How to Play President (Scum): Rules & Free Online Game

Object of the game

Empty your hand before everyone else. The order in which players go out decides their titles – President at the top, Scum at the bottom – and how many points they score. After five rounds, the highest total wins.

The deal and card ranking

The whole 52-card deck (no jokers) is dealt one card at a time, starting with the player who leads, so any leftover cards go to the leader first and then clockwise: with three players that's 18, 17 and 17, with four everyone gets 13.

The first round's leader rotates from game to game. From round two on, the previous round's Scum always leads.

Suits never matter; only rank counts, and the 2 is the top card:

• 3 – lowest
• 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
• Jack, Queen, King, Ace
• 2 – highest

How to play President: leading, beating, passing

The leader plays a single card or a set of the same rank – a pair, three of a kind or four of a kind – and can't pass.

Play moves clockwise, skipping anyone who is already out. On your turn, either play the same number of cards at a higher rank, or pass. On a pair of 8s you need a pair of 9s or better; a single Ace or three Kings won't do.

Once everyone else has passed in a row, the trick is over: the cards are discarded and whoever played last leads again. Play your last card and you're out; if everyone then passes, the next player clockwise with cards leads.

• Matching isn't enough: you can't play a 7 on a 7.
• Once cards are down, you may always pass – even when you could play.
• Passing doesn't lock you out – if someone plays after you, you can come back in on the same trick.
• Nothing beats a 2, so after a 2 (or a set of 2s) everyone else has to pass.

Titles and scoring

The round ends as soon as only one player still has cards; they're automatically the Scum.

Last place scores 0 points and each place above scores one more – with four players that's 3, 2, 1 and 0. A tie after five rounds means a shared win.

Titles depend on the number of players:

• 3 players: President, Citizen, Scum
• 4 players: President, Vice President, Vice Scum, Scum
• 5 players: President, Vice President, Citizen, Vice Scum, Scum
• 6 players: President, Vice President, two Citizens, Vice Scum, Scum

The card swap

From round two on, right after the deal, the Scum automatically hands the President their two highest cards. The President then gives back any two cards, usually their weakest.

With four or more players, the Vice Scum and Vice President swap one card the same way. Citizens don't trade. Then the Scum leads.

Example trick with four players

Anna, Ben, Cem and Dana sit around the table in that order, clockwise. Anna leads the 6 of Hearts and 6 of Spades, Ben plays a pair of 9s. Cem is saving two Aces and passes. Dana plays a pair of Kings; Anna and Ben pass.

Cem passed earlier, but it's his turn again, so he plays the Ace of Clubs and Ace of Diamonds. Only a pair of 2s could beat that; nobody has one, so Dana, Anna and Ben pass. Cem wins the trick and leads his lone 4.

If Dana ends up Scum and Anna President, then after the next deal Dana's two highest cards – say the 2 of Spades and the Ace of Hearts – go to Anna. Anna sends back any two cards, for example the 3 of Clubs and the 5 of Diamonds.

House rules and variants

President has countless house rules, and the Japanese version Daifugō adds more. What you may know from other tables – and what applies at Tavern Jack:

• 3 of Clubs leads: here the first leader rotates, then the Scum leads.
• Revolution (four of a kind reverses the ranking): not used.
• Matching the rank to skip the next player: plays must be strictly higher.
• Runs such as 5-6-7: same rank only.
• Pass and you're out until the next trick: you can come back in.
• No going out on a 2: any card can be your last.
• The President must give back their worst cards: here they choose freely.
• Jokers or endless play: 52 cards, five rounds, points.