How to Play

Shedding and climbing game for 3 to 8 players. Empty your hand first to become President; last out becomes the Asshole and pays the card tax to the President next hand. 2 is the highest-ranking card, outranking the Ace.

President (also Asshole, Scum, Capitalism, Daihinmin) is a shedding and climbing card game for 3 to 8 players where the objective is to be the first to run out of cards. A standard 52-card deck (plus 0, 1, or 2 jokers in many rule sets) is dealt out as evenly as possible. Players empty their hand by leading or following with card combinations (singles, pairs, trios, four-of-a-kinds) of strictly higher rank than the previous play. The 2 is the highest rank, outranking the Ace. When every other player passes in succession, the last player who played takes the lead and starts a new combination. The first player out becomes President, the next is Vice President, the last is the Asshole (sometimes Scum), and the next-to-last is the Vice Asshole. Before each subsequent hand, the class structure drives a tax: the Asshole gives their two best cards to the President, who returns any two unwanted cards; the Vice Asshole and Vice President exchange one card the same way. Play proceeds for multiple hands; the social ritual of President / Asshole ranks is the central appeal, with the stratification making it harder for the Asshole to climb and easier for the President to stay on top. House rules vary enormously: revolutions (instant reverse of rank order when 4-of-a-kind is played), social etiquette rules (only speak when spoken to by the President), and 'card tax' variations are common from group to group.

Players

3 to 8 players, best at 4 to 6; more than 8 requires a second deck. No partnerships. Play is clockwise. A single deal takes 3 to 8 minutes, with full sessions of 5 to 15 hands lasting 30 to 90 minutes. Deal rotates clockwise after each hand, but the Asshole always deals (this is part of the social hierarchy).

Card Deck

• One standard 52-card French-suited pack for 3 to 5 players. Two packs combined for 6 or more. Many groups add 1 or 2 jokers as the top-ranking card.
• Card ranking (high to low) in the standard version: 2, A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3. The deuce is the highest rank. Jokers, if used, rank above 2.2♠A♠K♠Q♠J♠
• Suits are irrelevant for rank in most rule sets; only card rank and combination type matter.
• Regional variant: In some U.S. West Coast and Hawaiian house rules, Ace is high and 3 is low (standard ordering); confirm which version before starting a hand.

Objective

Each hand: be the first player to play every card from your hand. Finish order assigns social roles (President, Vice President, Neutral, Vice Asshole, Asshole) that persist into the next hand via the card tax. Across a session: stay President for as many consecutive hands as possible, or climb out of the Asshole seat. The game has no fixed scoring target; it ends by social agreement after an agreed number of hands or a set time.

Setup and Deal

1. First hand: choose a dealer randomly (often cut high card). From then on, the Asshole deals.
2. Deal the entire deck out clockwise one card at a time, starting with the player to the dealer's left, until all cards are distributed. In 5-player or 7-player games some hands will be one card shorter; this is fine.
3. Each player picks up and sorts their hand privately.
4. Card tax (from hand 2 onward): The Asshole gives their 2 highest-ranked cards (their best 2 cards) to the President face-down. The President then gives any 2 cards back to the Asshole (typically their worst 2 cards). The Vice Asshole gives their 1 highest card to the Vice President, who returns any 1 card. Neutral players skip the tax.
5. First hand of a session (no ranks yet): skip the card tax. The dealer's left leads.
6. After the tax: the President leads the first trick of the hand with any legal combination.

Gameplay

1. Leading: Whoever holds the lead may play any legal combination: a single card, a pair (two of the same rank), a trio (three of the same rank), or a four-of-a-kind.
2. Following: Each player in turn must either play a strictly higher combination of the SAME type and SAME number of cards, or pass. Example: a lead of a pair of 7s can only be followed by a higher pair (two 8s or two 9s, up through two 2s or a pair of jokers), or a pass; no triples, singles, or four-of-a-kinds may be substituted.
3. Passing: A player may always pass. A player who has passed during a given trick may typically play again when a new trick starts (though strict variants lock them out for the rest of the trick).
4. Ending a trick (clearing): When every other player has passed since the last play, the trick is cleared: all played cards go to a discard pile, and the last player to play takes the lead with any new combination.
5. Matched rank (instant pass): If a player plays a card of the exact same rank as the top of the trick, many house rules treat the next player as skipped. This 'match to skip' or 'sochi' rule is optional; confirm before play.
6. Completing the hand: Finishing order determines social rank for the next hand. The instant a player empties their hand, they are locked into their rank (President if first, then Vice President, Neutral, Vice Asshole, Asshole). Play continues among the remaining players for the lower ranks.
7. The last player holding cards is the Asshole. They deal the next hand and pay the card tax.

