Players: 2–4 (or 4 in fixed pairs) · Time: 20–30 minutes per round · Difficulty: Easy · Deck: Full Corsicane deck (40 cards)
The story
Scopa means "broom" in Italian, and the name is exactly the point of the game. The goal is to sweep the table clean, the way a broom clears a floor in one satisfying pass. The game emerged in Naples, though its roots trace back even further to Mediterranean port towns, where sailors and traders once played variants of older Spanish games during quiet hours between voyages. It has been played in taverns, kitchens, and seaside cafés since at least the 15th century, passed down through oral and visual tradition.
There is no single "correct" Scopa. Every Italian region adds its own flavour, and arguing gently over house rules is, in a way, part of the tradition. Here is how we play it:
How to play
Deal three cards to each player, and lay four cards face-up in the center of the table. On your turn, play one card from your hand. If it matches the value of a card on the table, or the sum of several cards on the table, you capture them. If it matches nothing, your card simply joins the layout, face-up, for someone else to take later.
When you capture every card from the table in a single move, leaving it completely empty, that's a scopa — a sweep. The captured cards, along with the card you played, go face-up in your scoring pile rather than face-down, both as proof of the moment and, traditionally, a little gentle taunt to the table.
Once everyone has played their three cards, the dealer deals three more to each player while the layout on the table stays as it is. This continues until the deck runs out. Whoever made the most recent capture takes any cards still left on the table at the very end (though this final sweep never counts as a scopa).
Scoring
Play to 11 points, tallied across as many hands as it takes. One point is earned for each:
- most cards captured overall
- most cards of the Immortelle (yellow flower) suit
- holding the settebello (the seven of Immortelle — the most coveted card in the deck)
- most cards of primiera (cards of six and seven, regardless of the suit)
- and one point for every scopa swept during play.
A few tips for your table
Resist capturing everything you can, every time. A clever player sometimes leaves the table thinly arranged on purpose, planning a sweep two turns ahead rather than grabbing the obvious capture now. Keep an eye on who's collecting coins and if you're holding the settebello, play it close to the end, not the beginning.