How do you play President?
President is a card game where four players split the whole deck, take turns beating the last set with the same number of higher cards, and the first player to empty their hand becomes President. The finishing order gives the ranks President, Vice President, Citizen and Beggar, worth 3, 2, 1 and 0 points. After 5 rounds the highest total wins.
You sit at the bottom and three computer players (Mia, Leo and Noa) sit left, top and right. In the first round whoever holds the 3 of diamonds leads; from the second round on, the last round's Beggar leads. The leader may play any rank as a single, pair, triple or four of a kind. Everyone after that may only play a set with the same number of cards and a higher rank. The same family of games is called Daifugo in Japan and is also known as Scum in some English speaking groups.
What are the basic rules?
Three ideas carry the whole game: same count but higher, 2 is the strongest, and a pass sits you out until the pile is cleared.
| Rule | Details |
|---|---|
| Dealing | All 52 cards are dealt to the four players, 13 each. With jokers added, two players get 14. |
| Card order | 3 < 4 < 5 < … < 10 < J < Q < K < A < 2. Suits do not matter. |
| Playing sets | Play 1 to 4 cards of one rank together. If the pile is a pair you can only answer with a pair. |
| Passing | Pass when you cannot or do not want to play. A player who passed cannot play again until the pile is cleared. |
| Clearing the pile | When everyone else passes, the pile is cleared and the last player to play leads a new set. If that player has already gone out, the next player leads. |
| Ranks and points | In order of going out: President 3, Vice President 2, Citizen 1, Beggar 0. The 5 round total decides the standings; ties go to the higher rank in the last round. |
| Tribute | Before the next round the Beggar gives their two strongest cards to the President, and the President gives back any two cards. |
What are 8 Stop, Revolution, Runs and Jokers?
They are house rules you can switch on or off under House rules on the start screen. By default 8 Stop and Revolution are on, while Jokers and Runs are off.
| House rule | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Jokers | Off | A joker played alone beats everything. Inside a set it stands in for a missing card, so two 7s and a joker make three 7s. |
| 8 Stop | On | Any set containing an 8 clears the pile at once and the same player leads again. |
| Revolution | On | Playing four of a kind flips the order so 3 is the strongest and 2 the weakest. Another four of a kind flips it back, and the order resets at the end of the round. |
| Runs | Off | Three or more consecutive cards of one suit (for example ♥5 6 7) count as one set. Only a run of the same length can beat it, comparing the lowest cards. Runs do not wrap from 2 back to 3. |
How does the tribute between Beggar and President work?
From the second round, right after the deal, the Beggar's two strongest cards fly to the President automatically, and the President picks any two cards to send back.
If you are President, a prompt asks you to choose two cards to give back. Usually you return lonely low cards such as a 3 or a 4. Giving away part of a pair, or an 8 you could use to stop the pile, only hurts you. If you are the Beggar, your 2s, aces and jokers leave first, so plan to dump your low sets quickly. Whenever ranks change, the throne, chair, cushion and straw mat fly to their new owners and the new ranks are announced.
How different are the computer levels?
There are three. Easy plays any legal set, Normal sheds low cards first and saves strong ones, and Hard counts the cards that have been played, finds sets nobody can beat and chooses when to start a revolution.
| Level | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Easy | Follows the rules but picks at random and sometimes passes for no reason. It often spends 2s and jokers early. |
| Normal | Plays its lowest set first, avoids breaking pairs and passes on low piles to save 2s and jokers. |
| Hard | Counts the remaining cards to find unbeatable sets and chains its last two plays. With a weak hand it starts a revolution with four of a kind, and it uses 8 Stop to win the lead back. |
How do you become President?
- Get rid of low cards early. 3s and 4s almost never get played unless you are leading. Each time you have the lead, play your lowest set.
- Do not break sets. Playing two 7s one at a time means winning the lead twice. Same ranks go out together so your hand shrinks fast.
- Use strong cards to win the lead. Block the pile with a 2 or a joker and everyone passes, so you start fresh. Then play the low set that is hardest to unload.
- Plan your last two plays. Keep one unbeatable set and one other set. The first wins the lead and the second empties your hand.
- Revolt when your hand is weak. With many low cards, a four of a kind turns them into the strongest cards at once. If someone else revolts while your hand is strong, a four of a kind of your own flips it back.
Controls
- Mouse: click a card to raise and select it. Cards you can play float slightly, and cards you cannot play are shaded. Use the Play button at the lower right.
- Phone and tablet: tap cards to select, then tap Play or flick a selected card upward. When the pile is a pair or more, tapping one card picks the matching number of that rank for you.
- Passing: tap Pass or press P. If nothing in your hand can beat the pile, you pass automatically after a moment.
- Keyboard: ← → to move between cards, Space to select, Enter to play, Esc to clear the selection, M to toggle sound.
The rank announcement and scoreboard appear after every round, and your record, house rules and computer level are saved only in this browser. Card faces and sounds are drawn and synthesized in code, so nothing is downloaded.