Scopa is an Italian card game played with a standard Italian 40-card deck. It is most commonly played between two players or two teams of two players each, but can also be played with 3, 4, or 6 individual players. Scopa is a trick-taking game. The name is the Italian verb meaning "to sweep" since taking a "scopa" means you have "swept" all the cards from the pool. Watching a game of scopa can be highly entertaining an activity since true connoisseurs of the game maintain that lively and colorful banter in between hands is a vital part of the game.

Alternate Variations

Scopone

The game of Scopone is based on Scopa. In this game, which must be played in 2 teams of 2, players are dealt all nine of their cards at the start of each round. Play proceeds around the table until all players have played all of their cards.

In another form of the game, the scopone scientifico, the players are dealt ten cards each and none are put on the table. This makes things tricky for the player who opens the game, for the following player can immediately score a scopa if he owns a card of the same value. The opening player will choose a value of which he has two or three cards, to reduce the probability of his opponent having one too. Of course, it is perfectly safe to open if the player is lucky enough to have four cards of the same kind. This is quite a rare event, though.

Trentino Scopone

In this variation of Scopone, the game is played until one team has 21 points, rather than 11. Also, a team capturing the ace, two, and three of coins is awarded additional points equal to the highest consecutive coin they obtain (if a team captures the ace, two, three, four, and five, and eight of coins, that team is awarded 5 additional points. If a team manages to capture all 10 coins in a single round, that team wins the game immediately.

Scopa d'Assi / Asso piglia tutto

In this variation of the game, playing an Ace captures all cards currently on the table. Play varies as to whether or not this counts as a scopa. Usually, if there happens to be an ace already on the table, the player who draws an ace will not take all the cards, but only the ace that is there. This event, that every player will try to avoid, is called burning an ace.

Since there are no formal rules regulating the scopa d'assi, it is good manners to agree with the other players on the rules that are to be used before starting a game.

Re Bello

In the Re Bello ("Beautiful King") version, the King of Coins also counts as a point, just as does the Seven of coins.

Scopa di Quindici

In this variation, the played card does not take a card or set of cards that sum to the value of the card played. Rather, it takes any set of cards including itself that add to 15. For example, if the table is A, 3, 5, 7, playing a 2 would take itself plus the A, 5 and 7 (A + 2 + 5 + 7 = 15).

Scopone Messina

In this variation three players are dealt 13 cards each, with the remaining card placed on the table as a start card. Play is counter clockwise. The regular rules of scopone thereafter apply. First to score 21 points wins. Because the totals needed to win carte (cards), denari (coins) or primiera (prime) are lower than the totals in standard scopone, the play can become very goal or goal denying orientated. While temporary alliances are permitted as two players may often do against an opponent who acquires a large early lead, it is forbidden for the players to expressly say which cards they are holding.