Scopa (sometimes called La Scopa) is an Italian game of the fishing
family. The name Scopa translates to "Sweep" in English and describes one
of the scoring categories in the game. It is believed this game is
derived from the earlier game Laugh and Lie down, which was described in
Francis Willoughby's
Book of games
published in 1665. Scopa is commonly played with the special 40 card Italian deck, but can also be played using a standard French deck, removing certain cards from this deck. To create this deck, all cards of denominations 8, 9 and 10 should be removed from the deck and set aside, out of play, leaving a forty card deck.
Scopa is designed to be played by from two to four players, each playing independently, however a partnership version of the game is also described below in the variants section. Determination of seating positions and first dealer can be performed in a variety of methods, with drawing for high cards a common method. In this method, the players would each draw a card from a shuffled deck, taking seats at the table in order of cards drawn (from highest to lowest). For purposes of this draw, the cards are ranked as follows (from high to low): King, Queen, Jack, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace. The player drawing the highest card of all is set as the first dealer. After each hand the role of dealer should rotate to the next player in turn.
Once all players are seated and the first dealer determined, the dealer thoroughly shuffles the deck and offers it to the player at his immediate left to cut. After the cut, he then begins dealing the cards in a counter-clockwise direction, starting with the player at his immediate right. He continues dealing the cards, one-at-a-time until each player has three cards. He then places four additional cards face up on the table. He places the remainder of the pack face-down to the side for use later in the hand. The player to the dealer's immediate right has the first turn, and the turn
to play rotates around the table in a counter-clockwise direction from
player to player. If, two or three Kings are dealt to the table as part of the initial layout, the deal is considered invalid and all the cards are gathered, reshuffled and dealt for a new hand by the next dealer in turn.
A player, on his turn, will play one card from his hand to the table. A player will generally attempt to capture certain cards from the table in order to earn points during the hand. Cards can normally be captured from the table in two ways:
- If the card played is of the same rank as a card found on the table, the player can capture both the card from the table and his card played which was of that same denomination. In fact, a card which is of the same rank as another card on the table must make this capture. If there are two or more cards of this same ranking, the player can choose which of
these cards to capture along with his played card.
- If two or more cards already on the table sum to the value of the card played by the player, he can capture his played card as well as one specific set of cards which sum to that total. For purposes of this summing, each card in the deck has a counting value:
| Card | Summation Value |
|---|
| King | 10 |
| Queen | 9 |
| Jack | 8 |
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | Face value as marked on card |
| Ace | 1 |
In the event that a card played can either capture a similarly ranked card or a sum of two or more other cards, the player must opt to capture the same ranking card on the table.
Any cards captured are placed face-down in a special scoring pile for that player. If a player is unable to make a capture during his turn, he simply places a card from his hand face-up on the table, adding to the cards already found there (if any).
If a player manages to capture, due to the play of his card to the table, every card on the table, he is said to have made a Scopa
(or Sweep). To indicate this, one of the cards from a Scopa are usually placed face-up in that
player's scoring pile for review at the end of the hand. Each Scopa a
player manages to perform during a hand earns that player one point.
However, a Scopa cannot be scored on the very last play of the entire
hand, even if that player manages to capture all the cards based on his
card played on that last turn.
After each player has had three turns (and thus having no cards remaining in his hand), the dealer deals three more cards to each player from the remaining deck, but does not deal any additional cards to the center of the table after the
initial deal.
The game continues in this manner until the entire deck has been dealt and the players have played the last remaining cards in the hand. After all cards have been played, the player who was last able to make a capture from the table is entitled to take any remaining, uncaptured cards on the table and add them to his capture pile.
After all cards have been played in the hand, the hand is scored and any points earned by each player are added to his accumulated ongoing score. The following shows the scores possible during the hand:
- Most Cards:
The player capturing the most cards during the hand scores 1 point. If two or more players tie for the most cards during the hand no player earns the point for most cards.
- Most Cards in the Suit of Diamonds:
The player capturing the most cards in the suit of Diamonds earns one point. If two or more players tie for the most cards in the suit of Diamonds, no player will earn this point category.
- Seven of Diamonds:
The player capturing the Seven of Diamonds earns one point.
- Primiera:
The player who, using the cards captured in the hand, can form the highest valued Primiera (or Prime) scores one point during the hand. To determine the value of a Primiera each player totals the sum of the highest valued card captured in each suit (as per the following chart):
| Card | Primiera Point Value |
|---|
| Seven | 21 |
| Six | 18 |
| Ace | 16 |
| Five | 15 |
| Four | 14 |
| Three | 13 |
| Two | 12 |
| King, Queen, Jack | 10 |
The player who can total the highest valued Primiera scores one point for this category. If two or more players tie for the highest Primiera, no player scores for this category on that hand.
