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Durak

Russia's most popular card game. Players attack the person on their left with cards, and the defender has to beat each one with a higher card of the same suit or with a trump. Other players can pile on. Beat everything and you're safe for now. Fail and you pick it all up. The last player still holding cards is the durak: the fool.

first round is practice. stop and ask anytime.

Set up · 1 of 2

Take out the 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s. You'll play with 36 cards, 6s up to aces.

Set up · 2 of 2

Deal six cards each. Turn the next card face up and slide it under the deck, sticking out. Its suit is trump, and it's the last card anyone draws.

How to play · 1 of 6

Attack

Whoever has the lowest trump attacks first. Play any card face up in front of the player on your left.

How to play · 2 of 6

Defend

The defender covers it with a higher card of the same suit, or with any trump. A trump can only be beaten by a higher trump.

How to play · 3 of 6

Pile on

The attacker and the other players can add more attack cards, but only of ranks already on the table. The defender has to beat each one. No more than six attacks, and never more than the defender has cards.

How to play · 4 of 6

Beat it or take it

If the defender beats every card, they're all discarded and the defender attacks next. If not, the defender picks up every card on the table, loses their turn to attack, and the player on their left attacks next.

How to play · 5 of 6

Draw back up

After each attack, anyone with fewer than six cards draws back up to six, attackers first and the defender last.

How to play · 6 of 6

Get out

Once the deck is gone, nobody draws. Run out of cards and you're out of the game, and safe.

How to win

The last player holding cards is the durak, the fool. Everyone else wins.