SCOPA
- OBJECTIVE OF SCOPA: The objective of SCOPA is to play cards from your hand to capture cards on the table.
- NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 or 4 Players
- MATERIALS: A flat space, and a modified deck of 52 cards or an Italian set of cards
- TYPE OF GAME: Capturing card game
- AUDIENCE: 8+ OVERVIEW OF SCOPA ...
How do you play scopa?
Scopa is played with two to four players, or two teams of two players each. At the beginning of the game a player is chosen as dealer. The dealer deals three cards to each player, starting on the right and going counterclockwise. After every player has got his cards, the dealer puts four cards face up on the table.
What are the rules of scopa?
(Briscola Rules!) (Scopa means broom or sweep in Italian. The object of the game is to sweep, or clean, the table of cards) Just a few words about cards that are important, specifically to this Italian card game of Scopa. In left to right order of the cards below they are: Sette Bello. Pretty Seven. The seven of money.
What are the different types of scopa?
There are many variants to the traditional game of scopa. One of the most popular is the “ Asso piglia tutto ” (ace takes it all). The player that plays an ace can take all the cards on the table. This can count as a sweep or not, according to the variant in use.
What is SCOPA in poker?
If you do, that is “scopa” and you take that trick and put it in line with your others, but face UP. Kind of to rub it in with other players and to remind you to count it later. The next player then obviously to play has no chance of making a point that hand.

Can you play Scopa with two decks?
The Team Game If there are six or more players use both decks of cards. Players play each round as normal but combine their captured cards at the end of each round before counting and scoring.
How many cards do you get in Scopa?
Scopone, Scopone Scientifico and Other Variants Scopone follows the base rules for Scopa but instead of three cards, each player or team is dealt nine cards at the beginning of the round. In Scopone Scientifico, ten cards are dealt to each player or team and no cards are dealt to the center of the table.
How do you play Scopa with a regular deck of cards?
1:204:52How to Play Scopa - With a Poker Deck - Italian Card Game - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd goes counterclockwise players choose one and only one card from their hand to play on their turnMoreAnd goes counterclockwise players choose one and only one card from their hand to play on their turn you either use your card to pick up cards if you can or leave a card in the pot.
How do I set up Scopa?
18:0237:33How to Play Scopa - With a Play Through - 2 Full Rounds - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIf you sweep the middle of all the cards. You get a point. And what you do is you take that cardMoreIf you sweep the middle of all the cards. You get a point. And what you do is you take that card that you swept put it right side up on your collection deck. And just build your deck on top of that.
What does Scopa in English mean?
broomnoun. broom [noun] a long-handled sweeping brush. broomstick [noun] a broom with a long handle and sticks and twigs tied together at the sweeping end.
How do you play Scopa simple?
1:353:16How to play scopa in 3 minutes - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipFirst is whoever captured the most card if droves no points aside second is who have a capture theMoreFirst is whoever captured the most card if droves no points aside second is who have a capture the most coin cards. Same things for drugs.
How do you play Sicilian Scopa?
0:333:26Play Scopa in 156 Seconds - Classic Italian Card Game - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd goes counterclockwise players choose one and only one card from their hand to play on their turnMoreAnd goes counterclockwise players choose one and only one card from their hand to play on their turn you either use your card to pick up cards if you can or leave a card in the pot.
What are the four suits in Scopa?
A Scopa Deck has 4 suits (Coins, Cups, Clubs, Swords). Each suit contains cards numbered 1 through 10. The best cards to win during play are the 7's and the cards of the Coin suit. It is also helpful to win the most cards in the deck (regardless of suit).
What cards are in a Scopa deck?
Scopa is played with a 40-card deck. There are four suits: diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades. In each suit, there are cards numbered from 1–10. You can make a Scopa deck out of a normal card deck by removing all jacks, queens, kings and jokers.
How do I deal my Scopa card?
Scopa Corse There can be two players or four players in fixed partnerships. The initial deal is 3 cards to each player and 4 cards to the table. With two players the second, third and fourth deals of the hand are 3 cards each, and the last two deals 4 cards each.
How many cards are in an Italian deck?
