Scopa is played using a deck of forty cards. There are different varieties of decks with different suits and face cards, but every type of scopa deck is played with four suits, each of which has seven numerical cards and three face cards. Some decks use cups, coins, spades, and clubs, while others use hearts, diamonds, flowers, and spades. For face cards, cards include the knave, the knight or queen, and the king. Regardless of the individual cards used for a given deck, the game is played the same. Online scopa games typically use the Milanese style decks, which include hearts, diamonds, flowers, and spades, and replace the knight with the queen, as this is more widely known in the western world.
Scopa is normally played by two players, or by four players split into two partnerships, although it can also be played by three, five, or six players. To begin the game, players arrange themselves around the table and team members, if there are teams, sit opposite each other. A dealer is chosen, and he or she deals three cards, one at a time, to each player. The dealer also places four cards face up on the table. Any deal that results in three or four kings on the table is invalid. The player to the right of the dealer begins play, and either places a card on the table, or plays a card to take a “trick.” A trick can be taken by matching one of the cards in the player’s hand to one of the cards of the same value on the table, or two or more cards that equal the value of that card.
These captured cards are taken from play and count towards the player’s point total at the end of the round. The player with the most points at the end of a round wins the game. If a player takes all the cards on the table at once, this is a scopa, and the player gets an extra point. There are some other rules that come into play, but these are the basic tenets of the game, and should be enough to get you started playing scopa online.
There are a number of different websites that allow you to play scopa online. Some of these, typically those that allow players to bet real money on the games, require registration and may be age-restricted (if they do not offer free play). Even those that require registration will have you playing in a matter of minutes, and by taking the time to do so you will be able to play with friends from around the world.