- Scopas:
Each Scopa earned by a player during the hand earns that player one point.
Thus, after each hand each player adds any points earned during the hand to his ongoing summed point total. If, at the end of a hand, a player has managed to accumulate a total of 11 or more points over the course of several hands, that player is the winner. If multiple players manage to score 11 or more, the player with the highest total is declared the winner. If there is a tie for the player with the highest total, an additional hand must be played after which the player, at the end of that hand with the highest total is declared the overall game winner.
Simplified Primiera: Some players prefer to simplify the calculation of the player to earn the point for the Primiera during a hand. When using this variant, the point is granted to the player who manages to capture the most sevens during the hand. If multiple players tie for the most sevens captured, no player scores the point for the Primiera on that hand.
Team Scopa: Scopa is sometimes played as a partnership game by four players in two partnerships. This variant is played identically to the standard version, with the exception that each participant plays in partnership with another player. This partnership of two players will thus combine all points earned during the hand, and the first team to score 11 or more points at the end of a hand is declared the winning team. As in most other partnership type games, each player should sit directly across the table from his partner.
Scopa D'Assi:
Scopa D'Assi is another variant of Scopa which is played very similarly to the standard game. The only difference in this game is that the Aces have a special role in this version. In Scopa D'Assi, playing an Ace allows the player of that card to capture all the cards on the table. Capturing all the cards in this manner, however, does not qualify as a Scopa. If an Ace is already on the table (for example having been dealt to the table on the first deal), the player may only capture the other Ace but not any other cards currently found on the table.
Scopone: Scopone is another fishing type game which has been directly adapted from the base game, Scopa.
Scopone is designed to be played by four players, playing in two partnerships. Each player should be seated at the table in such a manner such that he is
seated directly across the table from his partner.
In this variant, the entire deck is dealt out, such that each player is dealt nine cards to his hand and four face-up cards are dealt to the center of the table.
The game proceeds as in the standard game, however each player will play from his larger hand until all cards have been played and scores are calculated for the hand.
Scopone Scientifico: Scopone Scientifico is played almost identically to standard Scopone. The only difference is that each player receives 10 total cards to form his initial hand, and no cards are dealt to the table. Thus, the first player will be forced to play a card to the empty table. One other difference with Scopone Scientifico is that, while in most other variants of Scopa and Scopone, a Scopa cannot be scored on the last play of the hand, in this variant, if the player of the last card of the hand manages to take all the cards on the table through legal play of his card, he will earn a Scopa and the
corresponding bonus point for so doing. In all other aspects Scopone Scientifico is played identically to standard Scopone.
Scopa di Quindici: Scopa di Quindici is played similarly to standard Scopa, with a similar goal
(to earn points by capturing cards from the center layout). However it contains one key change that makes this a distinctly different game.
In Scopa di Quindici, captures are not made from the central layout in the same way as in the standard game. In this variant, a capture can be made only if the card played, summed with one or more other cards from the table totals exactly to 15. In this case, these cards can be captured and added to that player's capture pile.
In all other aspects, Scopa di Quindici is played identically to standard Scopa as described at the top of this page.
Cirulla: Cirulla is another Italian game of the fishing family of card games. Cirulla (also called Cirolla) combines elements of standard Scopa as well as Scopa di Quindici. This game is designed for four players, in two partnerships of two players each. The game is usually played with a French suited deck but using the Italian or Spanish card denominations. This deck can thus be created from a standard deck by removing all cards of rank 8, 9, and 10 leaving a 40 card pack.
Determination of partnerships and identity of the first dealer can be performed using a variety of methods, with draw for high cards commonly used. Each partner should sit directly across the table from his partner. After each hand the role of dealer rotates around the table in a counter-clockwise direction.
The dealer, after the shuffle and cut, then begins dealing the cards, one by one and face-down in a counter-clockwise direction, starting with the player at his immediate right. He deals in this way until each player has a total of three cards. The dealer then places four cards face-up in a row at the center of the table. He places the remainder of the deck aside for later use during the hand. If the capture total of all four cards in the center of the table total exactly 15 or 30, the dealer may capture all these cards, also scoring a bonus (see below). If, however, there are two or more Aces the cards are all gathered, reshuffled and a new deal is performed by that same dealer.
