How to Play

Scala Quaranta (Scala 40) is Italy's most popular rummy game for 2-6 players, using two 52-card decks plus 4 Jokers. The defining rule: your first meld must total at least 40 points in natural cards. First player to empty their hand wins the round.

Scala Quaranta (often abbreviated Scala 40, literally 'Forty Staircase') is the most popular domestic rummy game in Italy, played in homes, cafes, and bars from Turin to Palermo. It is a two-deck (108-card) rummy with a distinctive 40-point opening meld requirement: before you can lay any cards on the table, your first placement must consist of melds totalling at least 40 points combined, using only natural cards (no Jokers in the opening). Once you have 'opened', the game plays like a standard rummy: draw one card, optionally lay melds or lay-offs, and discard one card. The first player to empty their hand (keeping one card for a final discard, by most rules) wins the round; everyone else takes penalty points equal to the total value of their unplayed hand. Play multiple rounds until one player reaches the losing cap (usually 101 points); the remaining players share the win by lowest total. Scala Quaranta rewards careful hand-management, patience with the 40-point restriction, and sharp tracking of which Jokers and high cards have already been used.

Players

Scala Quaranta plays with 2 to 6 players, best at 3 to 5. Two-player play is brisk and tactical; six strains the deck and shortens hands. Each player plays individually (no partnerships). The first dealer is chosen by lowest-card draw; the deal rotates counter-clockwise after each round, following Italian convention.

Card Deck

Two combined 52-card French-suited decks plus four Jokers: 108 cards total. Card point values when scored in hand or as part of an opening: Ace = 1 point (low sequence) or 11 points (high sequence or set of Aces); 2-10 = face value; Jack, Queen, King = 10 points each; Joker = 25 points (as a penalty card in hand; worth the value of the card it replaces when in a meld). Aces are flexible: in a low sequence (A-2-3 of one suit) the Ace is worth 1; in a high sequence (Q-K-A) or a triple/quad of Aces, each Ace is worth 11. Suits are equal; no card is trump.

Objective

Each round, be the first player to empty your hand (or reach the closing condition below) by laying melds. Over a match, avoid being the player whose cumulative score reaches 101 penalty points; the last player standing, or the one with the lowest total, wins the match.

Setup and Deal

1. Shuffle the 108-card double-deck thoroughly. The player to the dealer's right cuts.
2. Deal 13 cards face-down to each player, counter-clockwise, one at a time.
3. Place the remaining cards face-down in the centre as the stock.
4. Turn up the top card of the stock and place it face-up beside it to start the discard pile.
5. If the turned-up card is a Joker, bury it back into the stock and turn a new one (Jokers are too valuable to start in the discard).
6. The player to the dealer's left takes the first turn.

Melds

• A meld is either a set (3 or 4 cards of the same rank in different suits) or a sequence (3 or more consecutive cards of the same suit).
• Set (gruppo or terzetto): Three or four cards of the same rank, each in a different suit. With two decks, two 7s of Hearts in the same set are illegal; the suits must be distinct. Example: 7-Hearts + 7-Clubs + 7-Diamonds is a legal triple; 7-Hearts + 7-Hearts + 7-Clubs is not.7♥
• Sequence (scala): Three or more cards of the same suit in consecutive rank order. Example: 5-6-7 of Spades or 10-J-Q-K-A of Hearts. Sequences can be high (ending in Ace-King) or low (starting with Ace-2), but cannot wrap around (K-A-2 is illegal).7♠
• Jokers in melds: A Joker substitutes for any one card in a set or sequence. It takes on the value of the card it replaces (so a Joker standing in for the King in Q-K-A is worth 10 points, not 25). Each meld may contain at most one Joker.

