Home / Card / President Card Game
President is a free online version of the classic shedding card game also known as Scum, played at a table of four — you and three computer players. The whole pack is dealt out, thirteen cards each, and 2s are the highest cards. Whoever leads may play a single, a pair, three or four of a kind; everyone after must play the same number of cards of a higher rank, or pass. When everyone passes, the pile clears and the last player to play leads again. The first player out of cards becomes President, then Vice-President, Vice-Scum and Scum — and the titles matter, because before the next round the Scum must hand the President their two best cards and gets two unwanted ones back. Rounds score 3, 2, 1 and 0, and the first to 11 points wins. Unlike Big Two, suits never matter and there are no five-card hands. No download, no sign-up, and it plays on a phone.
How to play President Card Game
- The whole pack is dealt: you and three computer players get 13 cards each. Cards rank 3 (lowest), 4, 5 … Queen, King, Ace, and 2 (highest). Suits never matter.
- In the first round, whoever holds the 3♣ leads, and the lead must include it. A lead is a single card, a pair, three of a kind or four of a kind.
- On your turn, tap the cards you want to play — tapping one card picks as many of that rank as the pile needs — then press Play. Your play must be the same number of cards as the lead and a higher rank. Or press Pass.
- Passing does not lock you out: you can play again when the turn comes back to you. When everyone still in has passed in a row, the pile clears and the last player to play leads anything.
- The first player out of cards is President (3 points), then Vice-President (2), Vice-Scum (1) and Scum (0). From the second round the Scum gives the President their two best cards and gets two back, the Vice-Scum swaps one with the Vice-President, and the Scum leads.
- Rounds continue until someone reaches 11 points. If two players get there in the same round, the higher total wins, and a tie goes to whoever finished higher in that round.
Tips
- Lead your lowest cards early, and lead pairs as pairs. A low single left at the end is the card that keeps you from going out.
- Save your 2s and Aces. Nothing beats a single 2, so it wins the pile back whenever you need the lead — spend it to take control when you are close to going out, not on a cheap pile in the first trick.
- Breaking a pair to beat a single usually costs you more later than it wins now. Pass instead, unless a player is down to their last two or three cards.
- Watch the card counts beside each player. When someone is nearly out, play your high cards to stop them — every place they jump ahead of you is a point.
- As President, give back your two lowest cards, especially lonely singles. As Scum you lose your best two cards but lead first: lead your longest set of low cards to get rid of them.
FAQ
Is the President card game free to play?
Yes. President is completely free to play online with no download, no account and no in-game purchases. It runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer.
How do you play President?
Get rid of all your cards before the other players. The leader plays a single, a pair, three or four of a kind, and each player after must play the same number of cards of a higher rank or pass. When everyone passes the pile clears and the last player to play leads again. The first player out becomes President and the last becomes Scum.
What is the highest card in President?
The 2. Cards rank 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, 2 — so a single 2 cannot be beaten, and a pair of 2s cannot either. Suits never matter: two cards of the same rank are equal, and an equal rank never beats.
What are the house rules in this version?
Passing does not lock you out of the trick, there are no bombs, no skips and no revolutions, and a 2 does not clear the pile by itself — nothing can beat it, so the others pass. The 3♣ leads the first round. From the second round the Scum gives the President their two best cards and gets any two back, and the Vice-Scum and Vice-President swap one card. Rounds score 3, 2, 1 and 0 points, first to 11 wins, and if two players reach 11 together the higher total wins, with a tie going to whoever finished higher in that round.
Is President the same as Scum?
Yes. President, Scum and Capitalism are names for the same family of shedding games, and the ranks — President at the top and Scum at the bottom — give it the name. Japanese Daifugō is a close relative. House rules differ from table to table; the ones played here are listed above.
How is President different from Big Two?
Both are climbing games where you beat the last play with a higher one of the same size. In Big Two suits decide ties (the 2♠ is the single highest card) and you can play five-card poker hands; it is scored by cards left in hand. In President suits never matter, you play only singles and sets of equal rank, and the finishing order earns titles and a card exchange that carries into the next round.
How long does a game take?
A game is never shorter than four rounds, because nobody can reach 11 points in three. In our test games between computer players, nine games in ten ended within six rounds and none took more than seven. A round takes one to two minutes.
How good are the computer players?
They follow a sound plan: lead low sets whole, never break a pair to beat a single unless someone is about to go out, and keep 2s and Aces back to win the pile later. Against three players who always play their lowest legal cards, one of them won about half of the games in our tests, where a fair share is one in four. Against players who choose at random it won almost every game.
Can I play President on my phone?
Yes. The table fits a phone held upright or sideways: tap a card to pick it — one tap picks as many of that rank as the pile needs — and press Play or Pass. On a keyboard, the arrow keys move between your cards, Space or Enter picks one, P plays and X passes.