How to Play Scopa Italian Game with Regular Playing Card Deck

Simplified Rules for Our New Favorite Card Game Using a Standard Deck of Cards

Scopa! is a fun, fast-paced, and easy-to-learn card game for 2-6, or even 8 people! It is the classic and historic card game of Italy and popular in Italian-speaking countries worldwide. It’s been played in Italy since the 1700’s using traditional Italian playing cards, but the game is easily adapted to modern playing cards.

These are Walnut Studiolo's simplified rules of play for Scopa. We discovered this game by happenstance several years ago and it’s become a favorite of visiting friends and family!

These rules are meant for beginners, with optional instructions for the more complicated rules (the traditional Primiera) – plus some bonus printable and resources!

Table of Contents

Set-up Objective Card Values Basic Scopa Play Capturing Cards Scopa! Playing Rounds Scoring Winning Variations and Etiquette True Premiera (Optional) How to Play Scopa with 8 Players and a 52-Card Deck Bonus: Free Printable Quick Start Guide Resources

Set-up

All you need is a deck of playing cards (modern or traditional Italian), a table or surface to play on, and a pen and paper for keeping score
If you’re using a modern 52-card deck, remove the face cards (J, Q, K) and jokers from the deck and set aside. You should now have 40 cards. (*Note: You can play with 8 people using a 52-card deck! Learn how under Variations below.)
Select the first dealer, who shuffles and deals 3 cards to the other player(s) and themselves, and a number of cards face-up in the center of the table, according to the number of players (usually 4):

Table showing number of players, how many cards to deal to center, how many to deal to players, how many for the last deal, and number of roads, for 2 to 6 players

The number of cards you deal to the center and last deal is unique with 5 players. Otherwise, deal 4 to the center and 3 to the players. Depending on the number of players, a game is between 6 to 2 rounds.

The dealer then places the remainder of the deck to one side nearby. The same dealer will continue to deal out the rest of the deck in rounds.
In the rare circumstance that the cards center-up on the table include (3) or (4) 10’s (or traditional Kings), the dealer should shuffle and re-deal. (Because this hand would be impossible to Scopa).

A table with a white tablecloth, with a deck of cards face-down to one side, four cards face-up in the center, and two players hands face-down with 3 cards each

Set-up of Scopa game

History of Traditional Italian Playing Cards

Playing cards arrived in Italy from Egypt in the 1370s. Over time, each region developed its own version. There are now 16 (!) different regional decks unique to Italy, and many others from throughout western Europe still in use today.

Because they developed before there was widespread literacy, the traditional decks usually have no numbers or letters. Many have have beautiful and unique artwork, and regional decks have different icons for the suits, and different numbers of playing cards, ranging from 32 to 62.

Typically the suits are similar to tarot cards, which developed from these traditional decks: most commonly Coins (Diamonds), Batons (Clubs), Cups (Hearts), and Swords (Spades), but some have unique suits like Acorns, Flowers, and Bells!

These cards are still for sale in Europe by brands such as Modiano. Frozen in time, they are the precursors to the modern 52-card deck we all know and love in tournaments and casinos worldwide, which is based on the traditional French deck.

Modiano Italian playing cards fanned out on a black background

Traditional Italian playing cards feature different suits like bells, coins, and wands. They also don't have corner numbers (indices). Photo credit: depositphotos

Objective

The objective is to earn the most points. This is done by capturing cards from the center of the table: as many cards as possible! Certain cards have a higher value than others.

Card Values

In play, the Ace is low (1) and all the numbered cards have their face value, 2-10.

However the face value does not matter for points.

To earn points, you want to capture:

Any card in the Diamonds suit
7’s
The 7 of Diamonds in particular

Basic Scopa Play

Capturing Cards

The player to the left of the dealer goes first.
The player selects one (only one) card from their hand and places it face-up on the table. They are trying to take a card or multiple cards from the center whose value is the same as the card in their hand. If not, they leave it on the table. Possible moves:

