Italian Society Northern Ireland

'Scopa' is the most popular card game in Italy. It requires the ability to count and add up to the number 40.

The game is taught to children by older family members. In addition to social value, the game also teaches addition.

There are 40 cards in the deck. Although there are four suits - denari (coins), spade (swords), bastoni (clubs) and coppe (cups) - cards from various regions of Italy look slightly different.

Generally, each suit contains cards numbered 1 through 7 together with three face cards. The type of face cards also vary from region to region; for example, in the Neapolitan deck, there is a page (fantino), a knight (cavaliere), and a king (re) worth 8, 9, and 10, respectively.

A standard deck of playing cards would be perfectly OK just by removing the 8's, 9's and 10's and keeping the Jacks, Queens and Kings. The suits are then diamonds for 'denari', spades for 'spade', clubs for 'bastoni' and hearts for 'coppe'.

Scopa is played by two players, or by four players in teams of two.

The two players of a team sit opposite each other. The team or player to deal the cards first is determined by cutting the shuffled deck. The highest card deals first, then the play moves counter-clockwise.

Each player is dealt three cards face-down and four cards are placed face-up in the centre of the table. On each player's turn, he can either pick up a card or cards in the centre by matching them to the value of a card from his hand (e.g. a 6 picks up a 5 and 1, or a 4 and 2, or two 3's, etc).

When this is done, the player shows the card he is using and removes the played card together with the picked up card, or cards, to the team pile.

A player cannot use a single card to pick up a multiple of cards if there is a card of equivalent value facing up. If a player is unable to pick up any cards, he must add a card from his hand face-up to the centre of the table.

Once no one has any more cards in their hands, the dealer deals three more cards to each player and play resumes. If there are any cards on the table after the last card of the last hand, the player or team that picked up the last card gets the remaining cards.

Points are counted after the last cards are played, as follows:

• 1 point for the team or player with 21 or more cards.
• 1 point for the card known as the "settebello" (seven of diamonds - 'denari').
• 1 point for 6 or more diamond (denari) cards, including the settebello.
• 1 point for 'la settanta'; this point is made by obtaining the highest total using four cards, each from a different suit, but face cards are not counted. Four 7's makes the point easily; three 7's and a 6 also makes the point.
• 1 point for each scopa. 'Scopa', which means to sweep, is made by picking up (sweeping up) the last card or cards on the table so that there are none left.

When a player does this, he shouts (as Italians normally do) "scopa!" Scopa is the only point that can be made more than once in a round.

The scopa is recorded by keeping the card that made scopa face-up in the pile. The last play of the last hand is not counted as a scopa.

The game continues until one team or player reaches 11 or 15 points; the winning score to be agreed upon between the players prior to the start of the game.

Buon divertimento!