The player to the immediate right of the dealer has the first turn, and the turn rotates in a counter-clockwise direction around the table. On a player's turn, he must play one card remaining in his hand to the center of the table. As in most other forms of Scopa, the goal of the players is to attempt to perform captures from the center of the table. The following are the methods by which a player may capture cards:
- If there are is a card already in the center layout of the same denomination as the card played, the player may capture that card, taking both his card played and the matching card and adding those cards to his capture pile.
- If there are two or more cards already on the table which add to the same value as the card played, these cards, along with the card played may all be captured by that player, added to his capture pile.
- If the card played, along with one or more cards already on the table add to a capture value of exactly 15, all these cards may be captured, and added to that players capture pile.
- Playing an Ace to the table allows a player to capture all the cards already on the table, providing there is not already an Ace on the table. If there is already an Ace on the table, the player may only capture this additional Ace. If there are no cards currently on the table (and thus no cards to capture), the player must simply play the Ace to the center of the table, capturing nothing.
For purposes of capturing, each card has an additive capture value. The following chart shows these capture values for each card used in the game:
| Card | Capture Value |
|---|
| Ace | 1 |
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | Value Marked on Card |
| Jack | 8 |
| Queen | 9 |
| King | 10 |
If a player is able to make a capture, he must do so (and any other player noticing the player has not made an available capture may demand the player thus make the capture), however if there are multiple options for capture, the player can choose which such capture he prefers. If a player on his turn is unable to manage a capture, the played card is simply played face-up to the table and left for potential capture by that or another player on another turn. Of course if the center area currently contains no cards, the player has no other choice than to play one card from his hand to start a new center layout.
After each of the players has played all three of his initially dealt cards, the dealer then deals another three cards to each player from the still undealt stock (but does not add any additional cards to the center layout). After these additional cards are played, the dealer continues to deal these hands in three card increments until the stock has been depleted.
After the last card has been played, any cards remaining face-up on the table are automatically captured by the last player to have made any type of capture during the hand (however this does not earn the bonus points for a Scopa).
After all the cards in the deck have been dealt and played, scoring for the hand occurs with both members of each team combining all captures cards in one pile before calculating the score for that team on the hand. The following are all the scores and bonuses that can be earned during a hand of Cirulla:
- If the initial four cards dealt to the table total exactly 15, the dealer
immediately captures these cards and earns a bonus of 1 point for his team.
- If the initial four cards dealt to the table total exactly 30, the dealer
immediately captures these cards and earns a bonus of 2 points for their team.
- If the three cards dealt to a player are found to have a total capture value of 9 points or less, that player's team earns a bonus of 3 points (but must show the cards after knocking on the table to announce the bonus which is scored at the end of the hand). This applies to the first three cards dealt at the beginning of the hand as well as each additional set of three cards dealt to each player.
- If the three cards dealt to any player are all of the same rank, that player's team earns a bonus of 10 points. If a player has a hand dealt, fulfilling both these criteria (total capture value under 10 and all three cards of the same suit), that player still only scores a total of 10 points. This would apply not only to the initial three cards dealt to each player, but each additional deal of three cards during the hand.
- For the purposes of the scoring of bonus points for the cards initially dealt to the table or to a player, the seven of hearts is considered a special wild card (called matta) and can thus, for the purposes of evaluating such a bonus, be set by that player to have any capture value from 1 (Ace) to 10. If used in this way, to allow a player to score an initial bonus, that card, the seven of hearts, then takes on the represented value for the remainder of the game, including for purposes of capturing cards from the table.
- In order to help record these bonus scores earned by a player, they are
usually displayed in the same way as a
scopa, with an appropriate number of cards faced in the capture pile as would be done for a
scopa (see scoring below). A player usually announces these bonuses by knocking on the table and showing the cards forming the bonus.
- If a player manages, through any play, to capture all the cards from the center table, leaving it empty after his play (called a scopa), he earns one point for his team. The one exception to this is a scopa can never be earned on the last play of the entire hand, and the automatic capture of leftover cards by the last player making a capture also does not score a
scopa for the capturing player.
- The team capturing the most total cards during the hand earns 1 point for their team. If both teams capture the same number of cards, this point is not scored.
- The team which manages to capture the most cards in the suit of diamonds scores 1 point for their team. If both teams capture the same number of cards in the suit of diamonds, neither team scores this point.
- The team which manages to capture the seven of diamonds is entitled to add 1 point to his team's score.
