Durak

Overview and Rules

DURAK (THE FOOL) A game for 3-6 players. There are no winners, but there is a loser. The game involves some luck but mostly strategy. A 36 card pack is used, the cards in each suit ranking from 2 to 10. At the start, each player is dealt six cards, which are played in a series of bouts of attack and defence. When a player's hand is reduced to fewer than six cards it is replenished from the "Talon" of undealt cards (see below). After the Talon is exhausted, there is no more replenishment and the aim is to get rid of all the cards from your hand. The last player left holding cards is the loser (Durak). As the chore of shuffling and dealing is considered menial, the newly crowned Durak gathers the cards and deals the next game.

When starting the game, the cards are shuffled and dealt out in sucession until each player has 6 cards. Except for the first game of the evening, the loser of the previous game is the dealer. Unlike traditional card games, the cards are not cut. If you are offered to cut the cards the traditional response is Shapku s duraka ne snimayut ("One should not take the hat away from a fool"). Another popular response is Nye snimayu shapkee Doo-rah-kam ("I do not tip my hat to fools"). The next card, which determines the trump suit, is placed face up under the stack of the undealt cards which are called the "Talon". The play consists of a series of bouts. During each bout, most of the players are Attackers while one of the the others is a Defender. The first Attacker is determined by who has the 2 of clubs (the lowest ranking card). If nobody has the 2 of clubs (meaning it's in the talon), the order is determined alphabetically (2 Diamonds, 2 Hearts then the 2 Spades). The Attacker begins by playing any card from his hand. To beat off the attack the Defender will have to beat this and all subsequent attacking cards. A card which is not a trump can be beaten by playing a higher card of the same suit, or by any trump. A trump card can only be beaten by playing a higher trump. Note that a non-trump attack can always be beaten by a trump, even if the Defender also holds cards in the suit of the attack card - there is no requirement to "follow suit". Alternatively, if the Defender cannot or does not wish to beat off the attack, the Defender simply picks up the attack card(s), which then becomes part of the Defender's hand; in this case the attack has succeeded. If the Defender beats the first attack card, the Attacker can continue the attack by playing another card, subject to the following conditions:

1. each new attack card must be of the same rank as some card already played during the current bout - either an attack card or a card played by the Defender
2. the total number of cards played by the Attackers during a bout must never exceed six
3. if the Defender had fewer than six cards before the bout, the number of cards played by the Attackers must not be more than the number of cards in the Defender's hand.

After the Attacker plays the first attack card, any other player may join the attack providing they meet the attack criteria. A player asks the Attacker if they may join the attack and then place their card next to the attacker's card(s). The reason for asking is to break ties when more than one player wants to join an attack and it would bring the total number of attacks beyond the Defenders limit (6 cards or the number in defender's hand). Ties should be broken in clockwise order from the Attacker. The defender succeeds in beating off the whole attack if either:

1. the defender has beaten all the attack cards played so far, and the Attacker is not able and/or willing to continue the attack;
2. the Defender succeeds in beating six attacking cards;
3. the Defender (having begun the defence holding fewer than six cards) has no cards left in hand, all the Defender's cards having been used to beat attack cards.

When an attack is beaten off, all the cards played during the bout (the attacking cards and the defender's cards) are thrown on a discard heap and are not used again during the play of this deal. The Defender becomes the Attacker for the next bout, and the next player in order (on Defender's left) becomes the defender. If at any stage, the Defender is unable to or does not wish to beat one of the attack cards, the Defender must pick up all the cards played during the bout - both the attacking cards and the cards used to beat them. All these cards become part of the Defender's hand. The bout is then over. Since the attack has succeeded, the Defender does not get a turn to attack. After a bout is complete, the players, if they have fewer than six cards, replenish their hands to six by drawing sufficient cards from the talon. The original Attacker refreshes their hand first. All other Attackers follow in counter-clockwise order. Defender always refreshes his hand last. After the talon is exhausted, the play continues without drawing until, at the end of a bout, only one player has any cards left. This player is the loser (the fool) and the game ends. It sometimes happens that the final two player run out of cards in the same bout. Two variations are played. The most common is that since the attacker played out of cards first, the defender will become the Durak. The other way is to declare the game a draw and the previous game's Durak retains his title. This situtation is referred to by the Russian saying: Staryy durak khuzhe novykh dvukh ("The old fool is better than two new ones").

Varations

Exchange Variation: The player who was dealt the 6 of trumps is allowed to exchange it for the face up card in the talon. This must happen before the first attack begins.

Deflection Varation (Pe-re-vod-noy): If the Defender has a card of the same rank as the first card played by the attacker, he can play down this card and deflect the attack to the player on left. He must do this before playing any other defending cards. He now becomes the original Attacker and player on his left now becomes the Defender. An attack can not be deflected onto a player with only one card. An attack can not be re-deflected.

Reflection Variation Pod-kid-noy: Same of the Deflection except that the Attacker becomes the Defender and the direction of subsequent play is reversed (clockwise to counter-clockwise). Bouts continue in this reversed order until the next reflection.

Defender Fairness Variation: The order of play is sometimes complex when a Defender beats off an attack and runs out of cards at the same time. Normally, he would become the next attacker and the player on his left a Defender. In the normal variation, the player on left becomes the Attacker and attack the next player in order, thus missing their turn to defend. In this variation, the player stays the Defender and the previous Attacker gets to attack again.

Etiquette

It is customary to ask the original Attacker if you may join the attack. However, in games between experienced player each player can be responsible for tracking if they are the 'over the limit' attacker and withdraw their own card. Ties are broken in counter-clockwise order from the original Attacker.

When an Attacker has multiple cards of the same rank to join an attack, it speeds up the game to attack with them all at once. The Attacker should keep track of the number of open attacks available on the Defender and be ready to pull back any excess attack card.

The Defender should announce 'Picking Up' when they are picking up the cards and allow time for the Attackers to throw in any remaining attack cards.

When the Defender has covered up all the pending attacks he should announce "Victory or I've beaten the Attack" before turning the cards over and putting them out of play. If any attacker still wants to (and is able to) join the attack, they must announce and play in a timely fashion.

Durak is seldom played for money, but it is perfectly acceptable to assign small embarassing tasks to each rounds Durak (crawl under the table, crow like a rooster, wear a dunce cap, etc.).