40 cardsItalian playing cards most commonly consist of 40 cards (4 suits from 1-7 and 3 face cards). The three face cards in each deck are the King, Cavallo (calvary man) and Fante (Infantry Man), except in the French region (see below) which uses a Queen instead of a Cavallo.
Where did the game Scopa originate?
Scopa! a Traditional Italian Card Game Scopa, literally to sweep, is the particular name of an ancient italian card game. Simply, it refers to the action of swept all the face-up cards from the pool! Italians have been playing Scopa for over 400 years armed with neapolitan cards and all their ability.
What are the rules in Scopa?
A Scopa is worth one point and is scored whenever one occurs during play. (This is the only way you can score points during a round.) Whenever a card played may capture either a single or many cards, the player is forced to capture only the single card. A PLAYER MAY NEVER PLAY MORE THAN ONE CARD PER TURN.
How many cards are in an Italian deck?
40 cardsItalian playing cards most commonly consist of 40 cards (4 suits from 1-7 and 3 face cards). The three face cards in each deck are the King, Cavallo (calvary man) and Fante (Infantry Man), except in the French region (see below) which uses a Queen instead of a Cavallo.
How do you count Primiera Scopa?
Primiera: there is one point for the player who gets the highest amount according to the following rule: sevens are worth 21, sixes 18, fives 16, fours 15, threes 14, twoes 13, aces 12 and picture cards 10; the values of the four best cards of each player (or pair) is summed, and the player with highest value is the ...
What are Modiano cards?
Modiano Cards are 100% plastic playing cards made with Modiano's proprietary platinum acetate, never low-grade PVC like competing cards. Plastic playing cards will often last up to 50-100 times longer than paper-based or plastic-coated playing cards.
How to score a Scopa?
Each Scopa is worth once point. The player with the most cards scores a point if players are tied, the point is not scored by either. The player with the most diamonds scores a point if there is a tied no point is scored. The player with the 7 of diamonds scores a point. There is also a point awarded to the player with the best Prime (primiera) this consists of 4 cards one of each suit. Their values are determined by the chart below and the prime is found by adding up the amount of the cards. For example, a player might have a 7 of hearts, a 7 of diamonds, a 6 of clubs and a 5 of spades. This results in a prime of 75. If there is a tie for the Prime, the point is not awarded to either player
What is the objective of Scopa?
OBJECTIVE OF SCOPA: The objective of SCOPA is to play cards from your hand to capture cards on the table.
What is the goal of Scopa?
The goal in Scopa is to capture the most cards by the end of the game. Players do this by using cards from their hands to either capture one card of the same value or a set of cards whose sum is the value of the card used. There are many variations of Scopa, most notably Scopone which is just a more difficult version of Scopa.
How many points are there in the chess game?
The game is played to 11 points, with alternating dealers.
Who gets to go first in a card game?
The player who was not the dealer gets to go first. The player will play one card from their hand face up to the table. This card may either capture a card (s) or not capture anything. If the card can capture either one card or a set of cards the player will collect both the card they played, and all cards captured and put them into a score pile for later.
How to play Scopa?
The rules are quite simple. Scopa is played with two to four players, or two teams of two players each. At the beginning of the game a player is chosen as dealer. The dealer deals three cards to each player , starting on the right and going counterclockwise. After every player has got his cards, the dealer puts four cards face up on the table. The first player that received cards is the first to start playing. During their turn, a player can place a card face up on the table, or take a trick. A trick is taken by matching the value of a card in the hand to a card of the same value, or two or more cards with same total value, on the table. Captured cards are placed aside and will be counted to calculate points at the end of the round. If a player takes the last card or cards on the table, he has swept, “ fatto scopa ” and gets an extra point.
How many points does a Scopa score?
When calculating scores, each “scopa” nets one point. Then a player or team gets one point if he took the highest total number of cards, the highest number of Coin suit cards, the seven of Coins (called the “settebello”). Calculating the “ primiera ” or prime, is also usual. To award the primiera, each cards is given a value. You sum up the points for each card and the highest total is the primiera. The primiera is worth one point towards the total score.
What cards are used in the game of chess?