- If one team manages to capture the Jack, Queen, and King, all in the
suit of diamonds, that team scores 5 points (called la grande).
- If a team manages to capture a sequence of three or more consecutive cards in the suit of diamonds,
starting with Ace and ascending upwards, this team scores 1 point for each such card in the sequence,
to a maximum of six points. For purposes of this sequencing, the sequence rank of the cards in the deck are as follows (shown
in ascending sequence from low to high); Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Jack, Queen,
King. This is called la piccola.
- If one team manages to capture the entire suit of diamonds during a hand, that team immediately wins the entire game, regardless of the current score of either team (called cappotto).
- The team that calculates the highest "Primiera" earns one point. The Primiera is a combination of cards
chosen from a team's captured cards. From these cards the teams select
one card from each suit, in an attempt to maximize it's "Primiera Value".
The following chart shows the value of each card that might be considered:
| Card | Primiera Value |
|---|
| Seven | 21 |
| Six | 18 |
| Ace | 16 |
| Five | 15 |
| Four | 14 |
| Three | 13 |
| Two | 12 |
| Jack, Queen, King | 10 Each |
A team must have at least one such card in each suit in order to score the Primiera, if a team has no captured cards in one or more suits, that team cannot score for the Primiera. If both teams are tied for the same value Primiera, or both teams do not have representative cards from every suit in their capture piles, neither team scores for the Primiera.
To assist in recalling scores for bonuses and scopas, in the event that a scopa is earned or a bonus, a number of cards from that team's capture pile is usually set face-up (these cards are usually stored face down) and offset
in some manner from the rest of the pile, to help in ensuring the team
remembers to add the scores for these Scopas to their accumulated total at the end of the hand.
The game continues until, at the end of a hand, after the scoring, one or both teams have scored an accumulated total of 51 or more points. The game then ends with the team with the highest score declared the winner. If the scores are tied, an additional hand must be played to determine the eventual winner.
Cirulla for fewer players: Cirulla can also be played by two or three players. The only difference in these versions being that there are no partnerships and each player thus plays independently, keeping an individual score.
Cirullone: Cirullone is an Italian game that is played very similarly to Cirulla, however using bigger hands (such as is done in playing Scopone). In fact, Cirullone is played identically to Cirulla with the following differences:
- Each player is dealt a total of nine cards at the start of each hand. Thus, each player will receive his entire hand right from the start.
- The hand bonuses (having three cards with a capture value under 10, or three cards of the same rank), can be announced by any player for any three corresponding cards in his hand fulfilling these requirements. However, after the announcement of the bonus has been made, the three cards used to score the bonus must be placed face up on the table in front of the player and he must play these three cards (on his proper turns) before allowed to play any other cards from his hand.
- The game is won by the first team to earn an accumulated score of 101 points or more (or the team with the highest score if both teams manage to reach or exceed 101 points on the same hand).
In all other aspects Cirullone is played identically to standard Cirulla as described above.
Chkobba: Chkobba is a variant of Scopa that is commonly played in Tunisia. It is believed this variant was developed from Scopa, which was brought to the area by Italian immigrants. The game is played using a 40 card deck. This deck can be created from a standard 52 card
international deck by removing all cards of rank 8, 9 and 10 from that
deck and using the remaining 40 cards for the play.
Chkobba is designed for play by two participants, but a four player, partnership variant is also sometimes played (see below). The first dealer can be determined using any normal method with a draw for high cards a common method. After each hand the role of dealer should
alternate amongst the two players.
The designated dealer should then thoroughly shuffle the deck and offers it to his opponent to cut. After cutting the deck, the opponent then randomly selects one card from the deck and may look at this card. If he prefers to keep this card, he may place it face-down in front of himself as the first card for his hand. If he does not prefer to keep the card, he places it face-up in the middle of the table to start the center layout. He then hands the deck back to the dealer who then completes the deal, such that each player's hand consists of three total face-down cards, and there are four total face-up cards in the middle of the table. If the center layout contains three or four cards, all of the exact same rank, all the cards are gathered, reshuffled and redealt by the same dealer.
The opponent of the dealer has the first turn, and the turns alternate amongst the two players.
