What is Eight stop?
In the standard game only a set of 2s clears the pile before everyone else has passed. With 8 clears the pile switched on, any play that contains an 8 does it too: a single 8, or a pair, three or four 8s.
The play must still be legal. An 8 follows the trick like any other card, with the same number of cards and an equal or higher rank, so it cannot go on a 9 or anything above it. As soon as it is down, the pile is cleared and the same player leads the next trick with any card or set.
If the 8 was your last card, you have gone out and the next player still in the round leads. The 2s still clear the pile as before, so two ranks now end a trick early: the top card, and a middle card that can win the lead cheaply when the pile is still low.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard President | Eight stop |
|---|---|---|
| Plays that clear the pile | Standard PresidentOnly a set of 2s. | Eight stopA set of 2s, and any play that contains an 8. |
| Playing an 8 | Standard PresidentAn 8 follows the trick like any card: the same number of cards, equal or higher rank. | Eight stopUnchanged: an 8 must still follow the trick, so it cannot go on a 9 or higher. Once down, it clears the pile. |
| After the pile is cleared | Standard PresidentThe player who played the 2s leads the next trick. | Eight stopThe player who played the 8s, or the 2s, leads the next trick. |
| Going out on an 8 | Standard PresidentNothing special about the 8. | Eight stopAllowed. If the 8 was your last card, the next player still in the round leads. |
| Other options | Standard PresidentJokers, runs, revolution, the card exchange and the number of rounds can be chosen. | Eight stop8 clears the pile works with all of them. With runs, a run that passes through the 8 clears the pile, also when a joker stands for the 8. During a revolution the 8s still clear, and the 3s take over from the 2s. |
History
The eight stop (hachi-giri, eight cut) is one of the house rules of Dai Fugō, the Japanese climbing game generally described as the likely direct ancestor of President. Some players treat any 8, or any combination containing an 8, as clearing the table at once, and the player who played the 8 begins again with any card or valid combination.
Some players who use this rule also forbid going out with a play that includes an 8. That extra rule is left out here, because it can leave a player whose last cards are 8s with no legal way to finish.