Value Match	Example	Action
Capture 1 Card Player’s card value matches like-for-like another card on the Table	Player’s 5 matches Table’s 5	Player picks up that card from the Table (captures) and places it and their own card (the trick) face-down in a pile in front of them to score later.
Capture 2+ Cards Player’s card value equals the value of two or more cards on the Table added together	Player’s 5 equals Table’s 2 and 3 cards	Player captures all of those cards that add up to their card’s value, and places them and their own card face-down in their pile to score later.
SCOPA! Player’s card value equals the value of ALL of the cards on the Table together	Player’s 6 equals all three cards on the table: 2 + 3 + 1	Player grandly sweeps all the cards from the Table, announces “SCOPA!”, places all their cards face-down in the pile to score later, and immediately marks one point for the Scopa on their scorecard. (More about this in Variations, below.) The next Player will not get to take a trick and must place a card on the Table because there are no cards left on the Table to capture.
Leave a Card Player’s card value does not match, nor equal the added-up value, of any cards on the Table	Player’s 1 (Ace) does not have an equal on the Table, nor are there any cards that can add up to 1	Player’s card stays on the Table and can now be captured by anyone on a future turn

On their turn, the Player must play only one card from their hand, even if it is to their disadvantage.
The Player must capture the Table cards if their value adds up or matches, even if it is to their disadvantage.
If the Table has both a like-for-like match and a combination of cards that add up to the Player’s card value on the Table: the Player must take the like-for-like match (even if it would be more advantageous for them to take the combination).

A player showing 3 cards in their hand (6, 8, 10), in front of 4 cards face-up on the table (4, 9, 8, Ace)

This player has two choices: they could put down their 8 and capture the 8 on the table, or they could put down their 10 and capture the 9 and the Ace (9+1 = 10). In points-counting, the 8 is attractive because it's a Diamond, but the 9+1 is attractive because it's more cards.

Scopa!

“Scopa” means “broom” in Italian: the high-spirited objective is to sweep the table of all the cards in the center! It's a lot of fun to announce it with gusto.

Playing Rounds

Play continues to the left (clockwise), until all players have placed or captured all 3 of their cards.

The dealer then deals 3 more cards from the deck to all the players (but not the Table). Play continues like this in rounds. There may be more or less rounds depending on the number of players.

On the last deal, depending on the number of players, the number of cards to be dealt may be slightly different:

After the final deal, and the final Player’s final card has been played, the remainder of the cards left on the Table go to the Player who won the last trick as a bonus. (This might not be the last Player who had a turn.) This doesnotcount as a Scopa.

Scoring

Each time the deck has been emptied, the Players score their pile of captured tricks.

TIP: We like to take our pile of captured cards and count the total number of cards while sorting them face-up into three piles: Diamonds (Coins), 7’s, and all the rest.

Players are awarded points for the following, each worth one point:

Category	Score	Explanation
Most cards	1 point	Count up the total number of cards captured. The Player with the most cards earns one point.
7 of Diamonds (Coins)	1 point	The “Sette Bello” is a special card worth one point by itself. The Player with this card in their hand earns one point.
Most Diamonds (Coins)	1 point	Count up the total number of cards in the Diamonds (Coins) suit, including the 7 of Diamonds (Coins). The Player with the most Diamonds (Coins) earns one point.
Most 7’s (“Premiera”)	1 point	Simplified: the Player with the most 7’s earns one point. (For true Premiera, read the optional rules below.)

If the Players have a tie on any scoring category, such as two Players both capturing 20 cards, then nobody is awarded the points for that category.

Play begins again with the next dealer (the player to the left of the last dealer) shuffling the deck as before, until somebody wins.

Winning

The first Player to have at least 11 points and the highest number of total points at the end of a game wins.

For example, if a Player earns an 11th point with a Scopa mid-game, they have not won the game until all the cards have been dealt and all the points tallied. It’s possible that another Player may have a total score higher than the first Player to reach 11. In that case, the Player with the highest total score at the end of the game wins.

If there is a tie at the end of the round, with more than one Player at 11 points or more, then a new game is played until there is a winner at the end of the game with the most points.

Technically, in true traditional Scopa, Premiera is not simply the most 7’s, but the hand with the top 4 most valuable cards.

Each card has a "Premiera value" separate from its face value.

The relative Premiera value is almost inverse from its face value. Generally higher face value cards are counted lower, with the exception of 7’s, 6’s and Aces, which have the highest values.

To calculate true Premiera, players add up the Premiera value of their top 4 cards according to their Premiera value:

Card	Premiera Value
7’s	21
6’s	18
1’s (Aces)	16
5’s	15
4’s	14
3’s	13
2’s	12
8, 9, 10 Fante, Cavallo, Re Jack, Queen, King	10

The person with the highest Premiera value earns 1 point. (If there’s a tie, nobody gets a point as usual)

If someone has the majority of 7’s, then they almost assuredly have Premiera – but not always.

