6 cards are distributed to each player hand;
• The top card after all the player hands are dealt is made visible and placed face up underneath the deck at a 90 degree angle so the players could see the suit which is the trump one;
• The player who possesses the lowest trump in his/her own hand acts first;
• If the player receives a hand with 6 black/red cards or 5 cards with the same suit - the round is banned and the deck is re-shuffled;
• Aces are high and the trump cards always beat the non-trump cards no matter the rank is.

Gameplay

The player who starts the round is considered to be the attacker. Thus the player who is next to the left is a defender. The attacker starts the game process with one card/combination of cards with the same ranks placed face up in the center of the playing table.

The defender must beat the attacking card(s) with his higher rank card(s) or via trumps. Thus the attacker non-trump cards can be defeated by defender with the help of:

• A higher card which has the same suit;
• A trump.

Plus the attacker trumps can be defeated only with higher rank trumps accordingly.

By-turn the attacker + other players may proceed to attack the defender with extra cards of the same rank as the attacking or defensive cards already been placed at the table (but the total of attacking cards must not go beyond 6).

E.g. the defender beat 7 with his Jack. Thus all the players may add extra attacking card - any 7 or/and Jack they have in possession.

If the defender can't beat the attacking cards or just unwilling to do this - then he must take in all the cards present on the table and incorporate them with own hand cards. Thus the defense is lost and the defender loses his attack turn. The next player after the loser enters the round as a new attacker.

In the case of defender beats all the attacking cards - the win of defense is announced and the defender becomes the next attacker. The cards which were brought into the game during the previous attack-defense procedure - resign the game and placed to a discard pile.

At the end of the each round the players must complement their hands up to 6 (if they possess lesser after their turns) with the cards placed in the central pile. If the central pile is over, then the players just finish the playing with hands they possess.

The player who discards his hand last of all - loses the game. Next round he/she shuffles and delivers the cards + he/she is the first to defend.

There are no winners in Durak game.