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Official President Rules
President (also known as Scum, Asshole, Rich Man Poor Man, or Bum) is a fun and fast-paced card game where players compete to shed all their cards and avoid the lowly title of "Scum." Here's how to play:
Objective
Be the first player to discard all your cards and avoid being the last player left with cards (the "Scum").
Setup
Number of Players: 2-7 players (works best with 4 players)
Cards: Standard deck of 52 cards (including Jokers)
Dealing:
Shuffle the deck well.
Deal all the cards face down to each player, one at a time.
Gameplay
Card Ranking (Highest to Lowest):
Two (2s) - Wild cards, can be played alone or used to defeat any single card.
Joker (optional, depending on variation) - Higher than a Two, can be played alone or used to defeat any single card.
Ace (A)
King (K)
Queen (Q)
Jack (J)
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3
Playing a Turn:
On your turn, you must play one or more cards face up to the discard pile in the center. Here's what you can do:
Single Card: Play any single card from your hand.
Set of Matching Rank: Play two, three, or four cards of the same rank (e.g., three Queens).
Sequence: Play a sequence of consecutive cards of the same suit (e.g., 5, 6, 7 of Spades).
Beating the Previous Play:
The cards you play must be higher in rank or value than the cards played previously on the discard pile. Here's how this works:
A single higher card beats a single lower card.
A set of matching rank beats a single card. (e.g., Two Queens beat a King)
A higher set of matching rank beats a lower set. (e.g., Three Kings beat Three Queens)
A sequence of the same length beats a single card or a set. (e.g., Three consecutive Spades beat a King)
A longer sequence beats a shorter sequence of the same suit. (e.g., Four consecutive Hearts beat Three consecutive Spades)
Two (2) and Jokers (Optional):
Two (2): Wild cards that can be played alone or on top of any single card, effectively beating it.
Joker (Optional): Higher than a Two, can be played alone or used to defeat any single card.
Passing (Optional):
If you cannot or don't want to play any cards that beat the previous play, you can choose to pass. However, you can only pass consecutively twice before being forced to draw a card.
Winning the Round:
The first player to discard all their cards wins the round and becomes the President!
The remaining players are ranked based on the number of cards left in their hands. The player with the most cards is the "Scum."
Scoring (Optional):
You can play for fun or keep score for a more competitive game. Here's a simple way to score:
Winner: The President scores 0 points.
Other Players: Each player scores penalty points equal to the sum of the remaining card values in their hand.
Face cards (Jack, Queen, King) - 10 points each
Aces - 1 point each
Number cards - Face value (e.g., 7 = 7 points)
Winning the Game
The game can continue for multiple rounds. You can either play until a player reaches a predetermined score threshold (e.g., 100 points) or simply play for a set number of rounds.
Notes/Variations
In some variations, players might be dealt a face-up card at the beginning of the round to establish the starting suit.
Jokers might be excluded from the game depending on the variation.
There might be slight variations in rules regarding passing and sequence play depending on the region or who you play with.
President is a simple yet strategic game that can get quite competitive. So grab your deck, gather your friends, and see who can rise to the top (and avoid becoming the Scum)!
