Traditional card games
Scopa
- players
- 2–4
- minutes
- 30
- years
- 8+
In the box
40-card deck
Official rules (PDF, publisher's site)
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- Hand ManagementMemorySet CollectionTeam-Based
Where to buy it
Near you
In a shop
Within 50 km.
The basics
With 40 cards, each player receives three cards and four are laid on the table: the aim is to capture cards and clear the table. On your turn, play a card that takes a card of the same value or, failing that, several cards that add up to it, and clearing the table scores a scopa; at the end of the deal, four points go to most cards, most coins, the seven of coins and the primiera. The game is played to 11 points, sometimes 16 or 21.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
40 cards, 3 cards each, 4 cards on the table
- A 40-card deck: the 8s, 9s and 10s are removed from a standard deck, or you use an Italian deck.
- Cards from 1 to 7 are worth their number; the jack is worth 8, the knight (the queen in a French deck) 9 and the king 10.
- Each player receives three cards, and four are placed face up on the table. If three or more kings turn up there, the cards are dealt again.
How to play
Take its match, Or an equal sum, Else the card stays
- On your turn, play a card. If it matches a card on the table, take that card and nothing else: a single capture is compulsory whenever it is possible.
- Otherwise, if it equals the sum of several cards, take that group — only one, not every group that fits.
- Otherwise, the card stays on the table. A card that can capture may not simply be laid down.
- When hands are empty, deal three more cards to each player, without adding to the table.
- Cards left on the table at the very end go to the last player who made a capture, without it counting as a scopa.
Scoring
Scopa 1 point, 4 points at end of deal, Primiera: 7 is worth 21
- Scopa: clearing the table in one go scores 1 point. A sweep made with the very last card of the deal does not count.
- At the end of the deal, four points are contested: most cards, most coins (diamonds in a French deck), the seven of coins, and the primiera. In a tie, the point is not awarded.
- The primiera is worked out on the best card of each of the four suits, with a separate scale: 7 is worth 21, 6 is worth 18, the ace 16, 5 is worth 15, 4 is worth 14, 3 is worth 13, 2 is worth 12 and court cards 10.
End of the game
11 points, Sometimes 16 or 21
- The game is played to 11 points, sometimes 16 or 21.
- If several players reach that total in the same deal, the highest wins; if the leaders are tied, play more deals.
House rules and pitfalls
Briscola, often mentioned alongside it, is a different trick-taking game played with the same deck.
- Briscola, often mentioned alongside it, is a different trick-taking game played with the same deck.
- With four players, it is often played two against two, partners not sitting side by side: each team pools its captured cards before scoring.
- The IELLO rulebook simplifies things for beginners: adding-up captures are limited to two cards, and the primiera is replaced by a point for whoever captured the most 7s, with 6s breaking ties. It gives the primiera and captures of three cards or more as variants.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
What is the idea?
An Italian fishing game: you capture cards from the table by playing a card of the same value, or several whose sum equals your card.
What is a "scopa"?
Sweeping every card off the table in a single play: it scores a point, and it is the move that gives the game its name.
How are the points of a deal counted?
Four points are at stake: most cards, most coins (denari, diamonds in a French deck), the seven of coins (the settebello), and the "primiera" (the best card of each suit, counted on the primiera scale). Plus the scopas made.
What happens if you cannot capture?
You must place a card on the table, where it joins the cards to be fished. Giving your opponent something to work with is sometimes unavoidable.
How do you win the game?
Play to 11 points, sometimes 16 or 21 depending on the table, over several deals. The settebello and the scopas often make the difference.