Durak is a free online version of the Russian card game whose name means "fool" — and that is the point, because Durak has no winner, only a loser. You play head to head against the computer with a 36-card deck, sixes through aces, and the bottom card turned face up to set trumps for the whole round. The attacker lays a card; the defender must beat it with a higher card of the same suit, or with any trump against a plain suit, or with a higher trump against a trump. Once something is on the table the attacker may keep adding cards, but only of ranks already showing on it, and never more than the defender still has cards to answer. Beat everything and the table is thrown away and the attack passes to you; take even one card and you pick the whole table up and lose your turn to attack as well. Both hands refill to six after every bout while the deck lasts, and the face-up trump is the very last card dealt. When the deck is gone, whoever is still holding cards is the fool.
How to play Durak
- Press Play. You and the computer get six cards each from a 36-card deck, and the card under the deck is turned face up — its suit is trumps for the whole round.
- Whoever holds the lowest trump attacks first. The game tells you which of you it is.
- As the attacker, click any card to lay it on the table. As the defender, click a card that beats what is there.
- A card is beaten by a higher card of the same suit, by any trump if the attack was a plain suit, or by a higher trump if the attack was a trump. Trumps are ringed in gold in your hand.
- Once a card is on the table the attacker may add more, but only of a rank already showing — on an attack or on a defence, either side counts.
- An attack can never be longer than the defender still has cards for, and never longer than six cards in total.
- If you cannot or will not beat a card, press Take. The computer may keep adding cards while you are taking, and then the whole table goes into your hand.
- When you have beaten everything, press Done. The table is thrown away for good and the attack passes to the other player.
- Taking the table also costs you your turn to attack — which is why it is often right to spend a trump rather than pick up.
- After every bout both hands refill to six, attacker first, while the deck lasts. The face-up trump is the very last card drawn.
- Once the deck is empty, the first player to run out of cards has escaped. Whoever is still holding cards is the durak — the fool.
Tips
- Count the trumps. There are only nine, and the face-up one is already accounted for — knowing how many are left is most of the skill in this game.
- Do not beat a six with an ace of trumps. Taking one small card into your hand is usually cheaper than burning the card that wins you the endgame.
- Attack with your lowest plain cards while the deck is deep. Anything you spend now comes straight back, and it thins your hand of the cards that cannot defend.
- Watch the deck count, not the hand count. Everything changes on the bout where the deck empties, because from then on nothing refills.
- Pairs are weapons. Two cards of the same rank let you extend an attack, and against a defender down to two cards that is often the whole bout.
- Taking is not always bad early. Picking up three cards while the deck still has twenty in it costs you almost nothing, and it can save two trumps.
- Near the end, count what the computer must be holding. If it took a pile of hearts three bouts ago, a heart attack is much more likely to stick.
- If you are attacking and the defender has one card left, one card is all you may lay. Make it a card they cannot beat rather than one you want rid of.
FAQ
Is Durak free to play?
Yes. It runs free in your browser with no download, no install and no account. Your running score against the computer is saved on your own device.
How do you win at Durak?
You do not, exactly — Durak has no winner, only a loser. Once the deck is empty, the first player to get rid of all their cards has escaped, and whoever is still holding cards is the fool.
What beats what?
A higher card of the same suit beats a lower one. Any trump beats any plain suit. A trump attack can only be beaten by a higher trump — that is the rule people most often get wrong.
What can the attacker add to the table?
Only cards of a rank that is already showing, counting both the attacking cards and the defending ones. The attack also cannot be longer than the defender still has cards to answer, up to six.
What happens when I take the table?
Every card on it goes into your hand — and you lose your turn to attack, since the attack stays where it was. That double cost is why spending a trump is often better than picking up.
How many players is this?
Two: you and the computer. Durak is also played three and four handed with more elaborate throwing-in rules; this is the head-to-head game, which is the form played most often online.
How good is the computer?
It plays its cheapest legal card, holds its trumps back, and will take the table rather than spend a high trump on a small attack. It is a solid club opponent rather than a perfect one.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The table sits between the two hands and everything stacks vertically; when two attacks are open, tap the one you want to answer before choosing a card.