The game of Escoba (in English literally “broom”), also called “Escoba of 15” or “Royal Escoba”, is a variant of the Italian card game very popular in Spain and some areas of Latin America.
Other games with similar rules: Scopa (Italy), Escopa (Brazil)…
Choose a deck of cards
Aim of the game
4 players play in pairs with a spanish deck of 40 cards (8 and 9 not included).
The main objective of the game is to get the cards on the table. To do this, you must combine a card from your hand with the cards on the table so that they add up to 15.
For example, if a player has a king in his hand (worth 10), they can combine it with the cards on the table King + 2 + 3 = 15.
The points depend on the cards obtained and the actions performed. The first pair to reach 11 points wins the game.
Value of the cards
| Image | Card | Value |
|---|---|---|
 |
King | 10 |
 |
Knight | 9 |
 |
Jack | 8 |
 |
Rest of the cards | Its own value |
How to play Escoba
The game begins by dealing 3 cards to each player and placing 4 cards face up on the table.
- Each player in turn will try to complete a combination of 15 points to get the cards.
- If a player cannot make any combination, they must discard one card and place it face up on the board.
If you detect that several cards on the board make a total of 15, you can draw them at the start of your turn!
When the players have no more cards, 3 cards are dealt again to each player. This is repeated until there are no cards left in the deck.
At the end of the round, the player who made the last move draws the remaining cards from the table. After this, the round is scored, and the deal progresses to the next player on the right.
If both teams exceed the point limit at the end of the game, the team with the most points wins. In case of a tie, the following order will be considered: number of “escobas”, number of coins, number of sevens of coins, number of sevens and number of cards.
Escoba
- Escoba
- If a player manages to combine all the cards on the table (“sweeps” the table), they get a “escoba” and score 1 extra point.
- Hand “escoba”
- Sometimes, the dealer may score 1 or 2 brooms with the cards he has just placed on the table. This move is called hand “escoba” (“hand broom”).
For example, the dealer places Jack + 7 + Knight + 6 on the table. He gets 2 “escobas” automatically because there are 2 combinations of 15 points each.
Count up points
After each round, players score points according to the cards and “escobas” obtained.
| Cards | Points |
|---|---|
| Escoba | 1 point |
| All the coins | 2 points |
| Most coins |
1 point Also in case of a tie |
| 7 of coins | 1 point |
| All of the sevens | 2 points |
| Most sevens |
1 point Also in case of a tie |
| Most cards |
1 point Also in case of a tie |
Experience points and ranking
You already know the rules of Escoba. Now play to get experience points , level up and get better in the ranking.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Play a game | 17 |
| Win a game | 29 |
| Escoba | 1 |
Players who leave the game will not score any points.
Get extra coins and experience by completing game challenges.