Scopa ›
Rules of Scopa
Aim of the game
Scopa or 15s Scopa is a card game using a Spanish or Italian deck (40 cards) for 2 to 4 players (individual or in pairs).
The aim of the game is to manage to match one of your cards with the cards of the table so that they add up to 15. Points are scored depending on the cards got or if the table is cleared (there are no cards).
The first player or pair that reaches the number of points established will win the game.
The face cards have a special value: the knave is worth 8, the knight, 9 and the king, 10. The other cards have their own value.
How to play Escoba
Start
At the beginning of the game, the player that starts to play is chosen by chance (called “hand”).
The player seated to the left deals the cards and is called “pie”. 3 cards per player are dealt and 4 cards face up are placed on the table.
Game play
On their turn, each player will try to add up to 15 with one of their cards and the cards of the table. If it is not possible, he/she must throw one card that will be placed faced up on the table with the others.
- Scopa
- If a player can add up to 15 with all the cards of the table, he/she gets a “escoba” (indicated on the scoreboard of the screen).
Occasionally, the dealer can score 1 or 2 escobas if the cards he/she places on the table add up to 15 in one or two groups of cards, respectively. That escoba is called hand escoba.
When the players have no cards, 3 cards more are dealt until the deck finishes. When that happens, the last cards on the table are caught by the player who got the last trick. The points are counted and the deck is shuffled again to start another game. That time, the player that starts the game is the one on the right of the previous player.
End of game
The game ends when one player or pair reach of pass the number of points established in the table options.
If more than one player exceeds that limit, the winner will be the one who has more points. If there is a tie, the following order will be valued: number of escobas got during all the game, number of cards of coins, number of “seven of coins” and number of cards.
Count up points
At the end of each game, there will be a count of points according to the cards caught and the escobas got by each player.
- For each escoba: 1 point.
- For having all the coins: 2 points.
- For having most of the coins: 1 point. If there is a tie, each player scores 1 point.
- For having the 7 of coins: 1 point.
- For having the four sevens (including the seven of coins): 2 points.
- For having most of the sevens: 1 point. If there is a tie, each player scores 1 point.
- For having most of the cards: 1 point. If there is a tie, each player scores 1 point.
Controls
Click with the left button of the mouse on a card to select it or cancel the selection. It is only possible to select one of your cards. If the cards selected add up to 15, they are picked automatically.
Select one of your cards and click on discard to place that card on the table.
Why do robots play? What for?
In some games, when a player loses connection during the game, a robot substitutes until the player can return. The player has a time allowed of some minutes to return to the game and continue playing.
End the game amicably (cancel game)
Some games have the option of ending the game amicably. If this happens, the game is cancelled. That is, the players don’t receive or lose points and the game doesn’t count in the leaderboards or statistics. What’s more, the chips bet are returned to each player (except in the case of penalisation for abandoning the game).
To cancel a game, one of the players must click the following button 
. All the players must agree to end the game, otherwise the game will continue.
The robot doesn’t count in the votes to end a game amicably.
Table options
The table options are chosen by the master (the first player to sit at the table and that has a star 
beside his/her avatar).
To see or change the table options, press the following button 
. The table options can be changed before starting a game or in the middle of the games. If the icon is changed to red, that means the master changed some of the options.
- Time per turn
- Used to indicate the time a player has to play on his/her turn. If the time ends, the game plays for him/her. See also: Game in automatic mode
- Compete for points and chips.
- Permits playing competitive games. Deactivate this option to practise (you will not score points or win chips, nor will you get badges or level up).
- Bet per game:
- Indicate the amount of game chips you will bet in the game. The winner takes the pot. See also: What are the game chips? How can I get them?
- Private table.
- If this option is active, only invited players or friends can sit in. See also: How to invite other players to play at your table.
- Spectators allowed.
- Other people can enter the table to watch the game and chat. See also: Watchers during the games
- Limit of points (7-27)
- Determines the limit of points to finish the game.
- Capture trick on the table if it adds up to 15
- If a player on his/her turn notices that two or more cards of the table add up to 15 (due to an opponent’s mistake), he/she can select them to pick them before making a play. If he/she picks all the cards of the table, he/she will get a escoba.
Ranking for points
To take part in the leaderboard of this game, it is necessary to be registered and have chips enough to meet the bets.
To score points, the games have to be competitive (indicated by a boxing glove or swords). There is no scoring if 2 players at the table share the same IP.
If at one table game chips are being bet, you will need to have sufficient chips available to cover the bet. The winner of the game will get the XP points and the chips bet (the bank will receive 25% of the pot).
The experience points (XP) got depend on the number of players and they are calculated 10×number of players. If the game is in pairs, the points are shared between the winning pair.
- 2 players: 20 XP points
- 3 players: 30 XP points
- 4 players: 40 XP points
- In pairs: 20 points for each
The players that lose a game, add 5 points.