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Scopa is a traditional Italian card-capture game played with a 40-card deck. On each turn, play one card to capture a matching card from the table or, when no single-card match is available, a group whose values add up to it. Clearing the table is called a scopa and usually scores a point. Rules vary by region and variant, so agree on special rules before dealing.

What does “Scopa” mean?

Scopa means “broom” in Italian. The name refers to sweeping all the face-up cards off the table in one capture. Scopa is a fishing-style capture game: players take cards from a shared table rather than winning tricks.

What cards do you need?

The common pack has 40 cards: ten in each of four suits—denari (coins), coppe (cups), spade (swords), and bastoni (batons or clubs). Traditional Italian decks have three court cards: Re (king), Cavallo (horse), and Fante (jack). Some northeastern Italian regions use French-suited packs. Neapolitan, Piacentine, and Bergamasche are among the regional deck patterns; no single pattern is required for every game. If you do not have an Italian pack, Pagat describes making a 40-card pack by removing the 8s, 9s, and 10s from a standard 52-card deck. Pagat’s Scopa rules and Lottomatica’s Italian rules and FAQ describe these deck options.

Card values for captures

For matching and adding cards, number cards keep their face value, the ace is 1, the Fante is 8, the Cavallo is 9, and the Re is 10. These are capture values; primiera uses a different scale.

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How do you deal and play Scopa?

Deal for two players

  1. Choose a dealer and shuffle the 40-card pack.
  2. Deal three cards to each player and place four cards face up on the table.
  3. The non-dealer takes the first turn.

When both players have played all three cards, the dealer deals another three cards to each. Keep the face-up table cards in place; do not add more. Repeat until the deck is exhausted. This is a common two-player deal, rather than a claim that every regional game uses identical setup rules. Pagat and Gioco carte italiane describe this basic form.

Capture on your turn

  1. Play exactly one card from your hand.
  2. If a single table card has the same value, capture that card.
  3. If there is no single-card match, you may capture two or more table cards whose values total the value of your played card. If several groups work, choose one.
  4. If nothing can be captured, leave the played card face up on the table.

A matching single card takes priority over a group with the same total. For example, if you play a 7 and the table has a 7 as well as a 3 and 4, you must take the single 7 rather than the 3 and 4. Under the standard rules described by Pagat, you must capture if the card you play can capture; you may instead choose another card from your hand that makes no capture. Put captured cards face down in your personal or team pile.

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What counts as a scopa?

A scopa occurs when your capture removes every face-up card from the table. It is worth one point. To keep track, leave the card you played for that sweep face up in your capture pile.

In the basic rules described by Pagat and Gioco carte italiane, taking the last remaining table cards with the final play of the hand does not score a scopa. After the hand, any cards still on the table go to the player or team that made the last capture.

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How does Scopa scoring work?

At the end of a hand, the common scoring system awards one point for each of four categories, plus one point for every scopa:

  • Most cards: the player or team that captured the most cards.
  • Most denari: the player or team with the most cards in the coins suit.
  • Settebello: whoever captured the seven of denari, or coins.
  • Primiera: the player or team with the higher qualifying primiera total.
  • Scopa: one point for each qualifying table sweep.

In Pagat’s standard rules, a tie in most cards, most denari, or primiera gives neither side that category point. A common game target is 11 cumulative points across hands, but players can agree to another target.

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How is primiera calculated?

For primiera, choose your best card in each of the four suits and add their special values. You need at least one card in every suit to qualify. The usual values in the rules described by Pagat and Lottomatica are:

Card Primiera value
7 21
6 18
Ace 16
5 15
4 14
3 13
2 12
Re, Cavallo, or Fante 10

These primiera values do not change the capture values used during play. Some local rules use a different primiera scale, so confirm the one in use before scoring.

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What do the Italian Scopa terms mean?

  • Scopa: “Broom”; a capture that clears the table, usually worth one point.
  • Denari: the coins suit, sometimes translated as “diamonds” in English-language rules.
  • Settebello: the seven of denari, a one-point scoring category in the common game.
  • Primiera: the scoring category based on your best card in each suit and a special value scale.
  • Cavallo: “Horse,” the middle court card; it counts as 9 for captures.
  • Fante: jack; it counts as 8 for captures.
  • Re: king; it counts as 10 for captures.

Which Scopa variations should players agree on?

These are named variants or local scoring rules, not rules to silently combine with the basic game:

  • Asso pigliatutto: In the variant Pagat describes, an ace takes all table cards when no ace is already there, and the sweep scores.
  • Scopa d’Assi: This has similar ace behavior, but in the described form, clearing the table with an ace does not count as a scopa. Some local play lets an ace on an empty table “take itself.”
  • Napola: Some versions award extra points for a consecutive run in denari starting A-2-3; the smallest run scores three. The allowed maximum and game target vary.
  • Re Bello: Some versions award an extra point for capturing the king of denari.
  • Scopone: A related four-player partnership game that commonly deals all cards up front—often nine or ten to each player—instead of replenishing three-card hands.

Regional differences can also affect the deck pattern, primiera scale, and target score. An educational ebook produced through an EU-funded project describes an ace-taking-all rule and additional bonuses such as Re Bello and Nappola; that is an example of variation, not a universal basic ruleset. Pagat’s variant descriptions and Lottomatica’s Italian guide provide further context.

Before the first deal

To avoid disputes, agree on the deck, whether aces have special powers, whether Napola or Re Bello bonuses count, which primiera scale to use, how many points win, and whether the final capture can score a scopa. Then use the same agreed rules throughout the game.

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