How to Play President

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The aim of a game of President is to get rid of all of the cards in the hand. The player who is left with the most cards in their hand is the loser, and the opposite of the President. This is usually a name like bum, beggar, peasant, etc.

How to Play President Card Game

To begin playing, the players must all agree on titles and a fixed hierarchy. Usually something along the lines of President, Vice-President, Treasurer, etc. If there are many players (the game can hold seven), it is often a good idea to jot this down on a score pad.

The game requires a traditional deck of 52 playing cards and the card rank is a bit unusual with 2 as the high card. The remaining order descends from ace to three. The game is played in a clockwise fashion; beginning at the dealer’s left.

The dealer hands out all of the cards in the deck, and this may mean that one or two players are at a disadvantage and have a single card more than the other players. The first player is the lead and lays the card or set of cards of their choice face up in front of their place. The next player to the left must either pass, or play a single or set of cards that beats the first player. This continues around the table.

A single card is beaten by a single card that is higher in rank, and a set of cards will only lose to a higher set with the same number of cards. For instance, if first player lays down three sixes, the next player can play their three eights or kings.
Play continues in this way until one player makes a play that all of the others pass on. At this point, all of the cards that have already been played are turned face down and moved to the side. The player who played the last play then begins again with a new play and the game proceeds as usual.

When a player is out of cards, the game still continues until there is only one player left with cards in their hand. This is the person who becomes the “bum”, “peasant” or whatever name is assigned to the lowest rank. The rest of the titles are assigned by the places the players finished, with the winner becoming President.

Points are kept for the player’s positions, with the President receiving two points per round and the Vice-President (or second rank) receiving a single point. From this point on the players must always pay attention to the rank of the others. The lowest rank will always deal, and the President receives the first card.

The lowest rank always gives the President the highest card they are holding in a new hand, and in return the President hands over any card they do not want. Before a game of President begins, the players must agree to a winning score. Most games end when a player reaches ten or eleven.