As in other similar card games, each turn consists of a player playing one card to the center layout, usually in an attempt to capture cards from this layout. If the card played is the same rank as another card on the layout, the player must capture that card, adding both the card played and the captured pile to his face-down capture pile. If there are no individual cards on the table of the same rank as the card played, but there are two or more cards on the table that sum to the total of the card played, the player must capture those cards, adding the summing cards from the table and the card played to his capture pile. If there are no cards of the same rank or that add to the sum total of the card played, the player simply plays the card
face-up to the center of the table. Each card in the deck has a specific value for the purposes of capturing sums of cards from the table. The following chart shows the value of each card in the deck:
| Card | Sum Value |
|---|
| King | 10 |
| Jack | 9 |
| Queen | 8 |
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | Value as marked on card |
| Ace | 1 |
If a player manages, on his normal turn to capture every card from the table (called a chkobba) he earns a bonus score at the end of the hand. In order to
signify this, one of the captured cards is thus stored in the player's pile of won cards, face-down.
After each player has depleted his hand of cards, the dealer then deals another hand of three cards to each player using the remaining cards from the deck. Once all cards from the deck have been dealt out and played, the hand ends. Any cards remaining on the table after the last player has had his turn are added to the capture pile of the last player to have made a capture during the hand (however this capturing does not score as a chkobba for that player).
The players then review the cards they have captured during the hand, and certain scores are accumulated for each player as follows:
- Karta: The player who manages to capture the most cards during the hand earns one point. If each player captures the same number of
total cards (20 each), no player scores this point.
- Dinari: The player who manages to capture the most cards in the suit of diamonds scores one point. If both players capture exactly 5
cards in the suit of diamonds, neither player scores this point.
- Barmila: Whichever player manages to capture the most cards in the rank
of seven earns one point. If both teams have captured 2 sevens each, the
team which has the majority of sixes wins the point. If both teams have also captured
the same number of sixes, no team earns this point.
- Sab'a l-hayaa: Whichever team manages to score the seven of diamonds scores one point.
- Chkobba: Each chkobba that a player manages to make during the hand earns that player one point.
After each hand, if either player finds that their score has reached or exceeded 21, the player with the highest total at the time is declared the game winner. If both players have scored over 21 and have the same score, another deal is played to determine the winner. Some players prefer to set the total to a larger (i.e. 31) or lower (11) point threshold to determine the winner of the game.
Four Player Chkobba: Chkobba can also be played by four players, playing in two teams of two players each. The game is identical to the standard variant with the following differences:
- The players should be seated at the table such that each player sits directly across the table from his partner.
- The deal and order of play are in a counter-clockwise direction around the table. The player to the immediate right of the dealer has the first turn.
- Both members of a team combine all the cards they have won into one capture pile for that team
which are then reviewed at the end of the hand to determine the scoring.
The various scoring combinations are then calculated for that team based on
all the cards found in that pile, as captured by both members of a team.
- The team with the higher total, accumulated score after one time has reached or exceeded 21 points at the end of a hand is declared the game winner.
Other than these differences which are based around the greater number of players, this four player variant is played the same as
the standard two player variant of Chkobba.
Escopa: A variant of Scopa which is highly popular in Brazil has the name Escopa. Escopa is played using a 40 card deck. This deck can be created by removing all cards of denomination 8, 9 and 10 from a standard deck. Escopa
is designed for play by 2, 3 or 4 players. If played by 2 or 3 players, each player plays independently. The four player game is usually played by two teams of two players each.
Escopa is played very much like Scopa, with the general goal of the game being for the players to capture point scoring cards. The designated dealer should then deal three-face down cards to each player and then four face-up cards to the center of the table. He places the remainder of the deck face-down to replenish the player's hands after the cards in the hand are played. The player to the immediate right of the dealer has the first turn, and the turns rotate in a counter-clockwise direction around the table.
If the four cards initially dealt to the table sum to exactly 15 the
dealer earns one Escopa, and if summing to a value of 30 the dealer
scores for two Escopas. The dealer is also entitled to thus capture
these cards, adding them to his personal capture pile.
As in the parent game, on a player's turn, he plays one card to the center of the table, with the player usually attempting to capture one or more cards from the table. In Escopa, the main method by which a player can so capture cards from the table is by forming a total sum of 15 or any multiple of 15 (i.e. 15, 30, 45,
etc.) with the card played and one or more cards from the able. If the player is able to create a combination of cards (including his played card) that totals
a multiple of 15, the player is then entitled to take all these cards and add them to his capture pile. For the purposes of thus capturing cards, each card in the deck has a specific count value, shown in the following chart:
| Card | Summation Value |
|---|
| King | 10 |
| Queen | 9 |
| Jack | 8 |
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | Value as marked on card |
| Ace | 1 |
If a player is unable to make a sum equaling a multiple of fifteen, they must simply leave the card face-up on the table, for potential capture on a later turn by the same player or another such player.
