A Russian Game Called "Stupid"

My friend and I played some cards last night. We started with a game both of us knew well - Big 2 or Chinese poker, which is popular in south China and here in the US. A few rounds later, I proposed the Russian game of Durak, translated into "Stupid" or "Fool" in English. I learned Durak while growing up in New York with Russian friends and schoolmates. During middle school, we often played Durak over lunch and enjoyed the fun, the challenge, and the company. There, I became quite good at it and learned all its intricacies. Essentially, Durak is a kind of beating and trump-suit game, but with a lot of strategy and takes much skill to master. I especially like that the game can be both tactical and strategic, and the loser (who is called the fool or Durak, and hence the name of the game - which my friends and I called "Stupid" in translation) is teased for his loss, at least until the next game finishes and there is a new loser.

My friend and I switched to Durak after a few rounds of Big 2 and totally played it for the remainder of the evening. I haven't played it in a while and our games rekindled my love for the game. Do I think it's the best card game out there? Probably. It's hard to think of any that tops Durak, especially in terms of balancing skill, strategy and with multiple people, teamwork. Luck obviously plays a role but the fool is usually a fool and is usually a fool. My friend caught on quickly and played aggressively too. To my embarrassment, I lost several times in a row. Eventually, order was restored at the end and I finished with a flourish. But the memories and company of playing Durak last night remain invigorating.

For rules of Durak: http://www.pagat.com/beating/durak.html