How to Play Escoba
How to Play Escoba
Escoba is a lively Spanish card game about spotting combinations and sweeping cards from the table. You need a normal deck of cards, and a regular deck of playing cards from Playmore is all you need to get started. This guide uses one common version; house rules can vary.
Quick facts
| Feature | Rule |
|---|---|
| Players | 2–4, alone or in partnerships |
| Deck | 40 cards: ace through 7, plus jack, queen and king |
| Main action | Capture table cards whose values total 15 |
| Bonus | An escoba, or sweep, is worth 1 point |
| Game winner | The player or team with at least 21 points after a hand |
What you are trying to do
Your aim is to capture more useful cards than your opponents. On your turn, you play one card from your hand. If its value plus one or more cards showing on the table equals exactly 15, you take that group. For example, a 6 can capture a 9, or a 2 and a 7. Every captured card helps with the end-of-hand scoring, and clearing the entire table creates an extra bonus called an escoba.
Escoba is not won by making the most captures during one turn. You keep a running score across hands, and the first player or team to reach 21 points at the end of a hand wins.
What you need
Use a standard 52-card deck, but remove every 8, 9 and 10. The remaining 40 cards are ace through 7, jack, queen and king in the four suits. For capturing, number cards keep their printed values, an ace is worth 1, a jack is worth 8, a queen is worth 9, and a king is worth 10. These values are only used for making totals and do not change the cards themselves.
You will also need a clear table and paper or a notes app for the score. With four players, you can play as four individuals or form two teams, with partners sitting opposite each other.
Set it up
- Choose a dealer. A simple method is for everyone to draw a card; the lowest card deals. Deal and play move around the table in the same direction each hand.
- The dealer shuffles. Deal three cards face down to each player, then place four cards face up in the center. Put the undealt cards face down as a draw stack.
- The player to the dealer's right goes first. Look at the four center cards and your three-card hand before choosing a play.
- If the four opening cards total exactly 15, the dealer takes them as an immediate escoba. If they total 30, the dealer takes them and records two escobas. The first player then starts with an empty table. This special opening rule is common in this version.
How to play
- Play one card from your hand face up. Check whether its value plus a set of table cards equals 15. A set means any one combination of cards you choose, not necessarily every possible combination.
- If a capture is possible, take the played card and the chosen table cards. Place them face down in your captured pile. If more than one set works, choose one set only. You are allowed to play a card without capturing, even when a capture is available, but once you choose to capture, the valid capture must be made.
- If your capture removes every card from the table, you made an escoba, or sweep. Record 1 point and keep the played card face up in your captured pile so everyone can count your sweeps later.
- If you do not capture, leave your played card face up in the center. The turn passes to the next player.
- When everyone has played all three cards, the dealer deals three more cards to each player. Do not add new cards to the center. Continue playing until the deck is empty.
- After the final cards are played, any cards still on the table go to the last player or team that made a capture. This end-of-hand pickup is not an escoba. Gather captured cards by player or team, then score the hand.
How you win
There are four regular scoring points in a hand. The cards point goes to the player or team with more captured cards; a 20–20 tie scores nothing. The coins point goes to whoever captured more cards in the coins suit; a 5–5 tie scores nothing. With a regular deck, use diamonds as the coins suit, so the diamond point goes to the side with more diamonds.
The 7 of coins is worth 1 point by itself, so with a regular deck this is the 7 of diamonds. The final regular point is the prime, sometimes called setenta. For the prime, each player or team chooses its best captured card from each of the four suits, using this order from highest to lowest: 7, 6, ace, 5, 4, 3, 2, then picture cards; compare the four-card combinations from highest card downward, and award the point only to the side with the better combination. An exact tie scores nothing. Finally, add 1 point for every escoba. Add everything to previous scores. The first side to reach 21 or more at the end of a hand wins; if players tie at 21 or more, play another hand until one side finishes ahead.
Easy first-game tips
Count before you play. A table showing 4, 5 and 7 offers several possibilities, but a 6 could take only the 4 and 5. Remember that a jack is 8, a queen is 9 and a king is 10, even though those cards do not show those numbers in a standard deck.
Do not chase a sweep so hard that you hand your opponent an easy one. When the table is empty, placing a high-value card can be risky because the next player may hold its partner card. Watch the 7 of diamonds, other sevens and your diamond count, because those cards can decide several scoring points. Most importantly, keep your captured cards organized and announce each total aloud so everyone can follow the game.
Quick questions
Can I capture several different combinations that total 15?
No. Choose one valid set of table cards for the card you played. You cannot take two separate sets in the same turn.
What happens if nobody can capture the last table cards?
The last player or team that made any capture takes the cards left on the table. It is simply a final pickup and does not earn a sweep point.