
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,115
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Cockroach Poker
- 2–6 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.1/5
- 2004

Rules assistance for Durak
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Durak is a board game for 2–6 players and 15 minutes per game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Single Loser Game.
Durak is the most well known and popular card game in Russia and Ukraine. Durak, meaning fool, is the title given to the loser of the game - the last player to get rid of their cards. It is a game of skill and can be played by two to six players playing individually or with four people, playing in two teams of two. Durak uses the Russian deck of 36 cards or can be played with a standard deck of cards with the 2-5 inclusive removed. Popular variants of the game include Podkidnoy Durak (Throw-In Durak) and Perevodnoy Durak (Transfer Durak) where the key difference is that in Perevodnoy Durak a defender may pass the attack to the next player by playing a card that matches the rank of the attacking card.
Durak supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Durak is 15 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
Durak has a complexity rating of 1.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Durak belongs to these categories: Card Game, Party Game, and Bluffing. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Single Loser Game. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The catalogue lists Durak as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.