President
Beat the play or pass, empty your hand first and take the top seat for the next deal.
President, the classic climbing card game also known as Scum, for you and three computer players. All 52 cards are dealt; the two is the highest card and the three the lowest. Lead a single card, a pair, three or four of a kind, and each player after you must beat it with as many cards of a higher rank or pass. Once everyone else has passed, whoever played last leads again. The first player out of cards becomes the President, then come the Vice-President and the Citizen, and the last one still holding cards is the Scum. From the second deal on, the Scum hands the President their two best cards and the Citizen gives the Vice-President their best one, and both get cards of the other's choosing back. A match is six deals, scored 3, 2, 1 and 0 points by finishing place. The computer plays at three levels, and every day brings a Daily match with the same deals for everyone.
- Category
- Cards & Board
- Modes
- Easy · Medium · Hard · Daily
- Controls
- Mouse · Touch · Keyboard
Loading…
How to play
The cards rank from the two, the highest, down through the ace, king, queen and so on to the three; suits do not matter. In the first deal the player to the dealer's left leads; in later deals the President leads. The leader plays one card or a set of two, three or four cards of the same rank. Each player in turn then plays as many cards of a higher rank, or passes. Passing never shuts you out: when your turn comes round again you may still play. When everyone else still holding cards has passed the last play, the cards are turned down and the player who made that play leads anything; if that player has just gone out, the next player round the table leads. Tap a card to pick it; on a play the right number of that rank is picked for you. When nothing in your hand beats the play, you pass by yourself. The deal ends when only one player holds cards. From the second deal on, before play, the Scum gives the President their two highest cards and the Citizen gives the Vice-President their highest card; then the President gives the Scum any two cards and the Vice-President gives the Citizen any one card. Each deal scores 3 points for the President, 2 for the Vice-President, 1 for the Citizen and none for the Scum. After six deals the most points win, and your score is your points.
What is President?
President is the classic climbing card game, played around the world under many names: Scum, Capitalism, Président in France, Presidente in Spain and Italy, Präsident in Germany. Everyone tries to get rid of their cards first, and the order you go out in decides your rank for the next deal. The first out is the President, the last one still holding cards is the Scum, and at the start of the next deal the Scum has to hand over their best cards.
Here you play against three computer opponents, on three levels, with the basic rules from pagat.com ("President", www.pagat.com/climbing/president.html). A match is six deals, and every deal scores points by finishing place. Every day brings a Daily match, with the same deals for everyone.
How to play President
All 52 cards are dealt, thirteen to each player. Suits do not matter: the two is the highest card, then the ace, king, queen, jack and so on down to the three.
- Leading. In the first deal the player to the dealer's left leads; in later deals the President leads. A lead is one card or a set of two, three or four cards of the same rank.
- Beating. Going round the table, each player either plays as many cards as the last play, of a higher rank, or passes. Two sixes are beaten by two sevens or two kings, never by one king or by three sevens.
- Passing. Passing is always allowed and never shuts you out: when your turn comes round again, you may still play. When nothing in your hand can beat the play, the game passes for you.
- The end of a trick. When everyone else still holding cards has passed the last play, the cards are turned down and the player who made that play leads anything. If that player has just gone out, the next player round the table leads.
- Finishing. The deal goes on until only one player holds cards. The first out is the President, then the Vice-President and the Citizen; the last is the Scum.
- The exchange. From the second deal on, before play, the Scum gives the President their two highest cards and the Citizen gives the Vice-President their highest card. Then the President gives the Scum any two cards and the Vice-President gives the Citizen any one card. When it is your turn to give, the game shows you which cards go, or lets you choose them.
- Scoring. Each deal scores 3 points for the President, 2 for the Vice-President, 1 for the Citizen and none for the Scum. After six deals the most points win, and your score is your points.
Tips and strategy
- Shed the low cards early. A three or a four can only ever be got rid of on a lead or on another very low card. Lead your low cards while you have the lead.
- Keep your sets together. A pair of nines is one turn; broken up, it is two singles that are each harder to place. Beat a single with a single you can spare.
- Save the twos and aces. They win a trick and hand you the lead. Spend them when the lead is worth something: when your hand is short, or when someone else is about to go out.
- Count the high cards. The dots along the top of the table show how many of each rank have been played. Once every two is out, your aces cannot be beaten.
- Plan your way out. If all your sets but one are unbeatable, take the lead and play them one after another, the weak one last.
Frequently asked questions
Is President free?
Yes. Like every game on Play, it runs free in your browser, with no download and no account.
Which rules does this version follow?
The basic game as pagat.com describes it: 2 high, singles and sets of up to four, multi-round passing, the trick won by the last player to play, and the deal played out until one player is left. For the exchange it uses the larger exchange pagat lists for four players: two cards between the Scum and the President, one between the Citizen and the Vice-President. Seats stay where they are between deals. There are no jokers, no plays of equal rank and no revolution.
Why is it also called Scum?
The game has many names, several of them rude. Here it goes by President, and the last player out is called the Scum, as in many English rule books.
How do the levels differ?
On Easy the computer beats a play with whatever card comes first, spends its twos on low cards and breaks its pairs. On Medium it keeps its sets together and saves its aces and twos for the end. On Hard it also counts every card played, knows when a set of its own can no longer be beaten and plans its way out, without ever looking at your cards.
What is the Daily match?
Every day everyone plays the same six deals against the Medium computer, so scores compare directly on the leaderboard.
More like this
Macao
Cards & Board
The Romanian card game: stack the penalties, call Macao.
Durak
Cards & Board
Beat every attack, shed your cards, and don't be the fool.
Cheat
Cards & Board
Lay your cards face down, say what they are, and catch the liars.
Sevens
Cards & Board
Build the rows out from the sevens and sit on the cards the others need.