Traditionally it is played with a deck of Neapolitan cards. There are for suits: Coppe (Cups), Ori or Denari (Golds or Coins), Spade (Swords) and Bastoni (Clubs), with face cards ranging from one (the ace) to seven and three figures cards: Knave ( Fante in Italian, worth a value of 8), Knight ( Cavallo in Italian, worth 9), ...
What is Scopa card game?
Scopa (“to sweep” in Italian) is one of the most popular card games in Italy. Nearly everyone in Italy has played it at least once in their life, and in small towns it is still common to see people gathered around a table where four elderly are exchanging swear words and bantering over a heated game of Scopa.
Can you take a trick on a card game?
If a player can take a single card, or multiple cards with a total value equal to the played card, he must take the single card. If he can take a trick he must do so, placing on the table a card that can take a trick is invalid.
How many cards are in a Scopa card game?
Each of the suits has ten cards: Ace - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - Knave (Fante) - Knight (Cavallo) - King (Re). Scopa can also be played with French-suited cards, by removing the 8s, 9s and 10s. The coins suit, which has a special meaning in Scopa, corresponds with the diamonds suit.
How many cards are in Scopa?
Scopa is played with 4 players, using 40 cards from an Italian-suited deck. The game is played in counter-clockwise direction. Scopa is related to the Spanish card game Escoba.
How many cards are dealt in Scopone?
Scopone: Played with four players, each player is dealt 9 cards at the start, and the remaining four cards are placed face-up in the middle of the table. Scopone is considered to be a more intellectually demanding game compared to Scopa.
How many points does each scopa have?
Each scopa is one point, and there are four additional points to be earned, based on the captured cards: Greatest number of cards captured. Greatest number of cards in the coins suit captured. Seven of coins captured (this card is called sette bello) Highest prime captured (see below)
What is Scopa card game?
Scopa is a fishing card game from Italy. It is one of the three national card games in Italy, together with Briscola and Tressette. Scopa is also popular in Argentina and Brazil, some former Italian colonies (Libya, Somalia), and Tunesia. Scopa is played with 4 players, using 40 cards from an Italian-suited deck.
Can you play Scopa cards on the table?
Play a card to capture one or more cards. You cannot place a card on the table if the card could capture one or more cards on the table. Capturing cards is the essence of Scopa. If the played card is equal in rank to a card on the table, this card is captured and the player collects both cards.
How many people can play Scopa?
The basic game of Scopa described on this page is most often played by two people. It is possible, though less satisfactory, for three to play, using the same rules and each playing for themselves. The game can also be played by 4 or 6 people divided into two equal teams with each player sitting between two opponents, but with four players it is more interesting to play Scopone. If there are more than two player's the deal and play are counter-clockwise.
How many points does each scopa have?
For each scopa (sweep), indicated by a card stored face up in the capture pile: 1 point.
What are the cards in Scopa?
In parts of Italy where Latin-suited cards are used, the suits are coins ( denari ), cups ( coppe ), swords ( spade) and batons or clubs ( bastoni) and the cards in each suit are King ( Re ), Horse ( Cavallo ), Jack ( Fante ), 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace ( Asso ). In some north-eastern regions of Italy Scopa is played with a French-suited pack with suits of diamonds ( quadri ), hearts ( cuori ), clubs ( fiore) and spades ( picche) and the cards in each suit are King ( Re ), Queen ( Regina or Donna ), Jack ( Fante ), 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace ( Asso ).
What is Scopa card game?
Along with Briscola and Tressette, Scopa is one of the best known and most widely played traditional Italian card games . Players take turns to play a card from their hand to capture cards of equal value from the table. Points are scored for taking the most cards in total, for taking the most cards in the suit of coins (or diamonds), for collecting the best primiera (consisting of one card from each suit, Sevens being the most valuable), for taking the settebello (the Seven of coins or diamonds), and for capturing all the cards on the table leaving it empty, which is known as a scopa (sweep).
How many cards are in a Scopone game?
Players who prefer a more intellectually demanding game of the same type may prefer Scopone (big Scopa), a game for four players using the same rules of play and scoring, but with all the cards dealt at the start of the game so that players begin with 9 or 10 cards in their hands. Scopone is described on a separate page.
What happens if you have four face up cards?
