Durak
When to spend a trump in Durak, and when to keep it
New players lose most rounds the same way: by beating a small card with a trump in the first bout and having nothing left at the end.
In Durak there are nine trumps in a 36-card deck, and you will usually hold two or three of them at a time. They are the only cards that beat anything, which makes them easy to spend and hard to replace.
Early in the round: keep them
While the stock is still thick, every card you play is replaced when you draw back up. A seven you lose to a pick-up is not a disaster. A trump you spend on that seven is gone for good, and you will want it when the stock runs out and nobody draws any more.
Picking up three low cards early in a round is often cheaper than beating them with two trumps. You lose your turn to attack, but you keep the cards that win the endgame.
Spend the lowest trump first
When you have to trump, use the lowest one that does the job. A six of trumps beats an ace of another suit just as well as the ace of trumps does. Keep the high trumps for when an opponent leads a trump at you.
When spending is right
- When beating the attack leaves the defender, you, with a strong position for your own attack.
- When the stock is nearly empty and picking up would leave you with too many cards to shed.
- When you know from the discards that the remaining high trumps are already gone, so your middle trump is now the strongest left.
Read the bottom card
The face-up trump under the stock goes to whoever draws the last card. Count the stock and you can often work out who that will be. If it is you, you can be a little freer with your other trumps.
Further reading
The strategy page on Durak Card Game covers attacking, defending and the endgame in more detail. The best way to see the difference is to play a few rounds where you refuse to trump anything below a ten.