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Durak

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Durak is a famous card game from Russia. It is the most popular card game in that country.

Durak–2002
Durak–2002

People play it to have fun and spend time together. The goal is to get rid of all your cards. If you are the last person holding cards, you are the loser. In Russian, the loser is called the durak, which means "fool." Many people around the world now know and play this game too.

To play, you need two to six people and a deck of 36 cards. Each player starts with six cards in their hand. First, you shuffle the deck and deal the cards. One card is turned face up on the table. This card decides the trump suit for the game. A trump card is a special card that beats any card from the other three suits. The rest of the deck is placed near the trump card. This pile is called the talon or the prikup.

History shows that Durak likely started in the late 1700s. It began during the time of the Russian Empire. Soldiers helped make the game famous during the Russo-French war in 1812. At first, it was a game for workers and peasants. After the October Revolution, it spread to all kinds of people. By the middle of the 20th century, it was the most popular game in the Soviet Union.

One player starts by attacking with a card. The player to their left is the defender. The defender must try to beat the card. They can use a higher card of the same suit. They can also use a trump card to defend. If the defender is successful, they might start their own attack later. If the defender cannot beat the card, they must pick up all the cards played in that round. After each round, everyone draws new cards until they have six again.

There are many different ways to play Durak. Some versions use more than one deck of cards. In a version called "Spades by Spades," the trump suit cannot be spades. Another version called "Crazy Durak" always uses diamonds as the trump suit. Some people even play in teams of two or three. You can play with four players as two pairs. This makes the game a great way to practice teamwork and skill.

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