Scala 40

The rules, in full

Scala 40 is played with two French packs and four jokers, 108 cards in all. Here it is played by two, you against the computer, and the match goes on hand after hand until somebody reaches 101 points: whoever does, loses.

Each player gets 13 cards. One card goes face up to start the discard pile, and the rest stay face down as the deck.

On each turn:

1. Draw a card: from the deck, or the top card of the discard pile.
2. Lay down, if you can: new combinations, or cards added to the ones on the table.
3. Discard a card, and the turn passes to your opponent.

Whoever discards their last card goes out and ends the hand.

Combinations

• Sets: three or four cards of the same rank in different suits, such as 7♠ 7♥ 7♦. Two identical cards of the same suit cannot be in one set.
• Runs: three or more cards of one suit in sequence, such as 5♥ 6♥ 7♥. The Ace goes below the 2 (A-2-3) or above the King (Q-K-A), but a run does not turn the corner: K-A-2 is not allowed.
• A joker stands for any card, one per combination.

Opening

The first combinations you lay down must be worth at least 40 points, all in the same turn. To count the opening:

Until you have opened you cannot add cards to the combinations on the table. In the game, the combinations you prepare are set aside with a dashed border, and the total shows above the buttons: when you reach 40, Open lays them all down together.

The discard pile and the jokers

• The top of the discard pile can only be taken to be used at once: it has to go onto the table in the same turn. If you have not opened yet, you can take it only if it helps you open. If you change your mind, put it back and draw from the deck.
• A joker on the table can be taken back once you have opened, by putting the real card it replaces in its place. The joker goes into your hand.
• You must always keep a card to discard: you go out by discarding, not by laying down.

How the points are counted

At the end of a hand, whoever went out scores nothing. The other player scores the cards left in their hand: Aces 11, face cards 10, jokers 25, the rest face value. A player who never opened scores 100. If the player who went out opened and went out in the same turn, laying everything down in one go, the other player's points are doubled.

If the deck runs out, the discard pile is shuffled once to make a new one. If that runs out too, the hand ends and nobody scores.

Against the computer: three levels

• Easy never takes from the discard pile and discards somewhat at random.
• Normal takes from the discard pile when it needs the card for a combination, and keeps the cards that are close to one.
• Hard also takes the discard to add it to the table, takes jokers back, never discards a card you could add to the table, gets rid of its high cards when you are about to go out, and watches what you take from the discards.

The computer never sees your cards or the deck.

Strategy that actually helps

Open early. A player who never opens scores 100 at once, more than almost any hand left over would cost.

Watch what your opponent takes. A card taken from the discard pile tells you what they are building. Do not throw them the card they are missing.

Get rid of high cards. When your opponent has few cards left, whatever is in your hand costs points: Aces and face cards first.

Take jokers back. A joker on the table that you can replace is an extra wild card for you. Use it soon, though: left in your hand at the end of a hand, it costs 25 points.

Do not break up good pairs. Two cards waiting for a third are half a combination: discard the cards that go with nothing first.

Controls

• Touch or mouse: tap the deck to draw, or the top of the discard pile to take it. Tap cards in your hand to choose them, then Lay down. With one card chosen, tap a combination on the table to add it there or to take its joker back. Tap the discard pile, or Discard, to end your turn.
• Keyboard: S draws, P takes the discard, the arrows and Space choose cards (Home goes back to the first), Enter lays down or opens, A adds the chosen card to the table or takes a joker back, X discards, B puts back the discard you took, O sorts the hand by suit or by rank, N starts a new match, L changes the level.

A little history

Scala 40 is the Italian way of playing rummy: part of the family of combination games with rummy and burraco, it stands out for the 40-point opening that gives it its name. It is played all over Italy, at home and in card clubs, usually by three or four players; for two it becomes faster and more of a thinking game. If you would rather play with the Italian pack, try Scopa or Briscola.

Common questions

Is it free? Yes. It runs in your browser, with no signup and nothing to download.

Can I play Scala 40 against the computer? Yes: you against the computer, at three levels, in matches to 101.

How many points do you need to open? At least 40, with the combinations laid down in the same turn.

What is a joker worth? When opening, the value of the card it replaces. If it is left in your hand at the end of a hand, it costs 25 points.

Is the Ace worth 1 or 11? 11, except in the run A-2-3, where it is worth 1.

Can you take the card your opponent discarded? Yes, but only to use it at once in a combination, and if you have not opened yet, only to open.

What does going out in one go mean? Opening and going out in the same turn, laying every card down at once: your opponent's points are doubled.

Does it work on a phone? Yes. You play by tapping the cards, with the phone upright too.