- Score sheets
- Card games
- President
President card game score sheet
A President card game score sheet turns each hand’s finishing order into points: 2 for the President, who went out first, 1 for the Vice-President, 0 for everyone else. Keep a running total, and the game ends when someone reaches the target you agreed, such as 11.
- 3 or more players
- One deck, 2s high
- Points by place: 2, 1, 0
- Play to 11
Tabletales is free on iPhone and iPad.
This is the real Scorepad, live: 2 for the President, 1 for the Vice-President, 0 for the rest, played to 11. Tap any hand to change it.
President
A climbing card game where everyone races to get rid of their cards by beating the last play, and the order you go out in sets your title, from President down to Scum, for the next hand.
How to play President, in brief
In President, you race to get rid of your cards, and the order everyone finishes in gives each player a title, from President down to Scum, for the next deal.
- Deal every cardDeal out a 52-card deck. Cards rank 2 high, then ace, king, down to 3; suits don’t matter.
- Beat the last playThe player left of the dealer leads a card or a set of one rank, like a pair. In turn, pass or play the same number of cards, of a higher rank.
- Clear and lead againWhen everyone passes, clear the cards, and the last player to play leads anything. A pass doesn’t stop you playing later.
- Go out for a titleFirst out is the President, last the Scum. Next deal, the Scum hands the President their best card and gets back one the President doesn’t want. There is no set end, so agree a points target.
The order you go out in is the score.
President has no points of its own. Each hand ranks the table, from the President, first to get rid of their cards, down to the Scum, left holding cards at the end. To play to a winner, Pagat suggests turning those places into points, and that running total is what a score sheet keeps.
Points for each place
| Place | Points |
|---|---|
| PresidentFirst out | 2 |
| Vice-PresidentSecond out | 1 |
| Everyone elseThe citizens and the Scum, last out | 0 |
| Five playersPagat’s variation, first out to last; the points also set how many cards change hands | 2, 1, 0, −1, −2 |
| Seven playersPagat’s variation, first out to last; the points also set how many cards change hands | 3 down to −3 |
- Note the finishing orderFirst out is the President, second the Vice-President, and the last player still holding cards is the Scum. Everyone in between is a citizen.
- Turn places into points2 for the President, 1 for the Vice-President and 0 for everyone else. With five or seven players you can use Pagat’s spread instead, which runs below zero; there, the points also set how many cards each loser swaps with each winner.
- Swap cards before the next handThe Scum hands the President their highest card and takes back any card the President does not want. Then the President leads.
- Play to 11Agree the target before the first hand; 11 is Pagat’s example. No source says what happens when two players reach it in the same hand, so agree that too (the higher total, for example).
Hand 8: Sam goes out first and reaches 11.
Dev and Sam start the hand level on 9. Sam goes out first, so Sam is President and takes 2. Dev goes out second for 1, one short. You go out third, and Anya, left holding cards, is the Scum. This is hand 8 on the Scorepad above.
| Player | Place this hand | Hand |
|---|---|---|
| Sam | Out firstPresident | 2 |
| Dev | Out secondVice-President | 1 |
| You | Out thirdCitizen | 0 |
| Anya | Last outScum | 0 |
A whole evening of hands, kept.
Tabletales is a scorepad and scrapbook for game night. In President, type each player’s points after every hand: Tabletales keeps the running totals on the way to 11 and saves the game with the night.
- Highest wins, to 11Places records one finishing order and has no hands, so for a whole game pick Highest wins and set Play to a score to 11. The first total to reach it lights up.
- A row for every handSwitch to By hand and type each hand’s points from the finishing order. You turn places into points; the titles and the card swap stay at the table.
- The zeros in one holdType 2 for the President and 1 for the Vice-President, then hold 0 to zero the rest of the hand.
- And the night is keptSave it with who played and a photo from the table. Each game gets a history: how often you play it, who with, and who wins.
- Everyone who was there
- Photos from the table
- President, with its scores
Common President scoring mistakes
- Skipping the card swapBefore the next hand, the Scum must hand over their highest card, and the President returns any card they do not want.
- Treating the titles as pointsThe basic game keeps no score at all. Points by place are an add-on, so agree on them before the first hand.
- Using a spread for the wrong tablePagat’s 2 down to −2 is for five players and 3 down to −3 for seven. For any other count, use 2, 1 and 0.
- Forgetting that 2s are highIn Pagat’s ranking the 2 beats the ace, and the 3 is the lowest card.
President scoring, answered
- How do you keep score in the President card game?
- The basic game keeps no score. To play to a winner, give 2 points to the President, 1 to the Vice-President and 0 to everyone else each hand, and play to an agreed total such as 11.
- What does the Scum have to do in President?
- Before the next hand, the Scum gives the President their highest card and takes back one card the President does not want. Then the President leads.
- Who wins the President card game?
- Without points there is no set end: whoever is President when you stop is on top. With points, the first player to reach the agreed target, such as 11, wins.
President score sheet
Print one for the table: seven players and twenty hands, with each hand’s points and a running total, and the points for each place at the bottom.
Score another game
Tables differ: some swap two cards (or three, in bigger games with more titles), some let the last Scum lead, and Bicycle names only the President and the Scum and keeps no score. No source settles a tie or two players reaching the target together. Rules checked on 19 October 2026 against Pagat, Wikipedia and Bicycle Cards.
Keep score tonight. Keep the night for good.
Tabletales adds up every hand, then saves the whole night: the games, the scores, the photos and who was there.
