Attack with one rank
The first attacker in a match holds the lowest trump. On later hands, the player left of the previous durak starts. Play one card, or several of one rank. The next active player clockwise defends.
One 7, or two 7s together.
Your table is ready
Take a seat.
Attack, defend and throw in. The last hand with cards takes a penalty.
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0ptsHAND COMPLETE
Waiting for the host to deal.
FREE ONLINE CARD GAME
Durak Card Game
Attack. Defend. Throw in.
Don't be the fool.
Play Durak, Russia's most popular card game, free in your browser against one to five computer opponents at Easy, Standard or Expert. Classic throw-in (Podkidnoy) rules with a 36-card deck, a visible trump, six-card attacks and the correct refill order; switch on transfer (Perevodnoy) or a 52-card deck in Options. No download or sign-up.
Throw-in Durak · 36 cards · 2–6 seats · Fool at 6
Updated
New to Durak? Learn the rulesHOW TO PLAY
Durak rules in English
Six cards each. One player attacks, one defends, and matching ranks let the others throw in. Save a way out for when the talon runs dry.
Play a practice hand ↑Beat the suit, or use a trump
A higher card of the same suit beats an attack. Any trump beats a non-trump, even if you also hold the attack's suit. Only a higher trump beats a trump. Click an uncovered attack, then the card you want to put on it.
A higher club, or a trump.
Throw in ranks already on the table
A 7 beaten by a 10 allows more 7s and more 10s. The principal attacker chooses first, then the others clockwise. Press Done if you will add nothing. A bout has at most six attack cards, and never more than the defender held at its start. If the defender started with two cards, the whole bout is limited to two attacks.
Both 7s and 10s now match.
Take, discard, then refill
Cover everything and have every attacker finish: the bout is beaten and its cards leave play. Press Take instead and the attackers get one last chance to add matching ranks before you pick up the entire bout. You then miss the next attack. After the bout, draw up to six: original attacker, others clockwise, defender last. The visible trump under the talon is drawn last.
The trump waits until the other talon cards are gone.
Transfer, neighbours and the endgame
Transfer (Perevodnoy): before covering any card, add one card of the attack's rank and pass the entire attack clockwise. The receiver must have enough cards for it, and the total cannot exceed six. The former defender becomes the attacker; refill still begins with the original attacker. A transfer can go around again if the next hand can receive it.
Neighbours only: only the defender's two active neighbours may throw in. Otherwise all active players except the defender may do so. Teams are not in this version.
Empty talon: hands no longer refill, and a player who ends a bout with no cards is safe. The remaining player is the durak. If the last attack and defence empty both final hands, the hand is drawn.
Six players, 36 cards: everyone receives six, leaving no talon. The dealer shows their last dealt card to establish trump, then keeps it in hand. It is one of the 36 cards, not an extra card.
FEWEST PENALTIES WINS
Durak scoring
Durak means “fool.” Each hand has a loser rather than a single winner: the last player holding cards takes one penalty; everyone else takes zero. A drawn hand gives nobody a penalty. The scorecard records every hand and its durak.
For a match on this table, play until someone reaches six penalties. Whoever has the fewest wins, with shared wins on a tie. The six-penalty match is our running-score format; many home tables play a single hand at a time.
KEEP A WAY TO DEFEND
Durak strategy
Save trumps while you can refill
A low trump can beat an ace of another suit. Cover with the suit when that costs less. Taking a small bout can be sensible if defending would spend several high trumps; taking is a choice, so it does not prove that a player had no defence.
Lead matching sets
Pairs use more of the defender's capacity and let you shed cards together. Check the defender's hand count first. More than their starting hand size is never a legal attack.
Remember pickups
Cards in a picked-up bout were face up. Until a player plays them, you know they hold them. Use that information when choosing your next attack. The face-down talon and unshown hands stay private at every difficulty.
Change plans near the end
After the talon runs out, getting rid of cards matters more than refilling efficiently. With only two players left, the cards you saw discarded and your own hand may identify the opponent's remaining cards. Expert uses that public history for a bounded search; if the history is incomplete, it uses its ordinary policy.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Durak FAQ
What does “durak” mean?
It means “fool” in Russian: the player left with cards after the others have emptied their hands.
How is trump chosen?
After six cards each, turn up the next card. Its suit is trump and it goes under the talon to be drawn last. With six players and 36 cards, show the dealer's last dealt card instead; it stays in the dealer's hand.
Who attacks first?
In the first hand, the player holding the lowest trump. If nobody holds a trump, the dealer's left neighbour. In later hands it is the player left of the previous durak. After a drawn hand, it moves left from the previous starting attacker.
How many cards can you attack with?
At most six in one bout, capped by the defender's hand size at its start. An opening attack uses a single rank. Later attacks match any rank already in the bout, including defence cards.
Who can throw in?
By default every active player except the defender, with the principal attacker first. Choose Defender's neighbours in Options to limit it to the two adjacent active players.
Can a trump be beaten?
Only by a higher trump. A non-trump cannot beat a trump, even an ace.
What is transfer or Perevodnoy Durak?
Before any defence, the defender may add a card of the attack's rank to pass the bout clockwise. The next defender must have enough cards to receive it. Once a card has been covered, transfer is no longer allowed.
What happens when the deck runs out?
Nobody refills. Empty hands drop out at the end of a bout; the last player with cards is the durak. A defender who takes still misses the next attack.
Is there a winner in Durak, or only a loser?
There is only a loser per hand. This table keeps penalties across hands: the first to six ends the match and the fewest penalties wins. Ties share the match win.
Can Durak end in a draw?
Yes. If the final attack and defence empty both final hands, nobody takes a penalty and the next hand begins with the next starting attacker.
How good are the computer opponents?
Easy spends low cards and trumps freely. Standard keeps trumps and leads sets. Expert also uses public pickups, spends trumps as the talon runs out, and searches small final two-player positions when public history identifies all the remaining cards. No difficulty sees your hidden hand or the talon order.
Can I play free without a download, or with friends?
Practice is free in your browser with one to five computer opponents. No app or account is needed. To play with friends, open a HopLobby lobby and send one link: our party games run in the browser too.
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