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Tactics of playing the Durak card game

Turning to almost any other card game, we will see how strong the element of chance is and how much room it leaves for all kinds of machinations. Unlimited opportunities in this area have given rise to the profession of a card sharper – as old as the cards themselves. And, on the contrary, having mastered the game of Durak (which, by the way, has very simple rules), anyone will immediately be convinced that cheating is absolutely impossible here – all cards are revealed during the game, being easily accessible for verification. It is very difficult to imperceptibly put or discard an extra card, because the total number of them (36) is even, and to carry out such an operation in secret, it is necessary to discard (or put) cards in pairs. Even the famous cheating trick – putting a speck on the shirt (reverse side) of the cards – has no serious consequences, since a person with average abilities is able to keep in memory more than 2/3 of the cards from the deck, including the most important ones. There is not and cannot be a single tactic for all occasions. How many games - so many tactical techniques. This is the beauty of the game, and its complexity. The choice of tactics depends on a number of circumstances, mainly on the presence or absence of trumps.

Option A: you don't have any trumps, the move is yours

When the situation develops unfavorably, it is easy to understand that, going with the flow, one cannot count on a successful end. In this case, from the first steps, it is necessary to act as actively as possible and take control of the deck by any means, i.e. to wipe off the opponent from it, sacrificing large non–trump cards in his favor (even having a trifle on hand), and in the future - and small trumps, if possible - paired with simple ones of the same name. For a long time without allowing the opponent to the deck, you will be able to choose from there everything that is valuable, and victory is in your pocket.

Option B (the worst): the opponent starts and moves with a suit that you don't have

A conversation on this topic is possible only when you have at least one trump card. He is sacrificed. But how soon should it be done? After all, trumps are expensive! The trump card from the "six" to the "nine" inclusive, should be given immediately and without any tears. It is better to part with the "ten" not earlier than the second approach of the opponent, with the jack - not earlier than the third. You will have to think very seriously about the lady's sacrifice. Never sacrifice an ace and a king! (excluding, of course, the final part of the match). A single king can become an unsinkable aircraft carrier that can pull you out of the most miserable situation. By analogy with checkers, the king can be compared to the "golden checker" e1 (d8), which alone keeps a decent part of the board under control.

Option B. If you're lucky

If you are lucky, and from the very beginning (or after 2-3 tricks), you have leading trumps (for example, a king and an ace) plus a couple of small ones, and at the bottom of the deck there is another big trump card in the open, you can choose the opposite tactic, playing passively and holding cards, especially paired ones (even not very large) and colored (jack-ace) in any quantities, but no more than what is left in the deck at all. At the same time, it is useful to create a double or even triple barrier for each suit of large non-trump cards, given the possibility that the opponent has the same trump cards. If it succeeded, your bastions are impregnable, no one can take them. In the intermediate variants that arise with an approximate equality of forces, combined tactical techniques are used. There is already full scope for your imagination.

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