President
Beat the pile with a higher set, shed your hand, and rule as President.
How to play President
The deck is dealt to you and three computer players, and cards rank from 3 (lowest) up through the Ace to the 2 (highest). The lead plays any single card or a set of equal rank (a pair, triple or quad) and each player after must play a set of the same size but higher rank, or pass. When everyone else passes, the last player to lay cards clears the pile and leads again. Tap a card to select it (tap more of the same rank for a set), then press Play, or press Pass. The first player to empty their hand becomes President, then Vice-President, then Citizen, and the last one out is the Scum.
Reading the ranks the right way up
President flips the usual order on its head. The lowly 3 is the weakest card and the 2 is the strongest, sitting above even the Ace. Everything between climbs as you would expect, so a hand full of twos and Aces is a hand full of power. Suits mean nothing here; only rank and set size matter, which makes counting the fallen cards unusually easy. You play against three computer opponents, and the first player to empty their hand takes the title of President, with the ranks running down through Vice-President and Citizen to the dreaded Scum in last place.
Play works in sets. The lead puts down a single card or a group of equal rank, a pair, a triple, or four of a kind, and everyone after must match that size with a higher rank or pass. Once the others pass, the last player to lay cards wins the pile and gets a free lead. That free lead is the engine of the whole game.
Managing your hand
- Save your twos for when you need control. A two beats almost anything, so drop one to win a stalled pile and grab the lead exactly when it suits you.
- Shed your low singles early, while the pile is still cheap. Being left holding a lone 3 at the end is how you finish as Scum.
- Think before you break a pair. Splitting a natural pair to answer a single can leave you with an orphan card that is hard to unload later.
- Watch the set size that is leading. If pairs are running and you are rich in singles, you may be forced to pass and wait for a lead that fits your hand.
- Count the twos as they fall. There are only four, and once three are gone, your Ace quietly becomes close to the best card left in the game.
Winning the lead is winning the game
Control is the whole battle. Whoever clears a pile leads the next one, and leading lets you set the shape of the fight: singles, pairs or triples, whichever suits your hand and starves everyone else's. Strong players spend their high cards to seize the lead at the right moment, then dump a cluster of awkward cards before anyone can answer.
Here is the pattern in miniature. Say you are down to a 2, a pair of 9s and a lone 4. Do not sit on the 4 and hope. The next time you hold the lead, throw the 4 first, while your 2 guarantees a way back in. When a later pile stalls, take it with the 2, then lead the pair of 9s and you are out. Reverse the order and the game usually ends with that 4 glued to your hand and a worse title next to your name. Planning your last three plays in advance, an exit set, a re-entry card, and the trash between them, is the sharpest habit in the game.
Passing is a weapon as well. You may pass even when you could beat the pile, and sometimes you should: letting a cheap pile go keeps your strong sets whole for a fight that matters. The computer players tend to spend to win piles; a patient human who spends only for good leads beats them over a long match. Watch who passes on what, too. An opponent who passes on a middling pair is either weak there or hoarding twos, and both facts are worth knowing.
Scum by any other name
President belongs to a family called climbing games that grew up in East Asia. Its direct parent is Daifugo, or grand millionaire, a fixture in Japan for decades, where the loser is called the Daihinmin, the grand pauper. In the West the game picked up blunter names: President, Scum, and a few too rude to print here. Many kitchen-table versions add a cruel tax between rounds, with the Scum forced to hand their best cards to the President, which makes staying on top far easier than getting there. There is even a polished commercial cousin, The Great Dalmuti, designed in 1995 by Richard Garfield of Magic: The Gathering fame. Different tables, same delight: watching a President crash to Scum in one bad round never stops being funny.
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President: frequently asked questions
Is President the same game as Scum or Asshole?
Yes. President is played all over the world under names like Scum, Asshole and Daihinmin. The core rules are identical: beat the pile with a higher set of the same size and race to shed your hand.
What is the card ranking in President?
Threes are the lowest card and twos are the highest, with the order running 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, 2. So a 2 beats an Ace, and a pair of Kings beats a pair of Queens.
How do I play a pair or a triple?
Tap one card to select it, then tap the other cards of the same rank to add them to your set. The count must match the number of cards currently on the pile. When your set is a legal, higher play, press Play.
How do I become President?
Be the first player to get rid of every card in your hand. The order that players finish sets the titles: first out is President, then Vice-President and Citizen, and the last player holding cards is the Scum.
Which card is highest in President?
The 2. Ranks run from 3 at the bottom up through the Ace, and then the 2 sits above everything else. A pair or triple of twos is close to unbeatable, so those cards are worth saving for a key moment.
What can I play on the pile?
A set of the same size and a higher rank than what is showing. If a pair leads, you must answer with a higher pair; if a single leads, a higher single. If you cannot or choose not to beat it, you pass.
What happens when everyone passes?
The last player who laid cards takes the pile and leads the next round with anything they like. Winning a pile this way is the main route to seizing control of the game.
How are the titles decided?
By finishing order. First to empty their hand is President, next is Vice-President, then Citizen, and whoever is left holding cards is the Scum. The goal each round is simply to go out as early as you can.
Why is leading such an advantage?
The player who leads chooses the set size, whether singles, pairs or triples, so they fight the round on terms that fit their own hand. Seizing the lead with a strong card and then dumping your awkward cards is the core tactic.
Is President the same game as Scum or Daifugo?
Same family, different table manners. Daifugo is the Japanese original, and President and Scum are its best-known Western names. Details vary from house to house, but the heart never changes: beat the pile with a higher set of the same size or pass, and empty your hand before everyone else.
Is President free to play?
Yes. President is completely free on Inkplay, with no download, no sign-up, and no in-game purchases. Open the page and play instantly on desktop or mobile.
Can I play President unblocked?
Yes. President runs entirely in your browser with no download, install, or plugins, so it loads instantly and keeps working even on school or work networks where bigger game sites get blocked.
More games to play
In the mood for more? Try Chess, Tic Tac Toe, Connect Four, Reversi, or browse all board games and the full games list on Inkplay. President also appears in Card Games.