How to Play Scopone

Scopone is the partnership grandparent of Scopa — a sharper, more tactical four-player game where every card you play is a signal to your partner. All you need is a 40-card deck, three friends, and a few minutes to learn the rules. Master it here, then play free in the app.

Overview

Scopone is Scopa's older, sharper cousin — a fixed-partnership game for four players where the whole deck is dealt out before play begins, and every card you lay down tells your partner something. There's no drawing from a deck mid-hand: each player gets nine cards to manage carefully, and reading what your partner needs — and what your opponents are avoiding — is the whole game.

How to Play

1. Sit in partnerships. Four players sit around the table so that partners face each other, alternating with opponents.
2. Deal. Nine cards are dealt to each player. The remaining four cards are placed face up on the table to start.
3. Play a card. Starting with the player to the dealer's right and moving clockwise, each player plays one card from their hand.
4. Capture if you can. If your card matches the value of a single card on the table, or the sum of two or more cards on the table, you capture those cards. If not, your card stays on the table.
5. Sweep the table. If your capture clears every card from the table, that's a scopa — worth a bonus point at the end of the hand.
6. Play out the hand. Continue until all four players have played all nine of their cards.
7. Score the round. Whichever team last captured cards on the final play takes any cards still left on the table. Then tally points for scopas, most cards, most coins (denari), the settebello, and primiera.

Scoring

Scopone is scored per hand (or per full deal-out of the deck), split between the two teams:

• Scopa — 1 point for every sweep either partner made.
• Most cards — 1 point to the team that captured more than 20 of the 40 cards.
• Most coins (denari) — 1 point to the team that captured more than 5 of the 10 coin-suit cards.
• Settebello — 1 point to whichever team captured the seven of coins.
• Primiera — 1 point to the team holding the best combination of high-value cards, one per suit, ranked 7 > 6 > 5 > 4 > 3 > 2 > ace > face cards.
• Napola (house-rule variant) — an extra bonus if a team captures the ace, two and three of coins together, worth more the longer the run they extend.

Play continues over several deals until a team reaches an agreed target, traditionally 11, 16 or 21 points.

Strategy Tips

• Play for your partner, not just yourself. A card you play tells your partner what's safe — and what isn't — for the rest of the hand.
• Track the coins and the sevens closely; primiera and the settebello are worth fighting over even when a sweep isn't on offer.
• Avoid leaving an easy capture for the opponent to your left, since they play right after you.
• Save your last card carefully. Whoever captures last sweeps up whatever's left on the table — a big swing in a close hand.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Games