Dudák

Objective

Get rid of all your cards and avoid being the last player holding any.

Deal and setup

Czech Dudák for four players. Each receives eight cards; there is no stock. Play clockwise, starting to the dealer’s left. One club game is one deal. A fresh standalone game has a random dealer; Play next game makes the previous loser deal.

How to play — step by step

1. Ranks from low to high: 7, 8, 9, 10, under, over, king, ace. Ten is below the under. Czech suits are leaves, hearts, bells and acorns.
2. At the start of your turn you may declare a personal trump from unclaimed suits. This is optional, but after playing or picking up your first card you must wait until your next turn. Your trump lasts for the deal. After the third declaration, the remaining player automatically receives the last suit.
3. On an empty table play any one card. Otherwise first beat the top card with a higher card of the same suit or your personal trump of another suit. A card of your trump suit needs a higher trump. Another player’s personal trump has no special power for you. After beating, add any one card for the next player.
4. Before declaring trump you may pick up top cards one at a time instead of beating. Set them aside: you must beat using a card you held before picking up. After beating they join your hand and may be used as the second card. Taking the whole pile ends your turn.
5. With a declared trump you may take only the whole pile instead of beating, ending your turn. You may choose to pick up even if you could beat.
6. A player with no cards drops out. If you use your last card to beat and have no picked-up cards waiting aside, remove the entire pile from play (abštych). The next player leads on an empty table. If your last card is added after beating, it stays on the table.
7. The deal ends when only one player holds cards: the Dudák. The other three win; this is not a draw. Results show 1 for an empty hand and 0 for last place. Club XP and difficulty use the shared system. Surrender counts as a loss with no XP. Wins are recorded only after the entire deal ends.
8. This version uses publicly declared personal trumps, with no stock or pocket trumps. Shuffle anew for each deal. After surrender, choose the dealer randomly.

Important rules to remember