President (Scum)

Objective

Be the first player to shed all your cards. The order in which players finish determines their social rank for the next round — from President (first out) to Scum (last out). Higher ranks enjoy privileges in subsequent rounds; the Scum suffers disadvantages.

The Basics

President (also known as Scum, Asshole, Warlords & Scumbags, or by various regional names) is a competitive shedding card game. Players take turns playing cards that must beat the previous play, either passing or playing higher-ranked cards or sets. The key twist is the social hierarchy that carries over between rounds — the current Scum must deal and pass their best card to the President, creating an asymmetric start each round that reinforces good positions.

The Deck and Card Ranking

Use a standard 52-card deck. Card ranking from highest to lowest: 2 → A → K → Q → J → 10 → 9 → 8 → 7 → 6 → 5 → 4 → 3. Twos are the highest-value cards in the game.

Suits are irrelevant.

Setup and Dealing

The Scum from the previous round deals (or a random player deals the first round). Deal all 52 cards one at a time clockwise until the deck is exhausted. Some players may have one more card than others — this is fine.

Card Exchange (After the First Round)

Before each hand (except the first), a card exchange occurs based on the ranks from the previous round:

• The Scum gives their 2 best cards to the President.
• The President returns any 2 cards of their choice to the Scum.
• (With 6+ players) The Vice-Scum gives their 1 best card to the Vice President; the Vice President returns any 1 card.

Turn Structure

The player who starts the first round is whoever holds the 3 of Clubs (they must play it). In subsequent rounds, the President starts.

On each turn, a player may:

• Play — Play a valid card or set of cards that beats the previous play (see below).
• Pass — Decline to play. Passing is always allowed.

Play proceeds clockwise. Once all players have either played or passed, the player who made the last (highest) play starts a new "trick" by leading any card or set.

What Beats What

• A single card is beaten by any single card of higher rank.
• A pair (two cards of the same rank) can only be beaten by a higher pair.
• A triple can only be beaten by a higher triple.
• A quad (four of a kind) can only be beaten by a higher quad.
• You must always match the number of cards played — you cannot play a single to beat a pair, or a triple to beat a pair.

Winning Each Round

Players finish as they empty their hands. Rank them in order:

• President — first out (2 VPs, or simply highest status)
• Vice President — second out (1 VP, or medium status)
• Citizens / Neutrals — middle finishers (0 VPs)
• Vice Scum — second-to-last out (−1 VP or lower status)
• Scum — last player holding cards (−2 VPs or lowest status, must deal and lose card exchange)

Agree before playing on how many rounds to play, or play until one player reaches a set score (e.g., first to 11 points as President).

Key Rules

• Twos are the highest cards — a single 2 beats any single Ace, and can only be beaten by a pair of 2s.
• The Scum must give their best 2 cards to the President; they cannot give their worst cards.
• The President may return any 2 cards — they are not obligated to return their worst cards.
• Passing is always allowed, even if you could legally play.
• A player who passes may not re-enter the current trick — they must wait until the next trick begins.
• The player who plays last in a trick leads the next one.

Optional / Common Rules

Many groups add house rules — agree on these before starting:

• Revolution: Playing four cards of the same rank reverses the card hierarchy (3s become highest, 2s lowest) for the rest of the round.
• 2-clears: Playing a 2 immediately clears the trick (all cards discarded), and the player who played the 2 starts fresh.
• Scum leads first: Some groups have the Scum lead the first trick rather than the President.

At the Table

Manage your hand carefully: don't burn your 2s early unless necessary — they are guaranteed trick-enders. Save high pairs and triples to close out tricks at critical moments. The card exchange at the start of each round is significant: Presidents should capitalize on it by offloading low cards; Scums should maximize the value they pass.