President
Climbing-style shedding game with a social hierarchy — first out is President, last out is Scum. Hierarchy persists into next round.
What is President?
President is a climbing-style card game (from the Chinese Zheng Shangyou family) popular worldwide under many names ('Scum', 'A**hole', 'Landlord', 'Warlord'). Players race to shed all their cards. First out becomes President for the next hand; last out becomes Scum. The Scum then hands their best cards to the President and gets the President's worst cards — creating a self-reinforcing social hierarchy that is much of the game's charm.
Quick facts
Category
Card Games
Type
Individual
Players
3–8
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇨🇳 China
Estimated origin
20th-century Chinese Zheng Shangyou; Western versions from 1960s
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional