At Hoyle’s, we love games that bring people together across generations - and Scopa is one of the very best. This traditional Italian card game has been played for centuries in piazzas, cafés, and family homes, and it’s every bit as fun and relevant today.
What Is Scopa?
Scopa can be played either individually (each player for themselves) or in partnerships (2 vs 2). Both versions share the same basic mechanics, but scoring is tallied differently. You’ll find instructions for both formats below.
Scopa (meaning “sweep” in Italian) is a trick-taking game for two to four players, often played in pairs. The aim is simple: capture cards from the table by matching their values with cards in your hand. Make a “Scopa” - a clean sweep of the table - and you earn a satisfying bonus.
The rules are easy to learn, but don’t be fooled - there’s plenty of room for tactics, memory, and clever play. It’s one of those games where everyone can join in, but mastery takes practice.
Where Is Scopa Played?
Beloved across Italy, each region favouring its own variation and deck design. Thanks to Italian emigrants, the game also found new homes in South America, North America, and Australia. Today, Scopa is played worldwide - we're often asked for cards to play it in our Oxford shop - proof that great games travel well!
Which Decks Can You Use?
Scopa is traditionally played with a 40-card Italian regional deck - make sure the deck you choose is a 40-card deck! Beyond that, it's personal preference.
Perfect for Scopa
Napoletane is the classic deck you’ll most often see, but you can just as well play with Siciliane, Piacentine, Triestine, Trevisane, Trentine, Romagnole, Milanesi, Toscane... and any other 40-card Italian decks!
(You’ll find many of these beautiful regional decks here at Hoyle’s.)
Decks to Avoid (unless adapted)
- 52-card Italian regional packs (e.g., Bresciane, Genovesi) – too many cards.
- Tarocco (Tarot) decks – designed for other games, far too many cards.
- Spanish/Portuguese decks – 48 cards; playable if you remove the 8s and 9s.
- German/Swiss decks – different suits, so not a good fit.
No Italian Deck to Hand?
No problem! Just grab a standard 52-card deck, remove the 8s, 9s, and 10s, and you’re ready to play. Hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades can stand in for the Italian suits.
Using a Standard Deck: Suit Conversion
When using an English/French deck, the suits don’t have to match exactly — the game only cares about ranks and totals. The one important exception is that you must agree which suit will represent coins (denari), since coins affect scoring. A common mapping is:
- Diamonds = Coins (Denari)
- Hearts = Cups (Coppe)
- Spades = Swords (Spade)
- Clubs = Clubs (Bastoni)
As long as players agree which suit counts as coins, the rest can be used as they are.
How to Play Scopa
Scopa can be played either individually (each player for themselves) or in partnerships (2 vs 2). The core mechanics are the same for both formats, with differences only in how scoring is tallied.
Core Rules (Shared Across All Formats)
The Aim of the Game
The goal in Scopa is to capture the most valuable set of cards and score points by the end of the round. You’ll earn points for collecting the most cards overall, the most coins, the coveted seven of coins (settebello), the best primiera, and for every sweep (scopa) you make. The game is usually played to 11 points, though some groups prefer 21.
The Deck
Scopa is played with a 40-card Italian deck (or a standard 52-card deck with 8s, 9s, and 10s removed). The suits are coins, cups, swords, and clubs.
Setup
Shuffle and deal three cards to each player. Place four cards face-up in the centre of the table. The rest form a draw pile.
If the four face-up cards are all the same rank (for example, four 7s), reshuffle and redeal to avoid an unusual start.
Playing a Turn
On your turn, play one card from your hand:
- Match a single card – If it equals the value of a card on the table, you capture it.
Example: You play a 7 and there’s a 7 on the table — you capture it. - Match a sum – If it equals the sum of several cards, you capture them all.
Example: You play an 8, and on the table there’s a 5 and a 3 — you capture both. - No match – If no match is possible, you must place your card on the table.
Example: You play a 4, but there are no 4s or combinations adding up to 4 — your 4 stays on the table.
When you capture, the card you played and the captured cards are placed face-down in a personal pile in front of you (or your team). This pile is not in your hand and is kept for scoring at the end of the round.
Scopa!
If you clear the table completely with your play, you score a Scopa point (often marked with a coin or token).
Rounds
Each player begins with three cards in hand. Over the course of their turns, their hand will diminish from 3 → 2 → 1 → 0. Once all players have played their three cards, deal another three cards each from the draw pile. This cycle continues until the draw pile is exhausted and all cards have been played. Any cards remaining on the table at the very end are awarded to the last player to make a capture.
A round of Scopa is the complete play of the full deck — from the first deal until all 40 cards have been played and scoring is tallied.
Scoring Categories
At the end of the round, tally points:
- Most cards captured – 1 point (no point awarded if tied)
- Most coins (denari) – 1 point (no point awarded if tied)
- Seven of coins (settebello) – 1 point
- Primiera – 1 point. This is calculated by looking at the best card in each suit and applying values: 7 = 21, 6 = 18, Ace = 16, 5 = 15, 4 = 14, 3 = 13, 2 = 12, all others = 10. Add your four highest (one per suit) and the highest total wins. (No point awarded if tied.)
- Each Scopa – 1 point
Primiera — Worked Example (Individual)
- Player A best-by-suit: 7♦ (21), 6♥ (18), A♠ (16), 5♣ (15) → Total = 70
- Player B best-by-suit: 7♦ (21), 7♥ (21), 4♠ (14), 3♣ (13) → Total = 69
Result: Player A wins the Primiera point with 70 vs 69.
Variations in Scoring
Individual Play
- Each player tallies their own points separately.
- The winner is the first to reach the agreed score (usually 11 or 21).
Partnership Play (Scopone / Scopa a Coppie)
- Four players form two partnerships, sitting opposite each other.
- Teammates combine their captured piles and tally their points collectively.
- All scoring categories are the same, but applied to the partnership as a whole.
- The first partnership to reach the target score (11 or 21) wins.
Primiera — Worked Example (Partnership)
- Team A best-by-suit: 7♦ (21), 6♥ (18), A♠ (16), 5♣ (15) → Total = 70
- Team B best-by-suit: 7♦ (21), 7♥ (21), 4♠ (14), 3♣ (13) → Total = 69
Result: Team A wins the Primiera point with 70 vs 69.
Italian Variations
- Scopone / Scopone Scientifico - Played with 10 cards in hand instead of 3, and often by four players in partnerships. This version is more strategic and is very popular in central and southern Italy.
- Scopetta - Similar to Scopone, but each player is dealt 9 cards and one card is dealt face-up to the table.
- Scopa d’Assi - An Ace (Asso) can capture all the cards on the table in one go (like a built-in sweep).
- Napola - Played in some parts of southern Italy, where extra points are awarded for capturing the Ace, 2, and 3 of coins (denari) as a sequence.
- Re Bello (Beautiful King) - In some areas, capturing the King of coins is worth an additional bonus point.
Final Thoughts
At Hoyle’s we love games with history and character – and Scopa has both! It's a cherished part of Italian culture, long played in cafés, kitchens, and piazzas - and still enjoyed by many families and communities today. You’re not just learning how to play a great game, but stepping into a tradition that's been enjoyed for centuries – and still is, all over Italy and beyond. Buona partita!
Like so many games, Scopa has as many little house rules and traditions as there are tables it’s played on, so if you know of a variation we haven’t covered here, or if you spot something we’ve missed, we’d love to hear from you!