Net Durak

Net Durak is probably the most popular card game in Russia you can play against computer or real-life opponents. It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that every Russian who plays cards knows this game. "Durak" means fool, the fool in this game being the loser - the player who is left with cards after everyone else has run out. Differ from its name the game is far from being trivial.

Net Durak Features:

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Lets you play Durak against computer or live opponents.

Pick from six card designs.

Automatically deals.

Sound effects and animation.

Choose from three animation speed settings.

Lets to exchange messages with the help of a built-in or on-line chat.

A multiple-part status bar displays all needed information.

Easy to install and uninstall.

Lets to change computer opponents (bots).

Easy to link up and play with human opponents in a local network or on the Internet, using direct or modem connection.

Detailed built-in and on-line help.

Nice, easy to use user interface.

Free upgrade.

Net Durak Rules:

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1. Purpose of the game

This game has no winner - only a loser. Durak is played with 32 cards: the A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7 and 6s from a standard 4-suit 52-card deck are used. At the start, each player is dealt six cards, which are played in a series of bouts of attack and defence. After the players have received all their cards, reveal the top card of the deck. Place it on the middle of the table, place the deck on top of the revealed card, covering it half way. This card represents the trump suit and is now at the bottom of the deck. Cards in this suit hold a higher value then the Aces of the other suits. Within the trump suit card hierarchy is maintained.

When a player's hand is reduced to fewer than six cards it is replenished from the talon of undealt cards. After the talon is exhausted, there is no more replenishment and the aim is to get rid of all the cards from your hand. The last player left holding cards is the loser. This player is the fool (durak) and is ridiculed by the other player.

2. Attack

Attacker reveals a card from his hand by placing it on the table so opponent can see.

After the first card has been defended attacker may add cards to the table as long as they are of the same face value as other cards in play. Maximum cards to be defended must be as many as have been originally dealt to each player (6) or until the defender runs out of cards, whichever is less.

3. Defend

Defender must respond to the revealed card by beating it with a card of the same suit of higher value or a card of the trump suit. If the defender has no appropriate card he must pick up the card and add it to his hand, thereby losing his turn to attack. If the defender picks up the first attacking card, the turn is over.

Defender must beat all revealed cards. Otherwise he must pick up all cards in play including ones that have been beaten.

Maximum cards to be defended must be as many as have been originally dealt to each player (6) or until the defender runs out of cards, whichever is less.

A successful turn ends when the defender beats all attacking cards. All cards that have been revealed during this turn are removed from the game.

4. End of turn

When a defender has successfully beaten all the attacking cards, all the cards that have been in play are removed from the game.

Every player must take his turn to refresh his hand by taking as many cards from deck as needed to bring his hand to a total of as many as have been originally dealt to each player (6). Attacker refreshes his hand first. Defender refreshes his hand last.

If the deck has been exhausted, players who are left empty handed withdraw from the game. They are lucky, for they will not have a chance to lose.