How to Play President (Card Game)

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President is a fun and fast-paced card game where players' positions change every round. The winner of each round becomes the president while the loser is the Janitor. Once you get the basic rules down, you might try one of the many variations of this popular card game.

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Starting the First Round

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  1. You cannot play Presidents with fewer than 4 people. If you want to include more than 7, however, you will need to shuffle a second deck of cards into the pile. [1]
  2. Go around the circle until all of the cards have been dealt. Some players may have one more card than other players, which is fine. [2]
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  3. This card always starts the first round. Other than this one card, no one else should reveal which cards are in their hand. [3]
  4. The rank of a card is the number. The lowest rank is a 3 and the highest rank is an ace. Cards with a 2 do not have a rank. [4]
    • For example, after the first person puts down the 3 of clubs, the player to their left must put down a 4 or higher. If the second player puts down a 4, the third player must put down a 5 or higher. They cannot put down a 3.
  5. Take away all of the cards in the pile and put them aside until the next round. The person who put the 2 down can now choose any card and play it. The person after them now has to outrank this new card. [5]
    • A 2 card cannot be the last card that you play in your hand. If you only have a 2 card left and you play it, you automatically lose the game, becoming the “scumbag” or “a-hole.” [6]
  6. You can put down 2 or more cards of the same rank on the pile. In this case, the next person has to match this with the same number of cards but of a higher rank. [7]
    • So if you put down a pair of 5’s, the next person must put down a pair of 6’s or higher. They cannot put down 1 king (even though it outranks a 6) or a pair of 4’s (because although they have a matching pair, 4 is a lower rank).
    • If all 4 cards of a number are put down, the pile is cleared. So if 4 aces are put down, you clear the pile and the last person to play sets down a new card.
  7. If you cannot outrank the top card on the pile, say pass. People may keep passing until someone puts a card down. If the entire circle of players says pass, clear the pile. The last person to play a card can now put down any card of their choice. [8]
  8. There are 3 ranks in this game based on who lost their cards first and last. Once you have run out of cards, you stop playing until other players have also lost their cards. [9]
    • The first person to lose all of their cards is the president. They get 2 points.
    • The second person to lose all of their cards is the vice-president. They get 1 point.
    • The last person to have any cards is known as the a-hole, scumbag, or bum. They get no points, but they must trade cards with the president next round.
    • If you decide to only play one round, the president is the winner. Traditionally, however, several rounds are played until someone gets 11 points and wins.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Playing Subsequent Rounds

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  1. The a-hole must give the president their highest-ranking card. The president, meanwhile, can give the a-hole any card from their hand that they choose. Usually, the president will give the a-hole a low-ranking card. [10]
    • None of the other players should see which cards they traded.
  2. For all rounds after the first round, the president will play the first card. They can play any card that they choose. [11]
  3. Whoever lost their cards first this round is now the president, followed by the vice-president. Award them points. The person who still has cards at the end is now the new a-hole. [12]
    • The president gets 2 points. The vice-president gets 1 point. No one else gets points.
    • It is a good idea to have someone writing down the point tally as you play the rounds.
  4. Keep playing new rounds until someone manages to get 11 points. If you want to make the game longer or shorter, you can change this number at the beginning of the game. [13]
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Incorporating House Rules

