Arschloch (Scum) – High 10

Player: 3–6 (ideally 4–6) · Cards: Skat deck (French or German); also with 52 cards, 32 (7 to Ace) · Type: Climbing/shedding game

Play Arschloch (Scum) against the computer

Objective

Get rid of all your cards as quickly as possible – but never with an ace. Whoever finishes first becomes President; whoever is last still holding cards is the Scum and must hand over their best cards in the next round.

Equipment & setup

Played with a Skat deck (32 cards: 7 to Ace in four suits).

1) Everyone gets the same number of cards, dealt one at a time: 3 players 10 each, 4 players 8 each, 5 players 6 each, 6 players 5 each.

2) If the number doesn’t divide evenly, 2 cards are left over. In the first round there is no ranking yet – they simply stay aside and are not exchanged with anyone. From the second round on they are turned face up: first the 3rd place of the previous round may choose one and discards one of their hand cards face down for it; then the 4th place takes the other and also discards a hand card (with 3 players it stays aside). So everyone again starts with the same number of cards; the discarded cards are out of play.

3) In the first round any player deals, afterwards always the Scum of the previous round.

4) Everyone picks up their cards and sorts them by value.

Card ranking & card values

Suits don’t matter – only the value counts.

Ranking from low to high: 7, 8, 9, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, 10 – the 10 is above the Ace.

The cards have no point values.

Gameplay

1) In the first round, whoever has the lowest card starts (usually the 7 of Clubs); from the second round on, the Scum of the previous round starts (after the card exchange). Play is clockwise.

2) The leader plays a single card or several cards of the same value (pair, three or four of a kind) face up in the middle.

3) In turn, everyone must play exactly the same number of cards of a higher value – or pass. On a pair of nines, for example, a pair of Jacks fits, but not a single card or three of a kind.

4) Passing is always allowed, even if you could play. Whoever has passed may play again later in the same trick when it is their turn again.

5) Once all others have passed in a row, the trick is over: the cards are out of play, and whoever played last leads the next trick. If the highest card still in play is played, nobody can beat it – the trick is over immediately. At first that is the Ace (with high 10, the 10); once all Aces have been played, the Kings take on this role, then the Queens, and so on.

6) Whoever has no cards left drops out and receives their rank. If they won the trick, the next player to their left who still has cards leads.

7) The round ends when only one player still has cards – they are the Scum.

Special rules & special cards

No ace at the end: you may not go out with an ace (or several). Whoever has only aces left in hand is automatically the Scum. (If that happens to a second player, they get the place directly before.) So play your aces in time!

Ranks in order of finishing: 1st President, 2nd Vice-President, then Citizen, second-to-last Vice-Scum, last Scum. With 3 players there are only President, Citizen and Scum.

Card exchange before each new round: the Scum gives the President their two highest cards, the President gives back any two cards in return (usually their worst). The Vice-Scum and Vice-President likewise exchange one card each. Citizens don’t exchange – instead the 3rd and 4th places each swap a hand card for one of the leftover cards. With 3 players the President and Scum exchange only one card each.

Scoring & points

Often played without points – the rank is reward or punishment enough.

With points: each round everyone gets as many points as players dropped out after them. With 4 players: President 3, Vice-President 2, Vice-Scum 1, Scum 0; with 6 players 5 down to 0.

End of game & winning

A round ends as soon as the second-to-last player has got rid of all their cards. The game ends after an agreed number of rounds or at a points limit (e.g. 15 points). The winner is whoever has the most points – without points, simply the reigning President.

Origin & history

Arschloch is the German-language form of the shedding game known internationally as President or Scum; related are the Japanese Daifugō and the Chinese Zheng Shangyou. Its origin and age are not precisely documented. Typical is the players’ ranking, which is re-established after every round: whoever is last still holding cards is the “Arschloch” and must hand over their best cards in the next round. In German-speaking countries it is often played with a Skat deck; the rules differ greatly from group to group.