President
Shed your cards fastest to become president, and make the loser hand you their best card next round.
Known by a dozen names, most of them rude. The engine is the same everywhere: get rid of your cards first, and enjoy the advantage next round.
Goal
Be the first to play out your hand. The order in which players finish sets everyone’s rank for the next round: president, vice president, down to the scum at the bottom.
Setup
Deal the whole deck out as evenly as it goes; uneven hands are normal. Card order runs 3 low up to Ace, then 2 as the highest single card.
Play
- The player to the dealer’s left leads any single card, pair, triple or set of four.
- Each player in turn must play the same number of cards of a higher rank, or pass.
- Passing does not lock you out of the round, but you cannot play again until the pile clears.
- When everyone passes, the last player to play clears the pile and leads again.
Ranks and the exchange
The first player out is president, the last is scum. Everyone keeps their seat order for the next deal.
Before the next round, the scum gives the president their two best cards, and the president gives back any two they do not want. The vice president and the second-to-last player swap one card the same way. It is deliberately unfair, and it is what makes the game work.
Common house rules
- A 2 clears the pile when played on its own, and the player leads again.
- Four of a kind reverses the order for the rest of the round, so low beats high.
- Matching the previous play exactly skips the next player.
Pick which of these you are using before the first deal, especially with a mixed table.
Questions
Is the 2 the highest card?
Yes in most versions. The order is 3 up through Ace, with 2 above everything.
Can I pass and then play later in the same round?
No. Once you pass you are out until the pile is cleared and a new lead begins.
Does the scum have to give their best cards?
Yes, and the president chooses freely what to give back. That imbalance is the whole point of the ranks.