President Card Game Rules

President, also known as Asshole or Scum, is a fast shedding game for three to eight players. The first to get rid of all their cards becomes President; whoever is left holding cards has to hand over their best cards in the next round.

The rules in five points

All cards from two decks (7 to 2) are dealt out; the 2 is the highest card and suits do not count.
The player who starts leads one card or several of the same rank, for example two nines.
In turn, players lay the same number of higher cards or pass; whoever passes is out until the next trick.
When everybody else passes, the last player who laid cards clears the trick and leads again; four of a kind clears at once.
The first player out becomes President; last place hands the President their two highest cards in the next round.

Play with friends: Felt Club puts President, Mau-Mau and Thirty-One on your phone: at the same table over Wi-Fi, online or against bots. No ads, no tracking.

The full rules

At a glance

Players: 3 to 8
Cards: 72 cards from 2 decks, 7 to 2
Hand: All cards are dealt; if they do not divide evenly, some players get one more.
Plays: One card or up to 8 of the same rank at once
Who leads: Round one: the first player at the table. After that: last place from the previous round.
End of the round: As soon as only one player still holds cards; that player is last.
Card swap: Last place gives the President their 2 highest cards and gets back 2 cards of the President’s choice. With 4 or more players, second to last and the Vice president swap one card the same way. The swap starts in round two.

Goal of the game

Get rid of your cards as fast as you can. There are no points, only places: the first player out becomes President, followed by the Vice president and the other places down to last. The places decide who swaps cards before the next round.

Cards and dealing

The game uses two decks without jokers, each with the ranks 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king, ace and 2, 72 cards in all. So every rank appears eight times. All cards are dealt out; if they do not divide evenly, some players get one more.

The rank order from weak to strong: 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king, ace, 2. Suits do not matter: the 9 of spades and the 9 of hearts are equally strong.

Playing a trick

The player who starts leads: a single card or several cards of the same rank, such as a pair or three of a kind. That decides how many cards are played in this trick.

In turn, each player lays the same number of cards, higher than the last ones played, for example two jacks on two nines. Equal cards are not enough. If you cannot or do not want to beat the cards, you pass and are out until the trick ends.

When everybody else has passed, the trick is over. The last player who laid cards clears it and leads again. If that player has already gone out, the next player who still holds cards leads.

Rank order and special rule

Which card beats which, and the one special rule of the standard rules.

Card	What it does
Rank order	From weak (left) to strong (right). Highest card: 2. Suits do not count.
4 of a kind	Clear the trick at once when played legally. Whoever played them leads again.

Four of a kind clears

If you lay four of a kind, the trick is cleared at once, without waiting for the others to pass. The four still have to be a legal play: as a lead, or as a higher answer to four of a kind. Then you lead again.

End of the round and places

The round ends as soon as only one player still holds cards; that player is last. In Felt Club the places from top to bottom are President, Vice president, Citizen, Vice Dishwasher and Dishwasher.

Card swap before the next round

From round two on, cards are swapped after the deal: last place gives the President their two highest cards and may not choose. The President gives back two cards of their choice. With four or more players, second to last and the Vice president swap the same way, one card each.

Then last place from the previous round leads. That gives them a chance to climb back up despite weaker cards.

“At a glance” and the table come straight from the app’s standard rules (template PR-002).

Other ways to play

Almost every table has its own house rules. These variants come with Felt Club as templates:

2 is the lowest card PR-003
The same 72 cards, but the 2 is the weakest card and the ace the strongest.
Without the 2 PR-004
The 2s stay in the box: 64 cards from 7 to ace, with the ace as the highest card.
One deck · 8 skips PR-005
Only one deck of 36 cards, at most four of a kind at once, a single 8 skips the next player, and no cards are swapped between rounds.
Hearts 7 starts, then the last PR-006
Like the standard rules, but in round one whoever holds the 7 of hearts starts; if two players hold one, a draw decides.

In the app you pick the template before the game. Under “Edit rules” you can change any rule, save it and share it with your table.

Try it

What can you lay?

Two nines are on the table. What may you lay on them?

On the table

Answers

Right. jack of clubs, jack of diamonds: two equal cards higher than nine.
Wrong. ace of hearts: A single card does not beat a pair, not even an ace.
Wrong. eight of clubs, eight of diamonds: Eight is lower than nine.
Wrong. nine of clubs, nine of diamonds: Equal is not enough; the answer has to be higher.
Wrong. king of spades, king of hearts, king of clubs: Two cards are answered with exactly two, not three.
Right. Pass: You can always pass; you are then out until the next trick.

What beats an ace?

A single ace is on the table. What may you lay?

On the table

Answers

Right. two of spades: The 2 is the highest card under the standard rules.
Wrong. king of clubs: The king is lower than the ace.
Wrong. ace of hearts: A second ace is only equal.
Right. Pass: You can always pass, and saving your 2 for later is often wise.

Questions and answers

Why is it also called Asshole?

The name comes from last place: at many tables the player left holding cards gets the mocking title and has to hand over their best cards. President is the friendlier name for the same game.

Which card is the highest?

Under the standard rules the 2, then ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8 and 7. Many tables play with the 2 as the lowest card or without 2s at all; Felt Club has both as templates.

Can you play cards of equal rank?

No. The answer has to be higher: a queen needs at least a king, two queens need at least two kings.

Can you come back in after passing?

Not in the same trick. Whoever passes waits until somebody clears the trick and leads again.

What happens with four of a kind?

Four of a kind clears the trick at once when it is a legal play, that is as a lead or as a higher answer to four of a kind. The player who laid it then leads again.

Who starts?

From round two on, last place from the previous round leads. For round one every table has its own rule; with the template “Hearts 7 starts”, whoever holds the 7 of hearts begins.

Which cards does last place give away?

Their two highest cards, to the President, without choosing. The President gives back two cards of their choice, usually their weakest.

How many players do you need?

Three to eight. With four or more, the Vice president and second to last also swap one card each.

When is the round over?

As soon as only one player still holds cards. That player is last and hands over cards in the next round.

More games

Crazy Eights (Mau-Mau) RulesMatch suit or rank, with special cards and the famous “Mau”.
Thirty-One (Schwimmen) RulesThree cards, one suit, as close to 31 as you can get.
All rules at a glance