How to play Scopa
- The cards. Scopa uses a deck of 40 cards: a normal deck without the 8s, 9s and 10s. The ace to the 7 count their face value, the jack counts 8, the queen 9 and the king 10. Diamonds stand in for the Italian suit of coins.
- The deal. Each player gets three cards, and four more go face up on the table. If three or four of the table cards are kings, the cards are shuffled and dealt again.
- Take turns. The player who didn't deal plays first. On your turn, play one card from your hand to the table.
- Capture if you can (see below): the cards you take and the card you played go face down in your pile.
- Deal again. When both players have played their three cards, three more are dealt to each, and the cards on the table stay where they are. This goes on until the deck runs out, six rounds of three cards in all.
- The last cards. When the last card has been played, whatever is still on the table goes to the player who took cards last.
- Score the hand (see below). The deal passes to the other player, and new hands are dealt until someone reaches 11 points (or 21, if you choose the longer game).
Capturing
The card you play decides what you can take:
- A matching card. If a table card has the same value, your card takes it. If several do, you choose which one.
- Cards that add up. If no single card matches, your card takes two or more table cards whose values add up to it. If more than one group adds up, you choose.
- A match comes first. If your card matches a single card and also a group, you must take the single card.
- Nothing to take. If your card can't take anything, it stays on the table, and either player may capture it later.
You may play any card from your hand, even one that captures nothing when another card could have captured. But a card that can capture must capture: you can't leave it on the table instead.
| Table cards | You play | You take |
|---|---|---|
| 2, 3, 5, king | 5 | The 5 (the single card comes before 2 + 3) |
| 2, 3, 6, king | 5 | The 2 and the 3 |
| ace, 2, 4, 6 | 7 | Your choice: ace + 6, or ace + 2 + 4 |
| ace, 2, 4, 6 | king (10) | The 4 and the 6, the only group that adds up to 10 |
| 3, 4 | 6 | Nothing: the 6 stays on the table |
A king on the table is safe from everything except another king, since no group of two or more cards can add up to 10 with a king in it.
Scopa: sweeping the table
Take every card on the table in one go and you've made a scopa, worth 1 point. Your card goes into your pile face up and turned sideways, so everyone can count your scope at the end. The table is now empty, so your rival's next card can't take anything and simply stays there.
There's one exception: taking the last cards with the very last card of the hand is not a scopa.
Scoring a hand
| Point | Who scores it |
|---|---|
| Cards | The player who took the most cards (21 or more of the 40) |
| Diamonds | The player who took the most diamonds (6 or more of the 10) |
| Settebello | The player who took the 7 of diamonds, the "beautiful seven" |
| Primiera | The player with the best primiera (see below) |
| Scope | 1 point for each scopa |
If both players take 20 cards, or 5 diamonds, or have equal primieras, nobody scores that point.
The primiera is the best set of four cards, one of each suit. Each card has a special value: 7 is worth 21, 6 is 18, ace is 16, 5 is 15, 4 is 14, 3 is 13, 2 is 12, and the jack, queen and king are 10 each. Take your best card in each suit and add the four values: the higher total wins. A player who didn't take at least one card of every suit can't win the primiera, so if only one player has all four suits, that player gets the point. Sevens are the cards that win it, which is why they're the cards to fight for.
After each hand, the end-of-hand box shows both players' cards, diamonds, settebello, primiera and scope side by side, with the points each one earned.
Winning the game
The first player to reach 11 points wins (or 21, if you choose the longer game on the page). If both players reach the target in the same hand, the higher score wins. If they're tied, another hand is played to decide it.
Controls
- Pick a card: tap a card in your hand. The table cards it can take light up, and the buttons under the table show what it will do.
- Play it: press Take (or Scopa! Take for a sweep), or Put on the table when it can't take anything. You can also tap the card again, or tap a lit table card, when there's only one choice.
- Choose what to take: when your card can take different cards, there's a button for each choice, showing the cards it takes. Point at a button to see its cards on the table.
- Keyboard: ← and → move along your cards, Enter picks one, 1 to 9 choose a button and Esc puts the card back.
Beside each player's hand is the pile of cards they've taken, with the number of cards, the number of diamonds, a 7♦ badge for the settebello and their scopa cards tucked sideways under the pile. The deck sits beside the table with the number of cards still to be dealt.
With 2 Players, a cover screen hides the hands while you pass the device, and the player whose turn it is always sits at the bottom.
Computer levels
The computer never sees your hand or the order of the deck. Like a careful player, it remembers the cards that have been taken, which were all face up when they were taken.
| Level | How it plays |
|---|---|
| Easy | Four times in ten it plays a card without thinking. Otherwise it plays whatever takes the most cards. |
| Medium | Weighs every capture: a scopa, the settebello, sevens, sixes, aces and diamonds. When it can't capture, it puts down its least useful card. |
| Hard | Also works out, from the cards it hasn't seen, what you could take with your reply, so it avoids leaving you a sweep or a seven. |
| Expert | Plays the rest of the hand out in its head, up to 600 times, on imagined deals of the cards it hasn't seen, and plays the card that does best. |
Tips to win
- Count the table. If the cards on the table add up to 10 or less, one card could sweep them all. Before you put a card down, check what total you're leaving for your rival.
- Kings are a safe discard. Only a king can take a king, and never as part of a group, so a king next to other cards can't be swept up with them. Alone on an empty table, though, it hands a sweep to a rival who holds a king.
- Grab the settebello. It's a whole point on its own, and it counts towards diamonds and the primiera too.
- Fight for sevens. The primiera is usually won with sevens, then sixes. Taking three or four sevens nearly always wins it.
- Remember what's gone. There are four cards of each value. If three 5s have been played, a 5 left on the table is much safer.
- Think about the last capture. The last player to take cards gets everything left on the table, so a small capture with your last card can be worth more than it looks.
About Scopa
Scopa is one of the three great national card games of Italy, alongside Briscola and Tressette, and it's popular in Argentina and Brazil too, where Italian families brought it. Its name means "broom": taking every card on the table sweeps it clean. In Italy it's played with a 40-card regional deck in the suits of coins, cups, swords and clubs, and the seven of coins is the settebello. The primiera comes from an old Italian gambling game of the same name. Close relatives include Escoba in Spain and Scopone, a version for four players that deals out all the cards at the start.
This game follows the classic two-player rules as described on Pagat.com, played to 11 points or, if you prefer a longer game, to 21.
Questions
What does scopa mean?
Scopa is Italian for "broom". When you take every card on the table, you sweep it clean, and that sweep is called a scopa. The plural is scope.
What is the settebello?
The seven of coins, the "beautiful seven". With a normal deck of cards, it's the 7 of diamonds. Whoever takes it scores a point for it at the end of the hand.
How does the primiera work?
Each player takes their best card in each suit, counting 7 as 21, 6 as 18, ace as 16, 5 as 15, 4 as 14, 3 as 13, 2 as 12 and picture cards as 10, and adds the four values. The higher total scores a point. You need at least one card of every suit to win it.
Can you play Scopa with a normal deck of cards?
Yes. Take out the 8s, 9s and 10s, and play with the 40 cards that are left: ace to 7, then jack, queen and king counting 8, 9 and 10. That's how this game is played, with diamonds standing in for coins.
What happens if both players reach 11 in the same hand?
The player with more points wins. If both players have the same score, another hand is played to decide the game.
Can two people play Scopa on one phone?
Yes. Choose 2 Players. A cover screen hides the hands while you pass the device, and each player taps to show their cards when it's their turn.
Is Scopa free?
Yes. It's free in your browser, with no download, no sign-up and no ads during a game.
Updated 10 November 2026