Escoba Variations and House Rules

Escoba is played in homes, bars and social clubs across Spain and Latin America, and almost every table has its own small twists. Below are the ones you are most likely to meet. Five of them can be chosen in the Settings of our online game; the others are here so you know what to expect when you sit down with a new group.

Spanish Cards or a Standard Deck

The traditional deck has 40 Spanish-suited cards: coins, cups, swords and clubs, numbered 1 to 7 plus the Sota (10), Caballo (11) and Rey (12). With an ordinary deck, remove the 8s, 9s and 10s; the Jack, Queen and King take the places of the Sota, Caballo and Rey, and diamonds play the part of coins. Whichever deck you use, the picture cards count 8, 9 and 10, so the arithmetic is identical. Our game uses the standard deck, with each card's value printed under it. The rules page has a full table matching the two decks.

How Long a Game Lasts

A quick game is played to 15 points, which usually takes three to five hands between two players. Many groups play to 21, and some to 31 for a long evening. Whatever the target, if two players pass it in the same hand, the higher score wins, and a tie means one more hand. Choose 15, 21 or 31 under How long a game lasts in Settings.

The Primera Instead of Most Sevens

In the simple scoring, the player with the most sevens takes a point. Many players, especially those who also play the Italian cousin of this game, award that point for the best primera instead. Each player picks their single best card in each of the four suits and adds up their values on this scale:

The highest total scores the point. You need at least one card of every suit to count a primera at all; a player missing a suit can't win it. A tie scores nothing. Sevens are still the best cards to hold, but sixes and Aces matter too, and so does having all four suits. Our game shows each player's primera total in the scoring at the end of the hand. Choose Primera under The sevens point in Settings.

A Bonus for All Four Sevens

Capturing all four sevens in one hand is rare, and some families reward it with an extra point on top of the sevens point. A few even play that it wins the game outright; we keep it to one point. Switch on Bonus point for all four sevens in Settings.

Must You Capture?

Under the usual rules a capture is optional: you may lay a card even when it could take something, perhaps to avoid leaving the table open to a sweep. Some tables play that a card that can make 15 must capture. You can still choose to play a different card that can't capture, so the rule mostly stops players from "hiding" a card on the table. Switch it on with A card that can make 15 must capture.

The Sweep With the Last Card

Normally, if the very last card of the hand clears the table, it is an escoba like any other. Some players, following the Italian custom, say it doesn't count: the last player to capture takes the leftovers anyway, so clearing the table at that moment is no great feat. Switch on No escoba with the very last card to play this way. The capture still counts for cards, diamonds and sevens.

Other Variations You May Meet

The dealer's opening capture

Our game follows the common rule: if the four table cards add up to 15 or 30, the dealer takes them as an escoba. Some groups let the dealer take only a group of table cards that makes exactly 15, without an escoba, and leave the rest.

Counting escobas

At a real table each escoba is marked by turning one captured card face up in the pile. It is easy to forget, which is why our game keeps the count in each player's tally.

More players

Three or four can play, each for themselves, with the same three-card deals; with four, some groups play in partnerships, pooling the captures of partners sitting opposite. In Settings you can play against two or three computer players, each for itself.

Scoring to the target during the hand

Some players stop the moment someone reaches the target, counting escobas as they happen. We count every point at the end of the hand, which is the more common way and gives everyone a fair finish.

Whatever your house rules, the fun is the same: the hunt for 15 and the satisfaction of a clean sweep. When you know the variations, try the strategy guide, or play Briscola, a trick game with the same 40-card deck, for a change of pace.