As an extreme example, let’s say Player A had a terrible game and only captured 4 cards, but they got a lot of 7’s.

Player A captured (3) 7’s and (1) 8 (Cavallo) and has a Premiera of 73 (21 + 21+ 21 + 10).
Player B had a great game and captured ALL the other cards during the game, so their highest cards are (1) 7 and (3) 6’s for a Premiera of 75 (21 + 18 + 18 + 18).
Since 75 is higher than 73, Player B wins the point for Premiera even though Player A had the majority of 7’s.

Variations and Etiquette

There are no formal tournament rules for Scopa (that we could find in English), and there are many variations and localisms. So it’s important for players to agree on the rules before starting - or just not take this game too seriously!

Traditional Face Cards. Traditional play uses face cards instead of the numbered cards for 8-10. For a more traditional experience using a modern 52-card deck, remove cards 8-10 from the deck instead. The Jack is worth 8, Queen 9, and King 10.
Direction of Play: Rules differ between dealing and playing clockwise or counter-clockwise, to the left or right of the dealer. We chose left in our simplified rules.
Order of the Deal: Rules differ on whether the Players are dealt their card first, or if the cards are dealt to the Table first. The more American Scopa rules sites tended to deal Players first, while the more Italian Scopa rules sites tended to deal the Table first.
The Table Deal: Traditionally, players deal the initial Table cards in a 2x2 square rather than a line of 4.
Scopa Scoring: instead of piling all the captured cards together and marking points for a Scopa immediately (our simplified rule), traditionally Scopa tricks are piled separately in front of the person and the score is added at the end during regular scoring. In some variations, one card from the trick is turned face-up to remind (taunt) the other players while calculating points that a Scopa was won!
Teams: When playing with 4 or 6 players, they can score together in teams.
Forfeits: In some Italian cities, if one Player is up 7-0 against another Player then the losing Player can forfeit.
More Variations: There are so many other variations of this game! Some are even considered separate games. If you want to explore more, check out our Resources section below and try out Libyan Scopa, Scopa d’Assi, Scopa scientifico, and more!

Court Cards and the Missing 8-10 in Traditional Italian Decks

With traditional Scopa, the Italian decks don't have 8-10 and use the face cards (court cards) instead. However, their court cards are a little different than the normal 52-card deck. Here's how they compare:

Face Value	Traditional Italian Card	Modern Card
8	Fante (Knave)	Jack
9	Cavallo (Knight, Cavalry) OR Donna/Regina (Queen)	Queen
10	Re (King)	King

True Premiera (Optional)

How to Play Scopa with 8 Players and a 52-Card Deck

It is possible to play an 8 player game of Scopa! For this, you’ll need a full modern deck with 52 cards.

Like normal, 4 cards are placed face-up on the table, and 3 cards are dealt to each player for 2 rounds.
Jacks have a value of 11, Queens 12, and Kings 13.
Increase the winning score to a higher number, say 16, so that each player has the opportunity to deal and to mitigate first-player advantage.
Points can also be rewarded to all Players with ties to increase scoring opportunities.

Some Italian Phrases for Game Play

Speaking some Italian is half the fun of this game! Here are some words you’ll want to learn and repeat throughout the game, preferably with an Italian accent!

Italian	Pronunciation	Translation Notes
A CHI TOCCA?	AH KEY TOE-kah	Whose turn is it?
CAVALLO	kah-VAHL-loh	Knight (cavalry). Card value of 9. Equivalent to Queen.
DENARI	DEH-nahr-ee	Coins (Diamonds suit)
FANTE	FAHN-tay	Knave (footsoldier). Card value of 8. Equivalent to Jack.
PREMIERA	preh-mee-AIR-uh	“Prime.” The hand with the top four most valuable cards (usually 7’s)
RE	RAY	King. Card value of 10.
RE BELLO	RAY BELL-oh	“Beautiful King.” The King of Coins/Diamonds.
SCOPA	SCOH-pah	Shouted when you sweep the table of all the cards, earning you a point. (Even more fun if everyone joins in!)
SETTE BELLO	SET-tay BELL-oh	“Beautiful Seven.” The 7 of Diamonds (Coins)

Bonus: Free Printable Quick Start Guide

Print out this handy little cheatsheet. It's the same size as a playing card. You can stash it in your deck to help you remember the rules for the next time!

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