Overview
President is a fun card game for social gatherings such as game nights and family occasions. The game is easy to learn as you will find out after reading this piece. The objective for each round is to emerge as President by being the first player to get rid of all your cards. More details on how to play President card game is provided below.
Objective
Emerge as the President or Vice-President at the end of each round to score points. The first player to score 11 points wins a game of President.
President Card Game Rules
The following are some President card game rules.
The first round is started by the player with the 3 of clubs while subsequent rounds are started by the current President who plays any card/cards from their hand to start the round.
Card ranking for President card game from the highest to the lowest is as follows; Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3.
2s are used for clearing the pile. Anytime a 2 card is played on the discard pile, the entire pile is cleared. The player that played the 2 card gets to start a new discard pile by playing another card.
A pair of cards beats any single card. A pair can be beaten only by a higher ranking pair or a 3-of-a-kind.
If 3-of-a-kind is played, a higher ranking 3-of-a-kind is needed to beat it.
4-of-a-kind functions just like a 2 card. If a 4-of-a-kind is played, the entire pile is cleared and the player that played it gets to start a new pile.
A 4-of-a-kind can be played at any point during the game. A player with a 4-of-a-kind can play it out of turn.
A player that cannot/beat the last played card or clear the discard pile must pass up their turn.
If the last played card/cards are matched by the current player, the next player to the left must skip their turn.
A player is free to pass up a turn even if they can play.
If all the players pass up their turns and play returns to the player who played the last card/cards on the pile, the pile is cleared and the player gets to start a new pile.
A player cannot play 2 as their last card. This is because playing a 2 clears the pile and the player must start a new pile. If a player has a 2 card as their last card, that player automatically becomes the Beggar for the next round.
The first player to get rid of all their cards in a round becomes the President for the next round while the second person becomes the Vice-president. The last player with card(s) in their hand at the end of a round becomes a Beggar.
The player that emerged as President at the end of a round is awarded 2 points while the Vice-president gets 1 point.
The player that emerged as Beggar from the last round deals the cards for the new round and must clear the pile anytime the discard pile needs to be cleared during the new round. The beggar must also hand over their highest ranking card to the President while the President gives the Beggar any card from their hand.
Number of Players Needed
4 to 7 players are needed. To accommodate more than 7 players, extra card decks will be needed.
Equipment
A 52 card deck for a standard game involving 4 to 7 players. If more than 7 players are available, add an extra card deck.
Setting Up
A player is chosen as the dealer. The dealer shuffles the card deck and shares cards to all the players, one card at a time. All the cards must be shared.
How to Play President Card Game
The game is played in rounds. The opening round is started by the player with the 3 of clubs. This player plays the 3 of clubs into the middle of the playing area to start the discard pile. Play continues clockwise and the next player, in turn, must either match or beat the rank of the previous card played. If a card is matched in rank, the player next in turn is skipped. That player will not play any card on the discard pile for that turn.
Cards are ranked from highest to lowest as follows; Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3. 2s are used for clearing the pile. Anytime a 2 card is played on the discard pile, the entire pile is cleared. The player that played the 2 card gets to start a new discard pile by playing another card. A pair of cards beats any single card. A pair can be beaten only by a higher ranking pair or a 3-of-a-kind.
If 3-of-a-kind is played, a higher ranking 3-of-a-kind is needed to beat it. 4-of-a-kind functions just like a 2 card. If a 4-of-a-kind is played, the entire pile is cleared and the player that played it gets to start a new pile. A 4-of-a-kind can be played at any point during the game. A player with a 4-of-a-kind can play it out of turn.
If a player is unable to beat the previous played card/cards and cannot clear the discard pile by playing a 2 or a 4-of-a-kind, that player must pass up their turn and play moves to the next player in turn. The first player to get rid of all their cards in a round becomes the President for the next round while the second person becomes the Vice-president. Play continues in each round until only one player has any card(s) left. The last player with card(s) in their hand at the end of a round becomes a Beggar. The player that emerged as President at the end of a round is awarded 2 points while the Vice-president gets 1 point.
The player that emerged as Beggar from the last round deals the cards for the new round and must clear the pile anytime the discard pile needs to be cleared during the new round. The beggar must also hand over their highest ranking card to the President while the President gives the Beggar any card from their hand. After the first round, subsequent rounds are started by the current President who plays any card/cards from their hand. The game continues until one player gets 11 points and is declared the winner. Now that you know how to play President, fancy a game with your friends?
Winning the Game
Players earn points by emerging as President or Vice-President at the end of rounds of the game. The first player to get to 11 points wins the game.