House Of DecksGame rules
El Presi
Get rid of your cards before anyone else and become the President.
Deck
Standard 52-card deck
Players
3 to 8 players
Dealing
The whole deck is dealt out evenly among the players. If it doesn't divide evenly, some players get one extra card.
Card order
Lowest to highest: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, 2. The Ace and the 2 are the most powerful cards.
How to play
On your turn, play a card or a group of cards of the same rank (for example, two Jacks) matching the size of the last group played, and of equal or higher rank.
If you play the same rank as the previous play, you skip the next player's turn. With a 2 (the highest card) you can close the table, since nothing can beat it.
The 2 can also be used as a wildcard: paired with a single other rank, it counts as one more copy of that rank (for example, a 7 and a 2 are played as if they were two Sevens). In that case the play doesn't close the table - the round continues as normal.
If you can't or don't want to match or beat the last play, you pass. Once every other player has passed, the table clears and whoever played last can start again with whatever they want.
Whoever runs out of cards is done for that round; the rest continue until only one player still has cards.
If you hold all 4 cards of the same rank (a four-of-a-kind), you can discard them at any point in the game, even out of turn. It doesn't affect the table - it just clears them from your hand.
Roles and end of round
The first to run out of cards becomes President; the last player left holding cards becomes the Scumbag. With 4 or more players there's also a Vice President and a Vice Scumbag.
When the next round is dealt, the Scumbag automatically hands their 2 best cards to the President, who returns their 2 worst. The same happens between the Vice President and the Vice Scumbag, but with 1 card.
The previous round's Scumbag starts the next one.
Tips and strategy
When to spend your Twos
A 2 clears the table and hands you the lead, so its real value is not killing any old play - it is buying back control when you have run out of ways to get in. Spending one on a lone 5 in the first round is usually throwing it away.
Keep at least one 2 for the end of the round. When you are down to three or four cards, clearing the table and leading with whatever is left is very often the difference between going out first and going out fourth.
Playing the 2 as a wild card (alongside one other rank) does not clear the table. That is how you cash it in when you already have the lead by other means and simply want to empty your hand.
Pairs, trips and the art of not breaking them
A pair of Fours is worth more than two loose Fours, because it forces everyone else to answer with two cards or pass. Breaking pairs to scrape through a cheap round is the most common beginner mistake.
The reverse also holds: if you are ahead in the round with high cards to spare, leading in twos and threes suffocates anyone holding a hand full of singletons.
Four of a kind can be dumped out of turn. Holding it gives you no tactical edge except one: drop it just before your turn comes round and you arrive with two fewer cards than everyone was counting on.
Playing your role
As the Bum you start the round having already handed over your two best cards. Assume you are not winning on raw power: play to finish third or fourth and to not repeat the role, which is what actually sinks you round after round.
As President you have two free cards and the disadvantage that everyone knows it. Lead hard and early - the edge evaporates once the table clears two or three times and hand sizes even out.
Skipping a player by matching the previous rank is underrated. Skipping someone down to one or two cards is usually worth more than out-ranking them.
Frequently asked questions
Can you play El Presi with 2 players?
No - the game needs at least 3 for the roles (President, Bum and the card swap between them) to mean anything. The maximum is 8. For two people, try Dedo Cagado, El Cuadrado or Blackjack, all of which seat a table of two.
Is the 2 always the highest card?
Yes. Low to high the order runs 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, 2. Nothing beats a 2, which is why it clears the table; the one exception is playing it as a wild card alongside another rank, where it counts as one more copy of that rank.
What happens when nobody can beat the last play?
Once everyone else has passed, the table clears and whoever played last leads again with anything they like, in any number of cards. That free lead is the strongest position in the game.
Can I discard four of a kind out of turn?
Yes. Four cards of the same rank can be discarded at any point in the game, even when it is not your turn. It does not affect the table or close anything - the cards simply leave your hand.
Does the Bum have to give up their best cards?
Yes, the swap is automatic and not negotiable: the Bum hands their 2 best cards to the President and receives the President’s 2 worst in return. With 4 or more players, Vice-Bum and Vice-President do the same with 1 card each.
El Presi, against the computer
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