President
Overview
President (also known as Scum) is a card-shedding game for 3–7 players. Play equal or higher combinations to empty your hand. The first player out becomes President; the last becomes Scum. Between hands, roles force a card trade that favors the hierarchy.
Objective
Be the first to empty your hand each round. Over a match of five hands, earn the most points from your finish positions.
Setup
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Use a standard 52-card deck.
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Deal all cards as evenly as possible (some players may have one extra card).
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Rank order (low → high): 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, 2 (highest).
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First hand: the player holding the 3♣ leads.
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Later hands: the President leads after the role-based trade.
Turn Structure
On your turn you must either:
1.
Play a legal combination onto the pile, or
2.
Pass (only after someone has led the current trick).
Once you pass, you cannot play again until the pile clears.
Valid Plays
Combinations are singles, pairs, triples, or four-of-a-kind of the same rank.
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Leading (empty pile / after a clear): choose any rank in your hand. All cards of that rank are played together; that count becomes the combination size for the trick.
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Following: play the same number of cards of equal or higher rank than the current pile.
Digital lead note
When you lead by selecting a card, every card of that rank in your hand is played. To lead a single, keep only one card of that rank (or choose a singleton rank).
Passing and Clearing
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Pass if you cannot or do not want to beat the current play.
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When every other remaining player has passed, the pile is cleared to the burn pile.
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The last player who successfully played leads the next trick (if they already finished, the next unfinished player leads).
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Playing four of a kind immediately clears the pile; that player leads again.
Finishing and Roles
As players empty their hands, they leave the trick cycle in finish order:
When only one player still has cards, that player is Scum and the hand ends.
Card Trading (Between Hands)
After roles are set and the next hand is dealt:
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Scum → President: Scum gives their 2 highest cards; President gives their 2 lowest in return.
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Vice-Scum → Vice-President (5+ players): Vice-Scum gives their 1 highest; Vice-President gives their 1 lowest.
Scoring
Each hand awards points by finish place:
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Vice-President: 2 points (5+ players only)
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Vice-Scum / Scum: 0 points
Winning the Match
Play 5 hands. The player with the highest total score wins. Ties share the victory.
Special Rules Summary
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2s are the highest rank; they do not automatically clear unless played as four-of-a-kind or everyone else passes.
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Passed players stay out until the next clear.
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No straights or suit requirements in this variant.