President

Overview

Shed your cards first to become President. The last player out is the Scumbag, and must hand over their best cards next round — which makes the game gleefully unfair by design.

Known by many names, most of them unprintable.

No governing body publishes rules for this game. This page describes the most common form. House rules vary, so agree them before you start.

1. Setup

Four to seven players. Deal the whole deck out as evenly as possible.

Card ranking is 3 low up to 2 high: 3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A-2.

2. Play

The player holding the 3 of clubs leads it.

Each player in turn must play a higher card, or a higher set of the same size. A single is beaten by a higher single; a pair by a higher pair; three of a kind by higher three of a kind.

You may not change the set size mid-round.

If you cannot or will not beat the previous play, you pass. Passing means you sit out for the rest of that round.

When everyone passes, the last player to play clears the pile and leads the next round with anything.

3. Ranks

The order players go out determines their rank for the next hand:

Position	Title
First out	President
Second	Vice President
Middle	Citizens
Second last	Vice Scumbag
Last	Scumbag

4. The exchange

Before the next deal:

• The Scumbag gives their two best cards to the President.
• The President gives back any two cards of their choosing.
• Vice Scumbag and Vice President exchange one card the same way.

This is the engine of the game: it makes the rich richer and is deliberately brutal.

5. Common house rules

Almost nobody plays without some of these:

Rule	Effect
Twos clear	Playing a 2 clears the pile outright
Four of a kind	Clears the pile, or reverses the order
Social order	The President sits in the best chair; the Scumbag deals and shuffles
Revolution	Four of a kind inverts the ranking for the round
Eights stop	Playing an 8 ends the round

Agree the set before you start. There is no canonical rulebook.

Commonly argued

• 2 is the highest card, 3 the lowest.
• You cannot change the set size — a pair must be beaten by a pair.
• Passing puts you out for the round, not just that turn.
• The Scumbag gives their best cards, not their choice. The President chooses what to give back.