The rules of Durak
Two to six players, each for themselves. There is no winner: the last player left holding cards is the durak, the fool. The pack is 36 cards, 6 to ace; with five or six players the table may use all 52, 2 to ace.
Each player is dealt six cards. The next card is turned face up under the stock, and its suit is trump; it is the last card of the stock. With six players and 36 cards there is no stock: the dealer's last card is the trump and stays in their hand. In the first game the holder of the lowest trump attacks first; after that, the player after the last durak.
A bout. The attacker leads a card, or several of one rank. The defender, the player after the attacker, must beat each one with a higher card of the same suit, or with any trump (a trump only with a higher trump), or take them all. Once everything is beaten the attackers may add cards whose rank is already on the table, either side, and the defender must beat those too. In Podkidnoy every other player may throw in, the lead attacker first; where the table says so, only the defender's neighbours. A player with nothing to add is passed over, and Done says there is no more. The attack is never more than six cards (five in the first bout, if the table says so) or more than the defender holds as the bout begins.
When everything is beaten and nobody adds, the cards on the table are discarded face down and the defender attacks next. A defender who cannot or will not beat picks up everything; the others may still add cards of a rank on the table first, and the player after the defender attacks next.
Then everybody draws back to six, the attacker first and the defender last; the face-up trump is the last card drawn.
Perevodnoy. Before beating any card, the defender may pass the attack on by adding a card of the same rank as the attack: the next player must then beat all of them, and may only be passed it if they hold at least as many cards as there are on the table. Passing can go round the table. Once any card has been beaten, no more passing. (Showing a trump of the rank to pass without playing it is not played here.)
Once the stock is gone, a player with no cards is out and safe. The last one holding cards is the durak. If the last cards go out together it is a draw. A series counts how many times each has been the durak.