Scopa
Sweep the table — Italy's card game of cunning captures.
Scopa ("broom") is Italy's national card game. On each turn you play a card to the table, capturing cards of the same rank or combinations that sum to your card's value. Sweeping the entire table — a Scopa — earns a bonus point.
🎮 Ways to Play Scopa
Create a Scopa Table
When Scopa launches, you'll create your own table in seconds, get an invite code, and deal in exactly who you want.
Join a Scopa Table by Invite
Joining will be as simple as entering a table code — one tap and you're seated at a friend's Scopa game.
Play Scopa Against the Computer
Smart AI opponents with multiple difficulty levels will make it easy to learn Scopa and practice your strategy solo.
Play Scopa Offline
Scopa will support offline play against computer opponents, so you can play anywhere — no internet connection needed.
🎯 Objective
Score the most points through captured cards. First to 11 (or agreed total) wins.
🃏 Scopa Setup & Rules
- Uses a 40-card Italian deck (remove 8s, 9s, 10s from a standard deck).
- Deal 3 cards to each player; place 4 face-up on the table. Redeal if 3+ face-up cards share a rank.
▶ How to Play Scopa
- Play one card from your hand. If it matches a table card in rank, capture both.
- Or capture a group of table cards whose values SUM to your card's value.
- If your capture clears ALL table cards: Scopa! Place capturing card face-up in your pile.
- If no capture possible, add card to table.
- Deal new hands when all hands are empty. Last player to make a capture takes remaining table cards.
🎬 Watch: How to Play Scopa
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📖 Detailed Guide
Setting up the game
- Scopa seats 2 to 4 players and uses a 40-card Italian-style deck, with eights, nines and tens removed.
- Each player is dealt three cards and four are placed face-up on the table.
- Card values run from Ace as 1 through to the court cards at 8, 9 and 10.
- Hands are replenished three at a time as the deck is used up.
Capturing
- On your turn you play one card and use it to capture from the table.
- A card captures any single table card of the same value, and if such a match exists you must take it.
- Otherwise, a card captures any group of table cards whose values add up to it — a seven can take a five and a two together.
- If you cannot capture anything, your card simply joins the table for someone else to take.
Scopa sweeps
- Clearing every card from the table with a single capture is a scopa, and it scores an immediate point.
- Turn the capturing card face-up in your pile so the sweep can be counted at the end.
- The last player to capture in a round collects any cards still lying on the table, but that does not count as a scopa.
- Leaving awkward totals behind is the main defensive skill — a table an opponent cannot clear is a table that cannot be swept.
Scoring
- After each round, points go to whoever captured the most cards and to whoever captured the most coins or diamonds.
- The seven of coins, the sette bello, is worth a point on its own to whoever captured it.
- A further point goes for the primiera, the best combination of one card per suit, where sevens count highest.
- Add one point per scopa, and play rounds until someone passes eleven points.
📊 Scopa Scoring
Cards (most) = 1 pt; Diamonds/Coins (most) = 1 pt; Sette Bello (7♦) = 1 pt; Primiera (best 7-6-A-5 sum) = 1 pt; Scopas = 1 pt each.
❓ Scopa — Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need for Scopa?
Scopa is played with 2–4 players. On Vanikar, empty seats can be filled with AI opponents so you can always start a game.
When is Scopa coming to Vanikar?
Scopa is in development now. Premium subscribers get access first when it launches — download the app to be ready on day one.
Will I be able to play Scopa against the computer?
Yes. Like every Vanikar game, Scopa will support play against smart AI opponents with multiple difficulty levels, plus online multiplayer and private tables with friends.
Is Scopa free to play?
The Vanikar Card Games app is free to download on iOS and Android, and every game is free to play for 2 weeks — no credit card required.