If a player manages to capture every card on the table, this is called an Escopa, and earns that player bonus points for the feat. Capturing all the cards from the table with a total sum of 15 earns the player one Escopa, a sum of 30 earns that player two Escopas, a sum of 45 three Escopas, and so on. In order to assist in retaining this information for scoring, one card should be turned face-up (in the player's otherwise face-down capture pile) to indicate each Escopa.
After each player has played their first three cards, the dealer then deals an additional three cards to each player (no additional cards to the table). Continuing in this manner until there are no more cards in the deck and the players complete the hand using the cards in hand.
After the last cards have been played, any remaining cards left on the table are added to the capture pile of the last player who managed to capture a card or cards from the table. Each player then searches through their capture piles, and earns a number of points for each of the following captured cards or events:
- Each Escopa a player earns during the hand awards that player 1 point.
- If a player manages to capture 50 or more total cards that player earns 2 points.
- The player who manages to capture the most cards, but less than 40, earns one point. If there is a tie amongst the players for most cards captured, no player earns this point.
- Capturing the seven of diamonds earns a player 1 point.
- A player managing to capture all four sevens earns 1 points.
- The player capturing the most cards in the suit of diamonds scores 1 point. If there is a tie for the most diamonds captured amongst two or more players, no player earns this point.
- Capturing every card in the suit of diamonds earns the player 3 points.
Each player adds the number of points earned on the hand to an accumulated total score. The first player to earn 11 or more total points over any number of hands is declared the overall game winner.
Escoba: Escoba is another fishing game which is played very similarly to Escopa. Escoba is commonly found being played in Spain. The 40 card Spanish suited deck is usually used for the game. This deck consists of 10 cards in each of the four Spanish suits (coins, glasses, swords and staves). Each such suit contains one card in each of the following denominations; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Sota, Caballo, King. If such a Spanish suited deck is not at hand, the deck used for play of Escoba can be formed by removing all cards of ranks 8, 9 and 10 from a standard deck. This deck would contain one card in each of the ranks Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Jack, Queen, King. Escoba is designed for play by 2, 3 or 4 players.
The designated dealer thus deals three face-down cards to each player for their initial hand and then four cards face-up to the table as the layout. If these four cards all sum to exactly 15, the dealer may immediately capture these four cards to start his capture pile. The dealer then sets the remainder of the undealt deck to the side for use later in the hand. The player to the right of the dealer has the first turn and the turns rotate in a counter-clockwise direction around the table.
On a turn each player thus plays one card from their hand face-up to the table. If they are able to make a sum of 15 with one or more other cards from the center of the table, the player may capture all such cards, adding them to their personal capture pile. If, the player is able to make a total sum of 15 with the played card and all of the cards in the center of the table, the player is able to thus capture all these cards, also scoring for an Escoba. To signify this, the player should keep one of the cards from the capture in their capture pile face-up. If a player is unable to thus make a sum of 15 in combining their played cards with any cards on the table, they simply leave the newly played card face-up on the table along with any other cards already played there. To achieve this goal of capturing these cards, each individual card has a specific summation value which can be used to attempt to thus capture cards. The following chart shows this value for each card as found in the deck used for this game:
| Card | Summing Value |
|---|
| King | 10 |
| Queen | 9 |
| Jack | 8 |
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | Value as marked on card |
| Ace | 1 |
After each player has played the three cards from their hand, if there are any cards remaining in the deck, the dealer then deals three more cards to each player (but no additional cards to the center of the table). This continues until the dealer has dealt the last cards from the deck and the players play out the remaining cards from their hands. If there are any cards remaining in the center of the table after the last card has been played, whichever player was last to make a valid capture from the center of the table is entitled to add all the remaining cards from the center of the table to their capture pile.
The players then examine their capture piles and score a number of points based on certain criteria or specific cards captured, as follows:
- The player managing to capture the most cards in the suit of coins (or diamonds in the International pack), scores 1 point. If two or more players are tied for most cards in the suit of coins, no one scores this point.
- The player capturing the most cards scores 1 point. If two or more players tie for most cards captured, no player scores for this point on this hand.
- If one player manages to capture all four cards in the rank of seven, that player earns 2 points.
- If no player captured every seven, instead, the player who manages to captures the majority of the cards of rank 7 earns one point. If two or more players tie for the most cards of rank 7 captured, no one scores for this point.