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  1. In normal games of Presidents, there are only 3 positions: president, vice-president, and a-hole. The other players have no special title or rules. You can create new positions for these players if you would like. [14]
    • Treasurer and secretary are usually the third and fourth person to lose all of their cards. These positions are useful if you will allow the president to make up new rules as the game goes on.
    • Vice-a-hole is the second-to-last player to lose their cards. At the beginning of a new round, the vice-a-hole gives the president 1 card while the a-hole gives the president 2.
  2. If one person keeps winning, you might let them make up a new rule for the rest of the game. This can be anything that the president wants. For example:
    • If you are playing with extra positions, you might make up special rules for them, since normally there are none. For example, you might say that the treasurer and secretary can trade cards at the beginning of every round.
    • If you’re playing this as a drinking game, you might make a rule like “Everyone must drink when the 8 of clubs is played” or “whoever puts down a matching set must drink.”
  3. In some variations of the game, if you put down 2 cards of the same rank, you automatically beat any single card currently on the pile. So a pair of 3’s would beat a single queen. The next player would still have to put down 2 cards of a higher rank. [15]
    • In this variation, a larger set will always beat a lower rank. So if you play a pair of 6’s, the next person can beat you with a trio of 4’s. The person after them can beat that with a complete set of 3’s.
  4. Another popular variation is to allow people to put down cards that match the rank of the card on top. For example, if a 5 is the top card on the pile, you are allow to put down another 5 instead of a 6 or higher. [16]
    • Skip the next player when you match rank. So if you match a 5 with another 5, the person to your left loses their turn.
  5. The rules are largely the same, only every person needs a drink. The president can ask someone to take a sip at any time. The vice-president can ask anyone except the president to drink. [17]
    • You should drink when you pass or are skipped.
    • Everyone should drink when a 2 is played.
    • In some variations of the game, when the president says “board meeting,” everyone finishes their drinks.
    • Traditionally, the a-hole must refill people’s drinks.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Is this card game suitable for everyone?
    Cassidy Faith
    Community Answer
    I'd recommend it for kids older than 9 or 10, as long as you make the loser a "scumbag" or "butthole" instead of using the curse word.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    Not Helpful 35 Helpful 18
  • Question
    What can beat 3 Aces? And do you play with the two Jokers?
    IiEmeraldz
    Community Answer
    Four aces if you have more than one deck of 4 of any other card. If not, you can beat 3 aces. Usually play with jokers being highest and 2's just being 2's.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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    Not Helpful 4 Helpful 8
  • Question
    Can you put down a two anytime?
    IiEmeraldz
    Community Answer
    Yes! But if you put in down as your last card, then you lose. If you want, you can play with jokers being highest, however if you do, 2 would be the lowest card.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/climbing/president.html
      2. ↑ http://www.52pickup.net/card-games/president/
      3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYcH0bzsmsI&feature=youtu.be&t=230
      4. ↑ http://www.52pickup.net/card-games/president/
      5. ↑ http://drinkinggamezone.com/drinking-games/asshole/
      6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYcH0bzsmsI&feature=youtu.be&t=209
      7. ↑ http://www.52pickup.net/card-games/president/
      8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYcH0bzsmsI&feature=youtu.be&t=178
      9. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/climbing/president.html
      1. ↑ http://www.52pickup.net/card-games/president/
      2. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/climbing/president.html
      3. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/climbing/president.html
      4. ↑ http://www.52pickup.net/card-games/president/
      5. ↑ http://drinkinggamezone.com/drinking-games/asshole/
      6. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/climbing/president.html
      7. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/climbing/president.html
      8. ↑ http://drinkinggamezone.com/drinking-games/asshole/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      President is a fun 4-7 player card game where players try to get rid of all their cards as fast as possible so they can get a better ranking than the other players. To play, first deal out all of the cards in a standard card deck clockwise to all of the players. The player with the 3 of clubs goes first and plays it in the middle of the table. Then, the player to their left must play a 3 or higher. They can also play a 2 to clear the deck and then play any card from their hand. Players can put down multiple cards of the same rank—2 cards beat 1 card, 3 cards beat 2 cards, and so on. For example, two 6’s beat 1 queen and three 5’s beat 2 kings. Once the second player takes their turn, the player to their left must now play something higher or play a 2 to clear the deck. If a player can’t beat the previous cards played or clear the deck, they pass. The game continues like this around the circle until everyone has run out of cards except for one player. The player who runs out of cards first becomes the “President” and earns 2 points. The second player to go out becomes the “Vice President” and earns 1 point. The last player left in the round is the “A-hole,” who has to give the highest card in their hand to the President at the beginning of the next round. The President gives the A-hole any card in their hand they want to get rid of. Then, the President plays first to start the round. At the end of that round, the first player out becomes the new President, the second player out becomes the new Vice President, and the last player in becomes the new A-hole. The game continues until one player scores 11 or more points and wins! To learn how to play subsequent rounds of the game, keep reading!

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