Scopa

Regional deck

40

2-6

This is, without a doubt, the most typical card game born and raised in Italy. It can be played at all ages with an increasing difficulty and commitment.

Winning at Scopa means to score more points than the opponents. The player or team that first reaches the pre-set score, usually 11, 16 or 21, wins.

First, the dealer is designated, which is also called “cartaro“. The dealer hands the mixed deck to the player on his left for cutting (or raising). The role of the dealer obviously changes with each hand, continuing in a clockwise direction and thus in the opposite direction to that of the distribution of cards. The dealer deals three cards each, and puts four more face-up on the table. When the players have used up their three plays, the dealer proceeds to deal another three cards until the deck runs out of cards.

Starting from the wing (the player to the right of the dealer), each participant plays a card. When it comes to play a card on the table, there are three possibilities:

Single catch
It is done when the card has the same value as another on the table (for example, the 4 of Clubs takes the 4 of Spades). In this case the player grabs the card on the table and puts both cards (the one they have played and the one they have picked up) in front of them, covered.

Multiple catch
It is done when a card has a value equal to the sum of two or more cards on the table. In this case, capture the two or more cards concerned. However, if there is a single card on the table of equal value to the one played, the player is obliged to take this and not the sum of the others.

No catch
The card has a value that does not correspond to any other value on the table, neither single nor obtained with the sum of several cards. In this case the card is left face up on the table and the game continues. This type of play is defined by the verb to dance.

In pairs, as a rule, the pile is held by the component of the pair that performs the first catch, but it is not a fixed rule. The important thing is that you never look at the cards already captured and that you do not weigh the bunch to evaluate its consistency. When a catch picks up all the cards that are on the table, the scopa occurs. Each scopa is highlighted by placing the uncovered and partially sticking out card in the set of captured cards. At the end of the game, the last card is not a scopa, but only a catch.

Each scopa, whatever the card won is, is worth 1 point. For every hand, there are 4 points to be won.

Cards: 1 point to the player or pair who wins more than twenty cards; it is possible a tie with twenty cards each.

Suns: 1 point to anyone who conquers more than five suns; a tie is possible with 5 suns each.

Settebello: 1 point to the one who conquers the 7 of Suns.

Primiera: 1 point to the winner; tie is possible.

THE CALCULATION OF THE PRIMIERA
The Scopa cards have face value. However, only for the Primiera they have a different one, temporary, for scoring purposes. To decide who gets the primiera, four cards are taken from each suit and their values are added together. The player with the highest total wins the primiera. When a player does not have at least one card for each suit, the first player is lost.