- The player who manages to capture the seven of coins earns one point.
- For each escoba earned during the hand, a player earns one point.
The first player to earn a total of 21 points over the course of any number of hands is declared the winner. If two or more players reach or exceed 21 at the end of a hand, the player with the higher total score is declared the winner. If the highest scoring players are thus tied, additional hands are played until the tie is broken.
Escova: Yet another game with a similar name and almost identical rules is the Brazilian game of Escova. This game can be played, by 2 to 4 players, using either the 40 card Spanish suited deck (as described for Escopa) but is often also played using a 40 card International deck which can be formed by removing all cards of rank 8, 9 and 10 from a standard 52 card deck. As with many other games of this type, each card has a summation value for use in capturing cards from the table:
| Card | Summation Value |
|---|
| King | 10 |
| Queen | 9 |
| Jack | 8 |
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | Value as marked on card |
| Ace | 1 |
After the shuffle and cut, the dealer then deals each player three total face-down cards and then places four face-up cards in a line near the center of the table. The dealer then places the remainder of the deck in a face-down pile to the side, for use later in the hand. The player to the right of the current dealer has the first turn and the turns then rotate around the table in a counter-clockwise direction.
On a turn a player plays
any one card which is remaining in their hand to the middle of the table. If the player can form a sum of 15 with the played cards combined with one or more cards from the center of the table, the player is entitled to thus capture all such cards, adding them to their capture pile (this is called a motinho). If a player is not able to form a sum of 15, the player simply adds the card face-up to the cards already found on the table. If a player manages to make a sum of 15 in combining their played card with every card on the table, that player has managed to score an Escova. In order to indicate this, the player should place one card in their capture pile face-up.
Once each player has had three turns, they will have thus exhausted their hand, and the dealer will thus deal three more cards to each player, providing any cards remain in the undealt stock. After all the cards have been dealt, and the player have all played their last card, any remaining cards in the center of the table are awarded to the last player to make any type of capture from the table, who thus adds those cards to their capture pile.
After the cards have all been played, the players then review the cards comprising their capture piles and score for various situations or cards captured:
- If a player manages to capture every card in the suit of coins (or diamonds), that player earns two points.
- If no player captured every card in the suit of coins, the player who managed to capture the most such cards earns one point. If two or more players tie for the most cards in this suit, no player is awarded this point on this hand.
- The player who manages to capture the most total cards earns one point. If two or more players tie for the most total cards captured, no player scores for this scoring category.
- The player who manages to capture the sete belo (seven of coins) earns one point for this capture.
The first player, over multiple hands to earn an accumulated score of 31 or higher is declared the game winner.
Chorizo: Chorizo is a fishing type game, played similarly to Escoba, that is commonly played in Uruguay. The game is usually played by 2, 3 or 4 players and uses the 40 card Spanish suited deck. This Spanish deck usually has 10 cards in each of the four suits, coins, glasses, swords and batons. The ranks of cards are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Sota, Caballo, Rey. If such a Spanish suited deck is not at hand, this deck can be created from a standard international deck by removing all cards of
rank 8, 9 and 10. As a major goal of this game is capture cards from the center of the table through summation, each card has a specific summation or capture value as follows:
| Card | Summation Value |
|---|
| Rey (King) | 10 |
| Caballo (Queen) | 9 |
| Sota (Jack) | 8 |
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | Value as marked on card |
| 1 (Ace) | 1 |
Determination of seating positions and first dealer can be performed using a variety of methods, with a draw for high cards a
method thus commonly used. Once the players are seated and the first dealer designated, this player should then deal three face-down cards to each player as their initial hand. After each player has been dealt their hand of cards, the dealer then deals four face-up cards in a line near the center of the table. He places the remainder of the deck aside, and each time the players exhaust their hand of three cards, the dealer will deal three more cards from this deck, but no additional cards to the center of the table. If the initial dealt cards in the center of the table sum to exactly the 15, the dealer captures all these cards adding them to his capture pile and scoring one escoba (see below). If the sum of all cards initially dealt to the center of the table sum to exactly 30, the dealer also captures all such cards and earns two escobas.
After each time a player is dealt their three cards, they compare these cards and are entitled to score for certain special combinations of cards:
- Flor:
A flor is a player having all three cards dealt being of the same suit. Having this combination entitles the player to score 3 points.
- Escalera:
An escalera is a player having three cards, in any suits, that are in direct sequential order. It should be remembered in the 40 card deck the Sota comes sequentially directly after the 7. This combination allows a player to add 3 points to their current accumulated score.
