Scopa is the classic Italian card game for two players, played with a 40-card deck. On your turn you play one card: if a table card of equal value exists you must take exactly that card; otherwise you may take any set of table cards whose values add up to your card; if nothing matches, your card joins the table. Points come from taking more cards, more denari (coins), the settebello, and sweeps — and the player with more points wins the round.
Play now — it's freeScopa uses 40 cards: four suits — denari (coins), coppe (cups), spade (swords) and bastoni (clubs) — each with cards ranked 1 through 10.
Ranks 8, 9 and 10 carry Italian names: fante (jack), cavallo (knight) and re (king). For capture arithmetic they count at face value, as the table shows.
Play here is head to head: one player against one. The deal alternates between rounds, and the player opposite the dealer starts each round.
| Card | Capture value |
|---|---|
| Ace (1) through 7 | Face value (1–7) |
| 8 — fante (jack) | 8 |
| 9 — cavallo (knight) | 9 |
| 10 — re (king) | 10 |
Each round starts with 3 cards dealt to each player and 4 cards placed face up in the middle of the table; the rest of the deck stays face down as the stock.
When both hands run out, each player draws 3 more cards from the stock, and so on until all 36 dealt cards have been played during the round. Table cards are never replenished or returned — they only grow or shrink through captures.
On your turn you play one card from your hand, with one of three outcomes:
A match exists: if a table card has the same value as yours, you must take that card alone — you may not choose a different sum, however large.
A sum: if there is no match, you may take any set of table cards whose values add up to your card's value. For example, play a 10 to take a 4 and a 6, or play a 5 to take a 2 and a 3.
Nothing: if there is neither a match nor a suitable set, your card stays on the table.
When several sets are possible, the capture with the most cards is taken, and then the turn passes to your opponent.
If your capture clears the table of every card, you score a "scopa" — a bonus point recorded immediately, and every further sweep in the round adds another. That is why Italians shout "scopa!" (broom!) the moment it happens.
One exception: if the very last card of the round clears the table, it does not count as a scopa, since the remaining table cards go to the last capturer anyway.
When the last card is played, the remaining table cards are added to the pile of the player who made the last capture (without counting as a scopa), and the round is scored over four categories:
| Category | Who gets it | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Cards (carte) | The player who captured more cards | 1 point |
| Denari (coins) | The player who captured more coin cards | 1 point |
| Settebello | Whoever captures the 7 of coins | 1 point |
| Scopa | Capturing every card on the table at once | 1 point per sweep |
In the cards and denari categories a tie scores nothing — the point needs a strict majority. The higher total wins the round; a perfect tie ends the round in a draw, and the next round starts with the dealer role swapped.
Track the ten denari from the start: they are a full point on their own, and ignoring them usually costs you two points, not one.
The settebello (7 of coins) is a full point by itself — never hand it to your opponent for free.
Don't make small captures every time you can; a crowded table is a sweep waiting for your opponent. Before playing a non-capturing card, check that your opponent cannot sum their way to clearing the table.
Remember the forced-match rule: a matching card on the table obliges you to take it alone — plan for that before your opponent plays.
When several sums are possible the biggest set is taken; capturing more cards also brings you closer to the majority point.
40 cards — four suits (denari, coppe, spade, bastoni), each ranked 1 through 10.
Here it is played one on one: you against a human opponent, or against an AI opponent that joins within seconds.
Capturing every card on the table with a single play — a sweep, worth one bonus point each. Clearing the table with the round's last card is the exception and does not count.
The 7 of the coin suit (denari). Whoever captures it scores a full point.
One point for more cards, one for more denari, one for the settebello, plus one per scopa. The higher total wins; a tie is a draw.
Yes — if a table card matches your card's value, you must take that card alone and cannot substitute a larger sum.
They are added to the pile of the player who made the last capture, without counting as a scopa.
20 seconds per turn; if the timer runs out, a legal card is played automatically so the table never stalls.
Yes — play Scopa online free at scopa.yeeqia.com, straight in your browser with no download or sign-up required.
Yes, the site is mobile-first and runs in any modern browser on Android or iPhone, with full Arabic and English support.