Scala 40 Rules (Italian Rummy)
Scala 40 (also known as Quaranta, or Italian Rummy) is one of the most popular card
games in Italy. It is played with two standard 52-card decks (104 cards + 4 Jokers) and the goal is to
get rid of all the cards in your hand by forming valid combinations.
Objective
Each player receives 13 cards. On each turn, you draw a card from the deck or the discard pile and try
to lay down combinations on the table. The winner is the first player to discard all their cards.
Combinations
- Sets: three or four cards of the same value but different suits (e.g. 7 of hearts,
7 of diamonds, 7 of spades).
- Runs: three or more consecutive cards of the same suit (e.g. 5, 6, 7 of hearts).
The Joker can replace any card in a combination.
Opening
To lay down combinations for the first time, the total value of the cards must be at least 40 points
(hence the name). Face cards are worth 10 points, Aces are worth 11.
How to play "Scala40 Luciano" (Classic Version)
- Draw from deck: click on the deck or in the "player" area.
- Draw from discard: click on the discard pile.
- Discard: right-click a card, drag it to the discard pile, or select it and then
click on the discard pile.
- Reorder cards: drag a card to the right of the card after which you want to place
it, or to the left of the first card.
- Form a set/run: click on the cards (which MUST BE IN THE CORRECT ORDER), then
click in the area above the player.
- Change Joker suit: when laying down a set with a joker, you can change the
joker's suit by clicking on it.
- Add to a set: drag the card to the desired position.
- Replace a Joker: drag the correct card onto the Joker's position until the joker
becomes highlighted.
- Change point limit: click on the corresponding field.
Buttons
- ↩ (Undo): undo the most recent moves.
- FACE UP: play with open cards (for practice).
- OPPONENTS: choose the number of opponents (1, 2, or 3) and/or start a new game.
- 🔊 / 🔇 (Audio): enables or disables the game sound effects.
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How to play "Scala40 Luciano" (New Version)
- Draw from deck: click on the deck or in the "player" area.
- Draw from discard: click on the discard pile.
- Discard: click a card to select it, then click on the discard pile
(or drag it to the discard pile).
- Reorder cards: drag a card to the desired position in your hand.
- Form a set/run: click on the cards in any order (no need to
select them in sequence anymore: the game figures out the correct run by itself), then click
on an empty spot in the player area, or on the "DEPOSIT" banner that appears.
- Change a set's Joker suit: when a joker laid down in a set has an ambiguous
suit (more than one suit still available), it stays highlighted with a dashed border and the
message "click the joker to change suit" appears: clicking it cycles to the next free suit.
- Move a run's Joker to the other end: if a joker laid down at one end of a run
could equally sit at either end, it stays highlighted and the message "click the joker to
move it" appears: clicking it moves it to the other end. Both highlights and messages
disappear on your next move.
- Add to a set/run: drag the card onto the group on the table, or select it
and then click on the set/run you want to add it to.
- Replace a Joker: drag the correct card onto the Joker's position.
- Change point limit: click on the corresponding field.
Game options
Clicking NEW (gear icon) opens the options panel, where you can choose the
number of opponents and enable/disable some optional rules:
- A recovered joker must be played immediately: whoever recovers a joker must
play it in the same turn (FISCA rule).
- The card drawn from the discard pile must be played immediately: whoever
draws from the discards must play that card in the same turn (FISCA rule).
- You cannot discard a card that attaches to a meld: discarding a card that
connects to a set or run already on the table is forbidden, unless it is the only card left
in hand (FISCA rule).
- A meld may contain a single non-joker card: if disabled, at least two are
required, as per official rules (unofficial variant, enabled by default).
- An ace left alone in hand scores 1 point instead of 11 at the end of the
game (unofficial variant).
- An opponent who exceeded the limit no longer plays the following hands,
their score stays frozen (FISCA rule).
- You may take the discarded card without having opened — and keep it —
as long as the discard pile holds a single card: as soon as it grows to two, the window
closes (unofficial variant).
- A player who has not opened pays a flat 100 points instead of the sum of
the cards in their hand (unofficial variant).
Your chosen options are saved on this device and apply starting from the next game.
Buttons
- ↩ (Undo): undo the most recent moves.
- FACE UP: play with open cards (for practice).
- NEW (gear icon): opens the options panel (opponents and optional rules)
and lets you start a new game.
- 🔊 / 🔇 (Audio): enables or disables the game sound effects.
Your preference is saved and applied across all games on the site.
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