President (Scum)

Deal all 52 cards as evenly as possible — some players may have one more card than others.

In the first round, the player with the 3 of clubs starts. In later rounds, the previous round's Scum deals and the President plays first.

Starting: The player with the 3 of clubs plays it (alone or as part of a legal group) to begin.

Playing: Clockwise, each player plays cards of equal or higher value than the previous play. The quantity must match (single on single, pair on pair, etc.).

Passing: If you cannot or choose not to beat the current play, you pass.

Clearing: When all other players pass in a row, the last player to play starts a fresh pile with any legal combination.

Finishing: The first player to empty their hand is the President; last place is the Scum. Players in between take ranks accordingly.

Scum gives cards: The Scum must hand their 2 best cards to the President before the round starts.

President gives back: The President gives any 2 cards (usually their worst) back to the Scum.

Seating: In many versions, seating reflects rank — President gets the best seat, Scum the worst.

2s are typically the highest card in most variants — save them for when you need to break a run.

Play your mid-range cards early and save your high cards for end-game control.

Watch how many cards opponents have left — don't give the Scum good cards if they're about to win.