Presidents and Assholes
One kit. Endless games.
Setup and Basics
Players: 4 to 7 players.
Deck: Standard 52-card deck (or two decks for larger groups).
Card Ranking: From high to low: 2 is highest, followed by Ace, King, Queen, down to 3 (lowest). Note: In some house rules, 2s or 3s have special powers.
The Deal: The player acting as the "Asshole" (or the dealer for the first round) shuffles and deals out the entire deck evenly to all players. Some players may end up with one more card than others.
How to Play
Opening Lead: The player holding the 3 of Clubs starts the first round by playing it (either alone or as part of a matching pair/set).
Playing Cards: Play moves clockwise. Each player must play a higher card or set of cards of the same quantity (e.g., a single higher card, a higher pair, or a higher triple).
Passing: If you cannot or do not want to play a higher card, you must pass. Passing does not prevent you from playing later if the turn comes back to you before the pile clears.
Clearing the Pile: Play continues until all players pass consecutively. The player who laid down the last valid card clears the pile and gets to lead the next trick with any card or set they choose.
Ending the Round: Play continues until players run out of cards. Do not stop when the first person finishes—keep playing until only one person is left holding cards.
Social Ranks and Titles
When players run out of cards, they earn a title for the next round based on their finishing order:
President: The first person to empty their hand.
Vice President (VP): The second person to finish.
Neutrals / Citizens: Everyone who finishes in the middle.
Vice Asshole / Vice Scum: The next-to-last person to finish.
Asshole / Scum: The last person left holding cards.
The Card Tax (Between Rounds)
Before the next round begins, lower-ranked players must give their best cards to higher-ranked players:
The Asshole must hand their two best (highest) cards to the President, and the President gives back any two unwanted cards from their hand.
The Vice Asshole and Vice President typically exchange one card using the same rule.
The Asshole is also responsible for shuffling and dealing the cards for the new round.
Drinking Rules (Optional)
When played as a drinking game:
Lower-ranked players (especially the Asshole) can be ordered to drink by the President at any time.
If the President reigns for multiple consecutive rounds, they often earn the power to invent a temporary house rule (e.g., players must use a specific phrase or gesture), with a drink penalty for breaking it.