- Tres de Nueva:
This is a player having, in hand, a combination of three cards that sums directly to nine. Having this combination entitles the player to add three points to their current ongoing score.
- Dos de Miseria:
This is a player having the three cards in their hand sum to seven or less. This combination allows that player to add two points to their current, ongoing score.
- Chorizo:
This is a combination of three cards in hand that are all of the exact same rank. Having this combination entitled the player to add a whopping twenty points to their current ongoing score.
Each player is provided the opportunity to declare as many such combinations as they have in hand. A player may score for multiple combinations if they have more than one such valid combination from the list above.
After all declarations have been made, the player to the immediate right of the current dealer has the first turn, and the turns then rotates around the table in a counter-clockwise direction. A player's turn consists of playing one card from their hand face-up to the table. If the player manages to form a sum of 15 with the card played and one or more cards from the table, that player is entitled to capture all such cards involved in this sum to fifteen. He then places all captured cards in his face-down capture pile. In this way, if a player manages to make a sum of 15 using his played card and every card on the table, he captures all such cards and also captures an escoba, which is worth one additional point at the end of the hand. In scoring for an escoba, in order to help recall this score for the scoring portion of the hand, one of the captured cards should be placed face-up to signify that an escoba was thus captured by that player. If a player is unable to for a sum of 15, they must simply play their card face-up to the table leaving it with the other cards already found on the table.
After each player has played the three cards from their hand, the dealer then deals another three cards from the deck (as long as any remain), and players are allowed to declare and score for any of the special combinations listed previously. Once the last of the deck has been dealt and the players play their last three cards, the hand is then scored. Players thus review the cards forming their capture piles and earn scores for specific situation or certain cards captured:
- Cartas (Cards):
Whichever player manages to capture the most total cards earns one point. If all players tie for the most cards captured, no player scores this point, however if there are one or more players not tied, the player amongst these non-tying players with the most cards earns this point.
- Oros (Coins):
Whichever player manages to capture the most cards in the suit of coins earns one point. If every player ties for most cards captures in this suit, no player scores for this point. However, if there any players who did not tie for the most cards in the suit of coins, the playing, amongst these who captured the most cards in the suit of coins wins the point.
- Siete de Velo:
Whichever player managed to capture the seven of coins earns one point.
- Carimbo:
Whichever player manages to capture the two of batons earns four points.
- La Setenta:
This is the equivalent of the Primiera in Scopa. Each player thus finds the highest point value card in each suit (as per the chart below) and adds these sums together to determine their Setenta. If a player does not have any cards in a specific suit, they may simply add 0 for that suit. The following shows the value of each card towards the Setenta:
| Card | Setenta Point Value |
|---|
| Seven | 7 |
| Six | 6 |
| Five | 5 |
| Four | 4 |
| Three | 3 |
| Two | 2 |
| 1 (Ace) | 1 |
| Rey (King), Caballo (Queen), Sota (Jack) | 0 |
Whichever player thus has the highest such Setenta total earns one point. If every player ties for the same scoring Setenta, no player earns that point on this hand. However, if there any players not involved in the tie, the player amongst those players with the highest Setenta scores the point instead.
- Each individual Escoba earned during the hand entitles that player to one additional point.
The scores of each player are thus compared at the end of each hand and if one player has managed to earn 21 or more points that player is declared the game winner. If multiple players have reached or exceeded 21, the player with the highest score is declared the winner. If there is a tie for highest score, additional hands are played until there is a distinct winner at the end of a hand.
If Chorizo is played by four players, it is most usual for the players to play in two teams of two players each, thus combining all the captured cards from both players on the same team and calculating the scores for each team at the end of each hand.
Báciga: Báciga is a variant of Chorizo with differences in some of the in-hand scoring
combinations. In Báciga, the "Tres de Nueva" and "Dos de Misiera" combinations are not used or scored. Instead, these combinations are replaced with a combination called "Báciga". A Báciga is a three card combination dealt to the player which sums up to nine or less. Declaring this declaration earns the player 2 points. If two of the three cards forming the Báciga are of the same denomination, this is called "Báciga Y Pares" and earns that player 3 points instead. In addition, if three cards initially dealt to the table are all of the same suit, the dealer earns 3 points, or if all four cards initially dealt to the table are of the same suit, the dealer earns four points. These special combinations are called "Flor en la Mesa".
Other than these differences regarding the scoring combinations, Báciga is played identically to standard Chorizo as described directly above.
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