The card game “President” goes by many different names, including “Rich Man, Poor Man”, “President and Scum”, as well as other more vulgar titles. There are many discrepancies about the origins of “President”. According to Encyclopedia Brittanica Online, the card game is of Chinese origin and it “suddenly appeared in the Western world during the 1980s.”
Regardless of how online “President” came to be, it is a great way to entertain a group of friends virtually. There are too many versions of the game to count, and depending on which version is being played, only four people can participate, or as many as 10-12. The rules of the game are a bit complex to explain, but the game is relatively easy to play.
With a smaller group, one 52-card deck is sufficient. With larger groups, two decks might be necessary. “President” is a game about social order, where the goal is to be rid of the cards in hand as fast as possible.
On the first hand, everyone is equal. Someone deals the cards counter-clockwise until the entire deck is passed out. If there are extra cards, place them in a pile out of the way. They won’t be needed for this round.
It’s usually best to sort cards in hand in numerical order, with pairs and three-of-a-kind being higher than single cards. The person with the three clubs starts to play.
Players must play a card that is equal to or higher than the previous card played. A player can also choose to pass. Though the objective is to get rid of all one’s cards first, the player might see an advantage in holding onto certain cards until his or her next turn.
Skipping: If a player plays the same card on top of what was just played, the next person is skipped. If a third person plays that same card, it only skips the person after him or her. A double-skip occurs when a pair is played on top of the same numbered pair, in which case two people lose their turn.
Reversing: Playing four-of-kind reverses the direction of play.
If everyone passes, then the pile is cleared and the person who laid the last play down gets to start a new count with whatever they wish.
2’s automatically clear the pile and the person who played it gets to start with another card.
4’s can be played on top of anything and act as a free pass card. The next person must then try to beat whatever was played just before the 4 was played.
In some versions, Jokers are included and play varying roles. In some versions, a Joker beats everything else except a 2.
Here’s where the game gets interesting. Regarding the “social status” of the game, whichever player gets rid of all of his or her cards first in one round is the President for the next round. This person is the Scum, Beggar, Whipping Boy, or whatever title is given. Essentially, this person is the lowest rank.
Here’s an example of a hierarchy. Depending on how many players are playing, positions can be added or subtracted accordingly.
President
Vice President
Governor
Mayor
High Citizen
Middle Citizen
Low Citizen
Vice Scum
Scum
After a round is played, everyone must move to sit in the order of their rank with the Vice President sitting to the President’s left, the Governor sitting to the Vice President’s left, and so on. This part of the game can be spiced up for added fun. For example, the President’s chair could include extra blankets and cushions to make it more comfortable, while the Scum might have to go without a chair altogether and even wear a goofy hat.
First, the Scum from the previous round must deal out all cards. It’s important that the cards be dealt counter-clockwise. However, in the case that they don’t, the extra cards should be dealt to the low-ranking players before the higher-ranking players. It’s just another perk of doing well in the previous round.
The Scum is responsible for shuffling and dealing with the cards, but also for clearing piles when they need to be cleared. To make the game more fun, it is appropriate for higher-ranking players to give the Scum a hard time if he or she forgets to clear a pile.
At the beginning of the round, the President gets to exchange his or her two worst cards with the Scum’s two best cards. In addition, the Vice President gets to exchange his or her best card with the Vice Scum’s worst card.
Like in the first round, whoever runs out of cards first is the President for the next round.
There are different ways of determining a winner. Sometimes, the game is best when there is no overall winner. However, a common way to determine a victor is to award chips or points to those who reach a certain rank. For instance, a person might be awarded three points each time he or she becomes President, two points for Vice President, and one point for Governor. Whoever accumulates the most points after a designated amount of time, or whoever reaches a certain amount of points first wins.
“President” has become popular as a beer-drinking game. The rules are the same with a few twists. First, while the Scum is dealing with the cards, he or she has the ability to make any other player take a drink. However, once the round starts, players can only make anyone who ranks lower drink. In other words, the President can make anyone drink, the Vice President can make anyone except the President drink, while the Scum can make no one drink.
Here is an example of other times during the game when players must drink:
If the Scum hesitates to clear the pile right away, he or she must drink.
If a player passes, they must take a drink.
If a 4 is played, it’s called a “social” and everyone must drink.
Another common rule is that a President can include a rule if he or she has been President at least twice in a row. That rule stays in effect for the entire game unless another player becomes President at least twice in a row and cancels it. These rules are typically silly. For instance, a rule might be that nobody can say a certain word, or that everyone must place their thumb on the table whenever a certain card is played. The last person to place their thumb on the table must take a drink.
However “President” is played, it is an ideal online casino card game now for as few as four to as many as ten or more people. What’s intriguing about it is how many ways it can be played and how many possibilities for new rules there are. Those playing this as a drinking game should play responsibly and expect not to drive
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