Scopone scientifico: the rules
Scopone is Scopa for four, in pairs. It's called scientifico ("scientific") because all the cards are in your hands from the start: the pair that best remembers what has come out and plays together wins.
Players and cards
- It's played by four, two against two. Your partner sits opposite you.
- You use the 40 Neapolitan cards: coins, cups, swords and clubs, from ace to king.
- The dealer gives ten cards to each player: the whole deck. At the start there's nothing on the table.
- The player after the dealer starts, and play goes round the table. Each hand the next player deals.
How you capture
You play one card at a time. The captures are the same as in classic Scopa:
- if there's a card of the same rank on the table, you take it;
- otherwise you can take several cards that add up to the value of yours (a 7 takes a 3 and a 4);
- if the equal card is there, you must take it, not a sum;
- if you don't capture anything, the card stays on the table.
Jack is worth 8, knight 9, king 10. The first card played in the hand can't capture: the table is empty.
The scopa
If a capture takes all the cards off the table you make a scopa: one point for your pair. The last capture of the hand doesn't count as a scopa. The cards left on the table at the end go to the pair that captured last.
End-of-hand points
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| Cards: the pair that captured the most (at least 21) | 1 |
| Coins: the pair with the most coins (at least 6) | 1 |
| Settebello: the 7 of coins | 1 |
| Primiera: see how to count it | 1 |
| Each scopa | 1 |
On a tie in cards, coins or primiera the point goes to nobody. The pair that first reaches 11 (or 21, in the long game) wins; if both get there in the same hand, whoever has more points wins.
Three tips for Scopone
- Count the cards. Ten cards each and no deck: halfway through the hand you already know which cards are still around.
- Don't leave scope for the opponent who plays after you. The danger is always the player on your left.
- Play for your partner. If your partner has just played a 7, they may have another one: leave them the capture.
Play it online
On FantaCarte choose Scopa, then Scopone scientifico. If players are missing, the computer sits in the empty seats. To practise there's Practise with Luca.