What Is Scopa?
Scopa is one of Italy’s most beloved card games — the name means broom in Italian, because you sweep the table clean. Players take turns playing cards from their hand to capture cards on the table. You capture by matching the exact value of a single table card, or by matching the sum of multiple table cards. The special prize is a Scopa — when you capture every last card from the table in a single play. At the end of the game, points are counted in several categories and the player with the most wins.
What You Need
- A 40-card deck: take a standard 52-card deck and remove all 8s, 9s, and 10s. You are left with Ace through 7 plus Jack, Queen, and King in all four suits.
- Two to six players — works best with two players or two teams of two
- Score pad
Card Values in Scopa
- Ace = 1
- 2 = 2
- 3 = 3
- 4 = 4
- 5 = 5
- 6 = 6
- 7 = 7
- Jack = 8
- Queen = 9
- King = 10
Playing with an Italian deck: Traditional Scopa uses a 40-card Italian deck with four suits — Coins (Denari), Cups (Coppe), Swords (Spade), and Clubs (Bastoni). The face cards are the Knave (Fante) = 8, the Knight (Cavallo) = 9, and the King (Re) = 10. Coins take the place of Diamonds, so the Settebello is the 7 of Coins.
Setting Up the Game
- Shuffle all 40 cards.
- Deal three cards face-down to each player.
- Deal four cards face-up in the center of the table. These are the table cards available for capturing.
- Place remaining cards face-down as the stock. New cards will be dealt as hands run out.
- If all four starting table cards are Kings, gather them up, shuffle, and re-deal — Kings cannot be captured directly.
How to Play — Step by Step
The player to the left of the dealer goes first. Play moves clockwise. On each turn you play exactly one card from your hand.
- Choose a card from your hand to play.
- Look at the face-up table cards. Does your card’s value EXACTLY MATCH any single table card? If yes, you may capture it — take both your card and the matching table card into your personal capture pile.
- Can your card’s value equal the SUM of two or more table cards added together? If yes, you may capture all of those cards at once. Example: you play a 9 (Queen). The table has a 5 and a 4. Since 5+4=9, you capture both the 5 and the 4 along with your Queen.
- If your card matches a single table card AND could also capture a combination adding up to its value, you must take the single card. A single-card match always takes priority over a sum. If there are several different sums available (and no single match), you choose which one to take.
- If your card cannot capture anything, you must trail it — place it face-up on the table to join the other available cards. It is now available for others to capture.
- After playing your card, your turn ends.
Scopa — The Special Bonus
If you play a card that captures every single remaining card from the table — leaving it completely empty — you have made a Scopa. Take a card from your capture pile and place it face-up and sideways on top of your pile. This visible card marks one Scopa point. Say ‘Scopa!’ so everyone knows. The next player must trail a card since the table is empty.
Dealing New Cards
When every player has played all three of their cards, the dealer deals three more cards to each player from the stock. No new cards go to the table — only players get new cards. Continue until the stock is fully dealt. After the last hand is played, any cards still on the table go to the last player who made any capture — but this does NOT count as a Scopa.
Scopa Scoring and Points
After all cards are played, count the following — each category is worth exactly 1 point:
- Carte (Most Cards): The player who captured the most total cards scores 1 point. Tie = no one scores.
- Denari (Most Diamonds): The player who captured the most Diamond cards scores 1 point.
- Settebello (Seven of Diamonds): The player who captured the 7 of Diamonds scores 1 point.
- Primiera: Each player selects their highest-scoring card in each of the four suits using the Primiera values: 7=21, 6=18, Ace=16, 5=15, 4=14, 3=13, 2=12, face cards=10. Add all four suit cards together — highest total scores 1 point.
- Scope: Score 1 point for each Scopa you made during the game.
Primiera Values
| Card | Primiera points |
|---|---|
| 7 | 21 |
| 6 | 18 |
| Ace | 16 |
| 5 | 15 |
| 4 | 14 |
| 3 | 13 |
| 2 | 12 |
| Jack, Queen, King | 10 |
To score the Primiera, each player picks their single best card in each of the four suits and adds the four values together. A player with no cards in one suit cannot win the Primiera. A perfect Primiera is four 7s, worth 84.
Scopa Score Sheet
Copy this table onto a score pad and fill in one column per player or team after each round. Each of the first four rows is worth 1 point (0 if tied); Scope is worth 1 point per sweep.
| Category | How it’s decided | Player / Team A | Player / Team B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carte (most cards) | 21 or more of the 40 cards | ||
| Denari (most Diamonds/Coins) | 6 or more of the 10 | ||
| Settebello (7 of Diamonds/Coins) | Whoever captured it | ||
| Primiera | Highest four-suit total | ||
| Scope | 1 per sweep | ||
| Round total |
Winning
First player or team to reach 11 points across multiple rounds wins.
Scopa for Two, Three, or Four Players
- Two players: The classic head-to-head game. All rules above apply as written.
- Three players: Everyone plays for themselves. Deal three cards each and four to the table as usual; the last hand may be uneven, which is normal.
- Four players: Play in two partnerships, partners sitting across from each other. Partners keep a single shared capture pile and score together. Talking about your cards is not allowed.
Popular Scopa Variations
- Scopone: The four-player partnership version where the whole deck is dealt at once — nine cards to each player and four to the table (or ten each and none to the table in Scopone Scientifico). Considered the most skillful form of the game.
- Scopa d’Assi (Asso Piglia Tutto): Playing an Ace captures every card on the table. It does not count as a Scopa unless the Ace also happened to be the only legal match.
- Re Bello: The King of Diamonds (Coins) is worth an extra point, like the Settebello.
- Napola (Napoli): Capturing the Ace, 2, and 3 of Diamonds scores 3 points, plus 1 more for each consecutive Diamond after that (4, 5, 6…).
- Scopa a Quindici: You capture cards that add up to 15 together with the card you play, instead of matching its value.
Scopa Cheat Sheet
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Deck | 40 cards: remove 8s, 9s, 10s (or an Italian deck) |
| Card values | Ace 1, 2–7 face value, Jack 8, Queen 9, King 10 |
| Deal | 3 to each player, 4 face-up to the table; re-deal 3 each when hands are empty |
| Capture | Match one table card exactly, or a group of table cards that add up to your card |
| Priority | A single-card match must be taken over a sum |
| No capture | Trail: leave your card on the table |
| Scopa (sweep) | Clear the table in one play = 1 point |
| End of deck | Leftover table cards go to the last player who captured (no Scopa) |
| Points per round | Carte, Denari, Settebello, Primiera (1 each) + Scope |
| Game | First to 11 points (some play to 16 or 21) |
Tips for New Players
- Always try to capture rather than trail — leaving cards on the table gives your opponent something to work with.
- The 7 of Diamonds is worth a dedicated point all by itself — always capture it when you can.
- A Scopa is worth 1 full point and also leaves your opponent with no cards to capture on their next turn — a double advantage.