Prostoy Durak♠

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History and the distinct game

Prostoy Durak names a separate family member, not an abridged instruction for throwing-in Durak. It is also known in Poland as Dureń Piątkowy, meaning five-card fool. Alexey Lobashev’s account published by Pagat records its characteristic grouped attacks. These sources do not establish a reliable inventor or exact invention date.

The aim is to empty your hand after stock runs out. No partnerships are formed: everyone acts individually. The last holder of cards is the fool.

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Pack, deal and trumps

Use 36 cards ranked A–K–Q–J–10–9–8–7–6 in each suit. Choose the first dealer randomly; subsequently the loser deals, with the same dealer after a draw. Shuffle without cutting and deal 5 each, singly clockwise. Expose the next card for trumps and place the rest crosswise above it. The exposed trump is drawn last.

Dealer’s left attacks first. Until the stock is exhausted, the holder of trump 6 may exchange it for the exposed trump. Cards have no scoring value: only rank matters.

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Lead one, three or five

The next active player clockwise defends. Lay one legal set at once: 1 arbitrary card; 3 cards comprising an equal-rank pair and any spare; 5 cards comprising two disjoint pairs and any spare, or four equal ranks and any spare. The spare may match a pair’s rank. A two- or four-card lead is illegal.

Never attack with more cards than defender holds. Against a hand of 4, only 1 or 3 may be led. After laying the attack, attacker immediately replenishes to 5 if stock permits. Do not add new cards to this attack.

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Full and partial defence

Defender chooses which attacks to cover. Cover each separately with a higher card of its suit, or any trump against a nontrump. A trump requires a higher trump. Defensive cards need form no combination. Cover all, some or none.

Every covered attack and its covering card goes permanently to the face-down discard. Defender takes only uncovered attacking cards. After a complete defence, defender attacks next. After picking up any card, skip defender; the next active player clockwise attacks. Defender replenishes to 5 after responding; attacker already drew first. Keep hands larger than the limit.

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Empty stock and the result

Once stock is exhausted there are no draws. Empty hands leave after resolving the attack and their places are skipped. If a successful defender leaves, the next active player attacks. The last holder of cards loses and deals the next game.

If the final two players attack and defend with all their remaining cards, both finish empty and the game is drawn. No money or points are needed for a deal; sessions may count defeats. Polish and Warsaw versions can alter the procedure: do not insert their rules midway.

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Partial defence in practice

Stock is empty and spades trump. Attack with 7♣, 7♦ and Q♥: a pair plus spare is legal. Defender holds K♣, 8♦ and 6♣, covering the clubs seven with the clubs king and the diamonds seven with the diamonds eight, but cannot cover Q♥.

The four cards of the covered pairs are discarded. Defender takes only Q♥ and keeps 6♣, holding 2 cards, and misses the next lead. Throwing-in Durak would require taking the entire table; this game permits partial clearing.

← On a small screen, scroll the diagram horizontally. →

Common questions