Social Roles and Tax

• President: first to go out. Sits in the best seat (or at the 'head' of the table). Receives 2 best cards from the Asshole and gives back 2 unwanted ones. Leads the first trick. In some rule sets, may demand drinks, set rules ('no speaking unless spoken to'), or move seats.
• Vice President: second to go out. Exchanges 1 card with the Vice Asshole (best for any). Sits second-best.
• Neutral: middle players. No tax, no privileges, no penalties. In games with fewer than 5 players, there may be zero neutrals.
• Vice Asshole: second-to-last out. Gives their 1 highest card to the Vice President.
• Asshole (or Scum): the last player holding cards. Deals, gives 2 best cards to the President in tax, and often receives additional social penalties such as speaking only when spoken to, sitting in the worst seat, or fetching drinks for the President.

Revolution (Optional but Very Common)

• Revolution rule: when any player plays a four-of-a-kind (four cards of the same rank) as a single combination, the card ranking is reversed for the rest of the current hand: 3 becomes the highest card and 2 becomes the lowest.
• Counter-revolution: if another four-of-a-kind is played while revolution is in effect, ranking flips back to normal.
• Effect on strategy: the Asshole often hoards their 3s when possible, hoping for a revolution to immediately turn their worst cards into their best.
• Mandatory in Japan: in the classic Japanese game Daihinmin (which is the same game), revolution is a core rule rather than optional.

Winning

There is no fixed match-win condition. Players agree on a session length (often 10 or 20 hands, or a time limit). The player who holds the President title most often across the session is typically declared the session winner. Some groups track a running tally: +3 for each President finish, +2 for Vice President, 0 for Neutral, -2 for Vice Asshole, -3 for Asshole. At session end, the highest total wins.

Common Variations

• Asshole / Scum / Capitalism / Daihinmin: same game, different regional names. Capitalism uses softer titles (President / Vice President / Middle / Vice Scum / Scum) but otherwise identical.
• Card tax amounts: 3-2-1 tax (President gets 3 from Asshole, Vice President gets 2 from Vice Asshole, Neutral gets 1 from... no, this is rare; the 2-1 tax is standard).
• Revolution (as above): four-of-a-kind reverses ranks.
• Social rules: President may make any house rule they wish for the next hand ('nobody speaks above a whisper', 'Asshole must stand'). Violators gain cards as a penalty.
• Matched-rank skip ('Kimi'): playing the same rank as the top of the trick skips the next player's turn.
• Run play: some versions allow sequential-rank 'runs' (3-4-5 of any suits) in addition to sets. Runs must be the same length to beat.
• Jokers as wild: 1 or 2 jokers added; rank above 2 and act as the highest single card. Cannot be used in pairs or trios of other ranks.
• Big Two-style suit tiebreak: in some Asian variants, spades > hearts > diamonds > clubs to break same-rank ties in singles.
• Kings Up / 2-bomb: a single 2 or a single Joker can be played as a 'bomb' over any pair or trio, breaking the same-type rule.

Tips and Strategy

• President: hoard 2s and jokers for late-hand control. Playing a 2 forces every opponent to pass, letting you clear the trick and lead any new combination. Save 2s until you have only a few unplayable cards left.
• Asshole: break up your top cards quickly. Your 2 best cards just got taxed. Dumping Kings and Aces early prevents the next tax from giving the President even more ammunition.
• Play runs of pairs and trios when you have them. A pair of 10s may force 6 cards to be played (two 10s + two opponent Jacks + two opponent Queens), clearing 6 cards from the table rather than just 2 singles.
• Don't lead your highest card until you can win out. If you lead a 2 and then have singles to play, you wasted the 2; save it to clear the trick AFTER you lead a run-out combination.
• Count tax gifts. The cards the President gave back are a signal: they are the President's weakest 2 cards. Memorise them; you often know exactly which ranks the President cannot beat next hand.
• Revolution gambit: if the Asshole rule is in force, holding a four-of-a-kind low is a huge asset. Three 3s plus a 3 from the next tax gives the Asshole an instant game-winning four-of-a-kind.
• Watch the deal rotation. In 5-player and 7-player games, some hands are one card shorter; the player with the shorter hand has a natural edge in a close hand.

Glossary

• President / Asshole / Scum / Daihinmin: the game's name in different regions. All describe the same game.
• Tax: the card exchange at the start of each hand: Asshole gives 2 best cards to President and receives 2 unwanted cards back, and Vice Asshole gives 1 best card to Vice President for 1 unwanted card back.
• Revolution: optional rule where playing a four-of-a-kind flips rank order for the rest of the hand.
• Bomb: a four-of-a-kind, or in some variants a single 2 or Joker, that can be played out of the normal same-type rule.2♠2♥2♦2♣
• Neutral: a middle-ranked player with no tax or privilege.
• Vice President / Vice Asshole: the 2nd and 2nd-to-last finishers; exchange 1 card each new hand.
• Clearing the pile: when all other players pass on a play and the trick is complete; last player to play leads the next trick.
• Going out: playing your last card(s). Finish order locks in social rank.