Scopa Card Game
Play Scopa, plus the arithmetic: primiera is scored on its own ordering, and taking the most cards loses three of the four points.
Play a card to capture. If a single table card matches your value you must take that one; only when nothing matches singly may you take a set that adds up. Clearing the table is a scopa. Coins are marked ●, and the seven of coins is the settebello. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Primiera is scored on its own ordering
For the primiera point each card carries a value with nothing to do with what it captures. The seven is worth most, the court cards least, and the ace sits third — so the ordering runs almost backwards to the one you capture by:
| By primiera value | Worth | By capture value |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 21 | K |
| 6 | 18 | Q |
| A | 16 | J |
| 5 | 15 | 7 |
| 4 | 14 | 6 |
| 3 | 13 | 5 |
| 2 | 12 | 4 |
| J | 10 | 3 |
| Q | 10 | 2 |
| K | 10 | A |
Compare every pair of ranks and the higher card is worth less for primiera 25 times. The ace is the sharpest case: it captures less than anything else on the table and outranks the five, the four, the three and the two for a point that is often the closest of the four. A full primiera runs from 40 to 84.
This is not a quirk at the edges. Two of the three court cards outrank nothing at all, and an ace beats four ranks that capture more than it does.
And one card in forty can affect all four points
The four end-of-game points are most cards, most coins, the seven of coins and the highest primiera. Ask of each card how many of them it can bear on:
| Points it can affect | How many cards | Which |
|---|---|---|
| two | 30 | everything outside coins — cards, and best-of-suit for primiera |
| three | 9 | the other coins, which add most coins |
| four | 1 | the seven of coins |
Exactly one card of the forty is in that last row, and it is the maximum in two of the four at once — 21 for primiera, the highest there is, and a point in its own right. That is the whole reason the settebello has a name of its own.
So "take the most cards" is the wrong habit
Two players, identical but for how they choose between legal captures. One takes as many cards as it can; the other weighs the settebello, then coins, then primiera value, and only then the count. 20,000 games with the seats alternated, so the order of play is not the variable:
| Weighs the capture | Takes the most cards | |
|---|---|---|
| games won | 46.4% | 42.7% |
| mean points | 2.521 | 2.396 |
| most cards | 45.8% | 46.4% |
| most coins | 41.2% | 36.8% |
| settebello | 51.8% | 48.2% |
| primiera | 49.3% | 45.8% |
The breakdown is the interesting part. Taking the most cards does win the cards point more often — by 0.6%, which is exactly what it is optimising for — and loses all three of the others. It buys the point it aims at and pays for it three times over.
Both players here are simple, so read this as "counting the capture is the wrong habit" rather than as a ranking of good Scopa players. The frozen figures are re-derived at build time on 1,500 games the table has never seen: 47.5% against 43.7%.
How to use
- Play a card to capture cards of the same value from the table.
- If a single table card matches, you must take that one.
- Only when nothing matches singly may you take a set that adds up.
- Clearing the table is a scopa, worth a point on its own.
- Watch the coins — they carry two of the four end-of-game points.
Frequently asked questions
How is Scopa scored?
Four points at the end: most cards, most coins, the seven of coins, and the highest primiera. A tied category goes to nobody. On top of that, every scopa — clearing the table with a capture — is worth a point in itself.
What are the primiera values?
Seven is 21, six is 18, ace is 16, five is 15, four is 14, three is 13, two is 12, and the three court cards are 10 each. You add your best card in each suit, so a full primiera runs from 40 up to 84.
Why does an ace beat a five for primiera?
Because the primiera table is its own ordering and has nothing to do with what a card captures. Comparing every pair of ranks, the higher card is worth less for primiera 25 times out of the possible pairs — the ace beats the two, three, four and five while capturing less than any of them.
Why is the settebello so important?
Because it is the only card in the pack that can bear on all four points. Every card counts towards most cards and can be the best of its suit for primiera; the coins add most coins; and the seven of coins alone adds a point of its own. It is also the maximum for primiera at 21, so it is the top of two categories at once.
Should I always take as many cards as I can?
No, and this is the habit worth breaking. Over 20,000 games between two otherwise identical players with the seats alternated, taking the most cards won 42.7 per cent against 46.4 per cent for weighing the capture. It wins the cards point by half a percentage point and loses coins, the settebello and primiera by three to four points each.
Which captures are worth passing up?
The ones that grab several small cards while leaving a coin, a seven, or the settebello on the table. Three of the four points are decided by which cards you take rather than how many, so a two-card capture that includes a coin usually beats a three-card capture that does not.
Does this send anything anywhere?
No. Every hand is dealt and played in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.
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