1: Deal out the whole deck, one card at a time. Hands may differ by a card.One regular 52-card deck suits four to seven players.
2: The 2 is the highest card, then ace, king, queen and on down to the 3. Suits do not count.High to low: 2 A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3.
3: The player on the dealer's left leads one card, or a set of cards of the same rank.Three 5s can be led together as one play.
4: Going clockwise, each player beats the last play or passes.Passing is always allowed, even when you hold a card that would win.
5: Any higher single card beats a single card.A 9 beats a 7, and an ace beats a king.
6: A set is beaten only by a higher set with the same number of cards.Two 6s lose to two kings, but not to one king and not to three 7s.
7: Keep going around the table until one play is passed by everyone else.A player who passed may still play when the turn comes back.
8: That clears the pile: set it aside face down. The last to play leads any card or set.If that play was their last card, the next player in turn leads.
9: Out of cards, out of the hand. The rest play on until one player is left holding cards.First out is the President. The player left with cards takes the lowest seat.
1: Deal out the whole deck, one card at a time. Hands may differ by a card.One regular 52-card deck suits four to seven players.
2: The 2 is the highest card, then ace, king, queen and on down to the 3. Suits do not count.High to low: 2 A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3.
3: The player on the dealer's left leads one card, or a set of cards of the same rank.Three 5s can be led together as one play.
4: Going clockwise, each player beats the last play or passes.Passing is always allowed, even when you hold a card that would win.
5: Any higher single card beats a single card.A 9 beats a 7, and an ace beats a king.
6: A set is beaten only by a higher set with the same number of cards.Two 6s lose to two kings, but not to one king and not to three 7s.
7: Keep going around the table until one play is passed by everyone else.A player who passed may still play when the turn comes back.
8: That clears the pile: set it aside face down. The last to play leads any card or set.If that play was their last card, the next player in turn leads.
9: Out of cards, out of the hand. The rest play on until one player is left holding cards.First out is the President. The player left with cards takes the lowest seat.
Show all 35 rows (26 more)
Ranks, seats and the card swap 9
1: First out of cards is the President. Second out is the Vice President.The titles last for one hand.
2: The last player holding cards is the Beggar. Everyone in between is a Citizen.Many tables call the lowest seat the Scum.
3: Before the next deal, change seats: the Vice President sits on the President's left.Go on down the ranks, so the Beggar ends up on the President's right.
4: The Beggar shuffles and deals, starting with the President.At some tables the President deals. Pick one way and keep to it.
5: The swap: the Beggar hands their highest card to the President.It must be the highest. A 2 goes before an ace.
6: The President hands back any one card, and it need not be a low one.The Beggar has no say in which.
7: The President leads the first play of the new hand.From there the hand runs as on the standard sheet.
8: Keeping score: 2 points to the President and 1 to the Vice President each hand.The first to an agreed total, such as 11, wins the evening.
9: No score sheet (ours): agree on a number of hands. The last President wins.Say how many before the first deal.
House rules, each one marked 9
1: These are house rules. Say which are in play before the deal.The standard sheet uses none of them.
2: House rule, equal plays: a card or set may be beaten by one of the same rank.Two 7s can go on two 7s.
3: House rule, skip: match the last play exactly and the next player misses a turn.It only works where equal plays are allowed.
4: House rule, a 2 clears: a single 2 beats any play, even a set, and clears the pile.Its player leads next. In the standard game three aces need three 2s.
5: House rule, jokers: add one or two as the highest cards, above the 2s.Some tables use them as wild cards instead.
6: House rule, low card leads: on the first hand the holder of the 3 of clubs leads.Any 3 agreed on before the deal will do.
7: House rule, pass and wait: once you pass, you are out until the pile is cleared.On the standard sheet a pass lasts one turn.
8: House rule, must beat: a player who can beat the last play has to.Passing is then only for a player with no winning card.
9: House rule, bigger swap: the Beggar gives up two best cards for any two of the President's.The Vice President and the next-to-last player then swap one card each.
Table rulings 8
1: First hand: there are no ranks yet, so nobody swaps cards.The lead belongs to the player left of the dealer.
2: Three can play, and four to seven is the usual table.For a large crowd, shuffle two decks together.
3: You may split a set. Holding three 7s, you can play two and keep one.The play only has to match the number of cards that were led.
4: Nothing beats a single 2 in the standard game.Everyone passes, the pile is cleared, and the player of the 2 leads.
5: A leader may lead any card or any set: a lone 3, or four jacks.The lead sets how many cards every later play must hold.
6: Uneven hands stay uneven. Nobody draws to make up a short hand.With five players and one deck, two players hold eleven cards and three hold ten.
7: A new player joins between hands and takes the lowest seat.They become the Beggar and deal.
8: A player who leaves is not replaced. Everyone below moves up one rank.Players come and go only between hands.
How this list was compiled: Written for this site on 2026-10-09, in our own words. President is a traditional card game with no governing body, and tables play it in many ways. The standard sheet follows the basic game on the card game rules site Pagat, https://www.pagat.com/climbing/president.html, read on 2026-10-09: a regular 52-card deck for about four to seven players, all the cards dealt, cards ranking 2 high down to 3 low with suits ignored, a lead of one card or a set of equal cards, each play beaten by a higher single card or a higher set of the same size, passing always allowed, the pile cleared when everyone else passes, the last to play leading again, and ranks by the order players run out of cards. The seats, the dealer, the swap of the lowest player's highest card for any card of the President's, the points of 2 and 1 with a target such as 11, and every row of the house-rule sheet (equal plays, the skip, a single 2 that clears, jokers, the opening lead, no playing after a pass, one time around, compulsory beating, the two-card swap, two decks, joining and leaving) are as Pagat gives them, each as a variation. English Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, President (card game): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_(card_game), read the same day, gives the game for three or more players, one deck for up to eight, the same order of cards and the same swap, and has the President deal at some tables. The lowest rank is printed here as the Beggar, one of the names Pagat lists. Both sources also describe versions with penalties for the lowest player; this page leaves those out and plays for ranks and points only. Boxed decks are sold for the game under similar names; this page is the folk game for a regular deck and has no tie to any of them. Rows marked ours are this site's own suggestions and are not official. Licence: own work
How it works
President, also called Presidents or Scum, is a card game for four to seven players and a regular deck. Players race to get rid of their cards, and the order they finish in sets everyone's rank for the next hand.
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How to play the card game President: one pile, start to finish
Say the leader plays two 4s. Each player in turn passes or plays a higher pair: two 6s, then two 9s, then two kings. When a play goes around the table and nobody beats it, the pile is set aside and the player who made it leads the next one.
Ranks and the card swap between hands
The order players go out in sets the titles, from the President down to the Beggar, and the titles set the seats, the deal and a card swap before the next hand. Ranks, seats and the card swap has it step by step, and House rules, each one marked lists what tables add.
You may pass while holding a card that would win, so a 2 can wait until taking the lead matters.
Questions and answers
How do you play the card game Presidents?
Deal out the deck. The leader plays a card or a set of equal cards, and each player in turn plays the same number of higher cards or passes. When everyone passes, the last to play leads. First out of cards is President.
What is the highest card in President?
The 2. Cards rank 2, ace, king, queen and on down to the 3, the lowest, and suits do not count. Tables that add jokers rank them above the 2s.
What does the President get in the card swap?
The highest card in the lowest player's hand. In return the President hands back any one card they choose. Some tables swap two cards, and have the Vice President and the next-to-last player swap one.
How many people can play President?
Three at the least, and four to seven is the usual table with one deck. For a bigger crowd, shuffle two decks together.