How to Play Scopa

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Scopa is a fast, clever trick-and-capture card game for two to four players, played with a 40-card Italian deck. On each turn a player either captures one or more table cards whose values match or sum to their played card, or leaves a card on the table if no capture is possible. The word "scopa" means "broom" in Italian, earned when a player sweeps the entire table clear in a single capture.

Its appeal lies in the tension between attacking and holding back: giving your opponent an easy capture is just as costly as missing one yourself. It plays quickly, rewards memory and arithmetic, and scales well from two players up to four playing in partnerships. It is widely played as a relaxed but competitive family game, particularly around the table after a meal.

A little history

Scopa is traditionally associated with Italy and is one of the country's most widely played card games, with documentary references dating back to the 18th century in the Kingdom of Naples. Its precise origins are unclear, and competing regional claims make a definitive birthplace difficult to establish. The game spread across the Italian peninsula and later to Italian communities in South America, particularly Argentina and Brazil, where it remains popular today. It is played with regional Italian suited decks as well as with standard international packs adapted to 40 cards.

Setting up

1. Remove the 8s, 9s and 10s from a standard 52-card deck to leave 40 cards. Card values run 1 (ace) through 7, then Jack (8), Queen (9) and King (10) for capture arithmetic.
2. Shuffle thoroughly and designate a dealer. In subsequent rounds the deal passes clockwise.
3. Deal three cards face down to each player.
4. Deal four cards face up to the centre of the table to form the starting table layout.
5. If three or more kings appear in the initial four table cards, tradition calls for a redeal. Some groups apply this rule to any three face cards; agree before play begins.
6. Place the remaining deck face down as a stock. The dealer will refill hands from it during play.

How to play

1. The player to the dealer's right goes first (in the two-player game, the non-dealer goes first). Play proceeds anti-clockwise in the traditional Italian convention, though many groups play clockwise; agree beforehand.
2. On your turn you must play exactly one card from your hand face up.
3. If that card's value exactly matches one card on the table, you capture both cards and take them to your face-down capture pile.
4. If that card's value matches the sum of two or more table cards, you may capture that group instead. You cannot split a valid multi-card sum capture; you must take the whole group.
5. If both a single-card match and a multi-card sum match exist, you must take the single-card match. This is a firm rule in standard Scopa.
6. If no capture is possible, place your card face up on the table and your turn ends.
7. A scopa is scored immediately when your capture clears every card from the table. Place one of your captured cards face up on your capture pile as a reminder token.
8. When all players have played their three cards, the dealer deals three more to each player from the stock. No further cards are added to the table.
9. Continue until the stock is exhausted and all hands are empty. Any cards remaining on the table at the end of the round go to the last player who made any capture. This does not count as a scopa.
10. Score the round (see Winning). Deal again for the next round. Play continues across rounds until one player or team reaches 11 points.

Winning and scoring

After each round, players score points across four categories. Cards: the player or team with the most captured cards scores 1 point (if tied, no point is awarded). Coins (or diamonds in an adapted deck): the player or team with the most cards of the coins suit scores 1 point (ties again mean no point awarded). Sette bello (the seven of coins): the player holding this specific card scores 1 point outright. Primiera: each player selects their best card from 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). The player whose four chosen cards total highest scores 1 point; if a player has no card from a suit they cannot win primiera. Each scopa scored during the round adds 1 point. Tally the points after each round. The first player or team to reach or exceed 11 points at the end of a complete round wins. If both sides reach 11 in the same round, play another round.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns the mandatory single-card capture rule. If your played card matches one table card exactly and also matches a multi-card sum, you must take the single card. You do not get to choose. Some informal groups ignore this rule; if you do so, agree before play. A related edge case arises when two different single-card matches exist simultaneously (for example, two fours on the table and you play a four). Standard ruling: you choose which of the two to capture, taking only one. You cannot capture both with one played card.

Another frequent argument concerns the final table sweep. Cards left on the table at round's end go to the last captor but do not score a scopa, even if that transfer clears the table completely. This is firm. In partnership play (four players), partners sit opposite each other and merge their capture piles for scoring, but each player still plays and captures individually. Partners may not communicate hand contents; signalling your hand is a foul and results in forfeiting the round in most organised settings.

How to win more often

• Count the sevens carefully. The seven of coins is worth a standalone point, and winning primiera often hinges on holding the seven of each suit. Avoid discarding sevens to the table unless you have no choice.
• Track the coins suit. With only ten coins cards in the deck, knowing how many have been captured tells you whether the coins point is still contestable. If you hold five or more, protect them rather than using them as throwaway plays.
• Use your face cards tactically. Jacks, Queens and Kings have primiera values of only 10, making them weak in that category. They are good cards to sacrifice in captures or leave on the table to deny easy scopas to your opponent.
• Deny as well as capture. Leaving a card that creates a difficult table sum can force your opponent to trail (discard without capturing), handing you a scopa opportunity on your next turn.
• In partnership play, communicate through your card choices rather than words. Playing a seven to the table when you hold a matching capture card is a recognised way to signal strength in a suit to your partner without speaking.

Variations

Scopone

Scopone is the four-player partnership variant in which all 40 cards are dealt out before play begins: nine cards each, with four remaining on the table. Because no redeals occur, every card is known to exist in an opponent's hand by the end of the round, making the game considerably more strategic and memory-intensive than standard Scopa. Scoring uses the same four categories plus scopas.

Scopa d'Assi

In this variant, playing an ace to the table automatically captures all cards currently on the table, regardless of their values. The ace effectively acts as a trump sweep card. This adds a strong element of surprise and makes hoarding an ace a powerful strategy, but it also means the ace cannot be used for standard arithmetic captures.

Asso Pigliatutto

A further elaboration of the ace rule: any ace played, whether to capture or to clear, sweeps the table and scores a scopa simultaneously. This variant is particularly popular in southern Italy and makes aces by far the most valuable cards in the deck for tactical play.

Cirulla

A Ligurian variant that adds bonus scopa conditions: a player whose initial three-card hand sums to 9 or less must reveal it and immediately scores a scopa. Certain high-value captures during play also trigger bonus points. The scoring categories remain the same as standard Scopa, but the bonus opportunities make early hand evaluation a crucial skill.

Scopa: frequently asked questions