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How to Play President

Climb the social ladder — or end up the Scum.

Also known as Daifugō · Scum · Rich Man Poor Man · Satte Pe Satta (Indian variant)

👥 3–6 players · Easy difficulty

Learn President for 3–6 players: beat matching combinations, pass, clear the pile and understand card exchanges. See a pair-by-pair example.

A higher pair beats a pair

7♣7♦9♥9♠

With Revolution off, 9♥ and 9♠ beat 7♣ and 7♦. A single ace cannot beat that pair: the number of cards must match. When everyone else passes, the last player to play leads a fresh pile.

Worked example
Situation	Result
7♣ + 7♦ → 9♥ + 9♠	Legal
7♣ + 7♦ → A♠	Not legal
Everyone else passes	Choose a new combination

Check setup options before playing: Revolution, eight-cut and card exchanges change your strategy.

Practise this game in your browser

🎯 Objective

Be the first to get rid of all your cards and become President.

🃏 President Setup & Rules

Deal all cards out one at a time; with an uneven count the first seats get one extra.
From round 2 (Card exchange on): the Scum gives their best 2 cards to the President, who gives back any 2; with 4 or more players the Vice Scum and Vice President swap 1 the same way.

▶ How to Play President

The player holding the 3♣ leads.
Play moves clockwise. Each player must play the same card type (single, pair, triple) but HIGHER than the previous play, or pass.
When all others pass, the last player to play starts a new round with any combination.
The first player to empty their hand is the President; the last is the Scum.
Four of a kind starts a Revolution: the rank order flips for the rest of the hand, or until another four of a kind flips it back (optional).
Playing 8s clears the table at once, and you lead again (optional 8 cut).

🎬 Watch: How to Play President

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📖 Detailed Guide

Setting up the game

President seats 3 to 6 players and uses the standard deck, dealt out as evenly as possible.
Card ranks run from 3 as the lowest up to 2 as the highest, which is the reversal that gives the game its character.
The aim of every hand is simply to be the first to get rid of all your cards.
Finishing order sets each player's rank for the next hand, and that rank is what the game is really about.

The card exchange

From the second hand onwards, play opens with an exchange between the highest and lowest ranked players.
The bottom player hands their best cards up, and the top player passes cards back down in return.
Card exchanges favour the higher finishers, so escaping last place matters in the next round too.
The exchange happens before any cards are played, so you plan the hand already knowing what you gave and received.

Playing a trick

The player in control leads one or more cards of the same rank — a single, a pair, three of a kind, and so on.
Everyone after them must play the same number of cards, all of one rank, and beat what is showing.
If you cannot or will not beat it, you pass. Passing puts you out of the trick until it clears.
When everyone else has passed, the table clears and the last player to have played leads whatever they like.

Ranks and winning

The first player to shed every card takes the top rank for the next hand; the last one left holding cards takes the bottom.
Middle finishers fill the ranks in between, in the order they went out.
Holding a pair or triple of high cards is usually stronger than the same cards spread across separate tricks, because multi-card leads shut out anyone who cannot match the count.
The game runs for the rounds chosen at setup (5 by default); the lowest total of finishing places wins.

📊 President Scoring

Finishing order: 1st = President, last = Scum. Roles determine the card-trade handicap for the next round. Each round scores your finishing place (1 for President up to the player count for the Scum). After the chosen number of rounds (5 by default, 1 to 10) the lowest total wins.

❓ President — Frequently Asked Questions

How many players do you need for President?

President is played with 3–6 players. On Vanikar, empty seats can be filled with AI opponents so you can always start a game.

How does the card trade work in President?

Before each round after the first, the Scum gives the President their two highest cards and gets any two back; with five or more players the Vice-Scum and Vice-President trade one card the same way. The President then leads.

What beats what in President?

Singles beat singles, pairs beat pairs and so on, by rank: 3 is lowest, then up to King, Ace, and 2 is highest. You must match the number of cards led, and you may pass even when you can play.

What is a Revolution in President?

Four of a kind played together turns the ranking upside down for the rest of the round: 3s become the strongest cards and 2s the weakest. Another four of a kind turns it back.

How is President scored in the app?

Each round you score your finishing place, 1 for the President up to the number of players for the Scum. After the chosen number of rounds, five by default, the lowest total wins.