How to Play Scopa d'Assi

Scopa d'Assi — “Ace Takes All” — plays exactly like classic Scopa, with one dramatic twist: playing an Ace sweeps the entire table whenever there isn't already an Ace sitting on it. Learn the rules here, then play free as part of our Ultimate Scopa Collection.

Overview

Scopa d'Assi — "Ace Takes All" — plays exactly like classic Scopa, with one dramatic twist: playing an Ace sweeps the entire table, instantly, whenever there isn't already an Ace sitting on it. Every other rule is identical to Scopa — match or sum captures, the same five scoring categories, and a match played across hands to 11 points.

How to Play

1. Deal. 4 cards go face-up on the table, and 3 cards to each player's hand.
2. Play a card from your hand.
3. Special rule — Ace. If you play an Ace and there are no Aces on the table, the Ace captures all the cards! This does not score a Scopa.
4. Capture or discard. Otherwise, tap matching or summing table cards to capture, or discard if nothing captures.
5. Redeal. When hands are empty, 3 more cards are dealt to each side until the deck runs out.
6. Leftover cards at the end go to the last player who captured.
7. Score the five categories — the match is played across hands until one side reaches 11 points. A tie at or above 11 triggers a tie-break hand.

How Capturing Works

• Same rank — play a 6 to capture the 6 on the table.
• Sum match — play a 7 to capture 3+4 from the table (3+4=7); tap each card you want.
• Single beats sum — if a lone 7 is sitting on the table, you must take that one, even if the table also has a 3+4 that would sum to 7. A single exact match is always mandatory when one exists.
• No match — discard. If you cannot capture, your card is discarded to the table.

The Ace Sweep

If you play an Ace and there's no other Ace already on the table, it captures every card on the table at once — a huge swing, especially late in a hand. Unlike a normal table-clearing capture, this does not score a Scopa. If an Ace is already sitting on the table, playing another Ace simply captures it by ordinary rank match instead.

Card Ranks & Values

Rank 1 is the Ace, ranks 2 through 7 are worth their own number, and Settebello — the 7 of Coins — is the most important card in the game: whoever captures it scores 1 point, so always prioritise it.

Scopa — Clearing the Table

If your capture takes the last cards off the table (through an ordinary match or sum, not an Ace sweep), you score a Scopa — an instant bonus point. Clearing the table on the very last play of the game does not count as a Scopa.

End of Hand — Five Scoring Categories

Each player picks their best card from each of the four suits and totals the Primiera values — the highest total wins. A side with no cards of a suit cannot win Primiera at all.

Strategy Tips

• Hold your Aces for a full table. An Ace sweep is worth the most when there are the most cards to take — don't waste one on a table with a single card.
• Watch for a lone Ace on the table. Once one Ace is down, every other Ace played just captures normally — the sweep window is gone for the rest of that table cycle.
• Remember the sweep gives no Scopa. If you're chasing the Scopas category specifically, an ordinary table-clearing capture is worth more than an Ace sweep.
• Prioritise Settebello and Primiera cards — with an Ace sweep able to upend the card count at any moment, the fixed-value categories are often the more reliable points to chase.

Frequently Asked Questions

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