How to Play Scopa: Cards Dealt and Your First Hands
In Scopa you get 3 cards from a 40-card deck and 4 cards are laid face up on the table. On your turn you play one card: if a table card has the same value you must take it, otherwise you take table cards that add up to it, otherwise your card stays on the table. Clear the table for a scopa, and score points for the most cards, the most coins, the 7 of coins and the best primiera.
How many cards do you get?
3 each, from a 40-card Italian deck, plus 4 face up on the table. When hands run out, everyone gets 3 more, until the deck is gone. With 4 players you play 2 against 2 and sit across from your partner.
Your first turns
- Look at the table and add up what you can take.
- If a card in your hand matches a table card, take it: that's the simplest capture (and it is forced).
- If not, look for sums: a 7 takes a 3 and a 4.
- If nothing works, lay down the card that helps the opponent least: a low card that isn't a coin or a 7.
Taking cards
You always take with the card you played, and your card and the cards you took go to your pile face down. The faces add up as 8, 9 and 10, so a King (10) can take a 3 and a 7, or a Knave and a 2, as well as another King.
What is a scopa?
If you take everything on the table, you made a scopa and score 1 point. It doesn't count when you play the very last card of a deal. Watch out for the opponent: leaving only a few cards on the table gives them the chance.
Playing Scopa online
In Scopa on GameLake you can play against Hops on Easy, Medium or Hard, or open an online table for a friend (2 players) or for 4 in partners: share the invite link and Hops fills empty seats. Tap a card to play it; if it can take in more than one way, tap the table cards you want. Press Teach me to see the best move and why. See the rules for the details.
Common mistakes
- Leaving 10 or less on the table, which invites a scopa.
- Laying down a 7 or a coin, which the opponent takes.
- Forgetting that a card with the same value must be taken.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards do you deal in Scopa?
3 to each player, plus 4 face up on the table, from a 40-card deck. When hands run out you deal 3 more each.
Who goes first in Scopa?
Against Hops you start the first deal, and the first move alternates on later deals.
Can I play Scopa online for free?
Yes. You can play Scopa on GameLake against Hops or at an online table with a friend.
How many can play Scopa?
Two players, or four in two teams of two.
Do you have to take a card in Scopa?
Yes: if your card can take something, you must take; you can't lay it down instead. When several captures are possible you choose, but a card of the same value must be taken first.