Durak

Durak is a traditional Russian card game that is played widely across many post-Soviet states. It is currently the most popular card game in Russia, having replaced a game called Preferans. The central objective of the game is to shed all of your cards. You win by being the first to empty your hand as the deck runs out. The player left holding cards at the end is called the durak, which means "fool" in Russian.

To set up a game, you typically need between two and five players. You can play with six people if you choose. The game uses a 36-card deck. This is often made from a standard 52-card deck by removing all cards ranked 2 through 5. The deck is shuffled and dealt so that each player receives six cards. One card is turned face up to determine the trump suit. A trump card is a special card that ranks higher than all cards in the other three suits. The remaining cards form a pile called the prikup or the talon. The talon is placed at a right angle to the face-up trump card so it remains visible.

Gameplay follows a specific sequence of attacking and defending. The player with the lowest trump card becomes the first attacker. The player sitting to their left serves as the defender. The attacker plays a card face up on the table. To defend, the player must play a higher-ranking card of the same suit. They may also use a trump card to beat the attack. If the defender is successful, the attack may continue. Other players can join the attack if their cards match the rank of cards already on the table. There is a limit of six attacks per round. If a defender cannot or will not beat the attack, they must pick up all the cards played during that round.

At the end of every round, players must draw new cards from the talon. This ensures everyone returns to having six cards in their hand. The attacker draws first, followed by other attackers in clockwise order, and finally the defender. This process continues until the talon is exhausted. If the deck is empty and a player has no cards, they are eliminated from the game. The game ends when only one person remains with cards. This final person is the loser, or the durak.

Durak has a long and interesting history. It is believed to have appeared in the late 18th-century Russian Empire. It became very popular during the 1812 Russo-French war. During this time, Imperial Army conscripts helped spread the game. Originally, it was a social pastime for industrial workers and uneducated peasants. However, after the October Revolution, the game spread to many different social levels. By the mid-20th century, it had become the most popular card game in the Soviet Union.

There are many fascinating variants of the game that change how it is played. In a version called "Spades by Spades," spades cannot be the trump suit. In this version, spades can only be beaten by other spades. Another version, "Crazy Durak," always uses diamonds as the trump suit. Some players enjoy "Siege Durak," or Podkidnoy, which allows for multi-card opening attacks. There is even a version called "Fallen Ace." In that version, the lowest trump card in the deck can beat the trump Ace. This removes the Ace's status as an unbeatable card.

Social traditions often surround the losing player. In some versions, the last player becomes the dealer for the next round. If a defender loses to a six, they might be called "durak s galstukom," or "fool with epaulettes." This happens if the last card played by an attacker is a six. The six might be placed on the loser's chest as a symbolic gesture. Some players also play in teams. Four players can form two pairs, or six players can form two teams of three. In team play, members sit opposite or alternating each other. Team members are not allowed to add cards to an attack against their own teammates.