If the four face up cards include three or four Kings, all the cards are gathered up, and are shuffled, cut and dealt again by the same dealer. This is because with more than two face up Kings in the layout, sweeps ( scope) are not possible.
Where is Scopa played?
Scopa is played in all parts of Italy, using a 40-card pack of the local pattern. There are numerous variants, some of which are described on this page after the explanation of the basic game. My thanks to Salvatore Rossi and others who have sent information about these. Closely related games are also played in nearby countries, such as Escoba in Spain, Chkouba in Algeria and Tunisia, and Scopa in Corsica.

Players
Deck and Cards
- If you are not using an Italian deck all 10s, 9s, and 8s will need to be removed from the 52-card deck. Alternatively, all face cards can be removed instead for easier scoring; this is fairly common when playing with younger players. Then the dealer may shuffle the cards and deal the other player and themselves three cards, one at a time. Then four...
Deal
Gameplay
Scoring
Game End
- The game uses 40 cards from an Italian-suited deck. The suits of these cards are coins (denari), cups (coppe), swords (spade), batons / clubs (bastoni).Each of the suits has ten cards: Ace - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - Knave (Fante) - Knight (Cavallo) - King (Re). Each card has a value: 1. King: 10 2. Knight: 9 3. Knave: 8 4. 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2: face value 5. Ace: 1 Scopa can also be played with French-…
Variations
- Each player is dealt three cards, one card at a time. Dealing happens in counter-clockwise direction.When each player has three cards, the dealer places four cards face-up in the middle of the table. When these four cards include three or four Kings, the deal is invalid and the same dealer deals again.The remaining cards are placed face-down and form the stock. During the ga…
Introduction
- The player to the right of the dealer starts. Remember that Scopa is played in counter-clockwise direction. In each turn, a player has two options: 1. Place a card on the table 2. Play a card to capture one or more cards You cannot place a card on the table if the card could capture one or more cards on the table. Capturing cards is the essence of Scopa. If the played card is equal in r…
Players and Cards
- After playing all cards, the scores are calculated. Each scopa is one point, and there are four additional points to be earned, based on the captured cards: 1. Greatest number of cards captured 2. Greatest number of cards in the coins suit captured 3. Seven of coins captured (this card is called sette bello) 4. Highest prime captured (see below) Note that when there is a tie, no points …
Deal
- The first team reaching the target score wins. The target score can be chosen freely, but is often 11.
Play
- Two variations of Scopa are also included in the version on our website: 1. Scopone:Played with four players, each player is dealt 9 cards at the start, and the remaining four cards are placed face-up in the middle of the table. Scopone is considered to be a more intellectually demanding game compared to Scopa. 2. Scopone Scientifico:Same as scopone, but instead of 9 cards, each playe…
Scoring
- Along with Briscola and Tressette, Scopa is one of the best known and most widely played traditional Italian card games. Players take turns to play a card from their hand to capture cards of equal value from the table. Points are scored for taking the most cards in total, for taking the most cards in the suit of coins (or diamonds), for collecting the best primiera (consisting of one card f…
Variations
- The basic game of Scopa described on this page is most often played by two people. It is possible, though less satisfactory, for three to play, using the same rules and each playing for themselves. The game can also be played by 4 or 6 people divided into two equal teams with each player sitting between two opponents, but with four players it is mo...
Chkobba
- The first dealer can be chosen by any convenient method - for example some players deal the cards around the table one at a time face up until the King of coins (diamonds) appears and the player who receives this card deals first. The dealer shuffles and the dealer's opponent (the player to dealer's left if there are more than two players) cuts the cards. The dealer then deals the card…
Hurrikan
- The non-dealer (the player to dealer's right if there are more than two players) plays first and the turn to play alternated (or passes to the right). A turn consists of playing exactly one card from hand face up to the table. The played card may or may not capture one or more cards from the table. 1. If the played card is equal in value to one of the face up cards on the table, it captures t…
Other Pages and Software
- At the end of the play, the players or teams score for the cards they have in their capture piles and for sweeps as follows. Scopa 1. For each scopa (sweep), indicated by a card stored face up in the capture pile: 1 point. Cards 1. The player or team with the most cards in their capture pile scores 1 point for cards. In case of a tie for most cards no one scores this point. Coins / Diamonds 1. Th…