Gameplay

1. On your turn, follow these three phases in order: Draw, Meld (optional), Discard.
2. 1. Draw: Take either the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile. Two restrictions before opening: (a) if you have not yet opened, you may only draw from the stock, not the discard pile; (b) after opening, either source is legal.
3. 2. Meld (optional): If you have not yet opened, you may now lay your opening meld provided it satisfies the 40-point rule (see below). If you have already opened, you may lay any additional melds and/or lay off cards onto your own or any opponent's melds on the table.
4. 3. Discard: Place one card from your hand face-up on top of the discard pile. Your turn ends. You cannot discard the card you just drew from the discard pile (to prevent sterile discard-and-redraw).
5. Opening meld (40-point rule): Your very first laydown must total at least 40 points using only natural cards (no Jokers). The 40 points are summed using face value for 2-10, 10 for courts, and 1 or 11 for Aces depending on their position in the meld. Examples: 7-7-7 (three 7s) = 21 (below 40, insufficient on its own); Q-K-A same suit = 10+10+11 = 31 (insufficient); 10-J-Q-K of Spades (40 exactly) = valid; 5-5-5 + 10-J-Q = 15 + 30 = 45 (valid); A-A-A-A (four Aces) = 44 (valid).
6. After opening: Lay any new melds and lay off cards onto any meld on the table (yours or an opponent's). A lay-off is simply extending an existing meld with matching cards.
7. Replacing Jokers in melds: After opening, if a meld on the table contains a Joker substituting for a natural card, you may on your turn exchange that natural card (from your hand) for the Joker; you then use the freed Joker immediately in a new meld. You cannot take a Joker out of a meld without immediately placing it elsewhere.
8. Stock runs out: If the stock is exhausted before anyone goes out, shuffle the discard pile (except the top card) and form a new stock.
9. Going out: Play the hand until one player empties their hand completely. Most rule variants require a final discard; you must finish your turn with at least one card to discard. If you meld all remaining hand cards without a discard, some variants allow the 'closed out' win; agree before play.

Scoring

• Round winner (first to empty hand): Scores 0 for the round, and some variants subtract a 100-point bonus from their cumulative total as a reward.
• All other players: Add the total point value of the cards remaining in their hand to their cumulative match score (penalty system: lower is better).
• Card penalty values in hand: 2-10 = face value; Jack, Queen, King = 10; Ace = 1 (some variants 11); Joker = 25.A♠K♠Q♠J♠
• Opened vs not-opened penalty: A player who has not yet opened at the round's end incurs the full penalty regardless of how cleverly they had structured their hand.
• Going out concealed (closed Scala Quaranta): A player who lays all 13 cards in a single turn, having never laid before, scores a 100-point bonus (subtracted from cumulative score) or equivalently doubles penalties for opponents; house rule.
• Match format: Play rounds until one player's cumulative penalty reaches 101 points. That player is out; continue until only one (or a fixed number of) players remain. Alternatively, play to 201 for longer matches.

Winning

The last player remaining below the cap of 101 penalty points wins the match. In short matches played to a fixed number of rounds, the lowest cumulative penalty wins. Ties are broken by fewest unopened rounds, then by most rounds won outright; if still tied, a single tie-breaker round.

Common Variations

• Scala Quaranta with Buying (Compra): A player may 'buy' (take) the current discard out of turn, provided they immediately lay it in a meld and then draw an extra card as a penalty. Accelerates play.
• Reduced opening (Scala Trenta): Opening threshold lowered to 30 points, suitable for beginners or children.
• Raised opening (Scala Cinquanta): 50-point opening for hardened players.
• Two-deck Scala 40 with only 2 Jokers: Some groups prefer a less wild game; remove 2 of the 4 Jokers.
• Closed Scala Quaranta (Chiusa): Going out in one turn scores a 100-point bonus.
• Partner Scala 40: Four players in two partnerships; partners' scores are combined. Rare but documented.
• Scala Quaranta Online: The app versions (the most common way Italians play today) enforce a timer per turn; no other rule changes.

Tips and Strategy

• Plan your opening meld from the first deal. Sort your hand by suit and rank; identify the fastest-to-build 40-point combination. If you need one specific card, track its two-deck copies (there are four 7s of Hearts total across both decks, for example).7♥
• Do not waste Jokers in the opening. The 40-point rule forbids Jokers in the opening meld; keep them for post-opening flexibility.
• Build melds that can lay off. A 10-J-Q of Spades can extend to 10-J-Q-K-A once the K and A come to hand; a 7-7-7 set can extend to 7-7-7-7. Fixed-size melds are less powerful.
• After opening, prioritize laying off. Every lay-off reduces your hand by one card with zero new information exposed; this is the safest way to move toward going out.
• Do not discard obvious useful cards. Tracking the discard pile is central to Scala Quaranta; if an opponent has picked up the discard twice in a row, their target meld is visible in the pile, and you should avoid discarding cards that extend it.
• Release Jokers late. A Joker in your hand is worth 25 penalty points; release it into a meld before any opponent looks like going out.
• Watch for the 'closed out' threat. A quiet opponent who has not yet opened late in the round may be planning a single-turn closed-out for the 100-point bonus. Start discarding cards that cannot easily extend unknown melds.

Glossary

• Scala Quaranta / Scala 40: 'Forty Staircase', the Italian rummy game with a 40-point opening meld requirement.
• Apertura: The 'opening'; the first laydown, which must total at least 40 points and contain no Jokers.
• Scala: A sequence; three or more consecutive cards of the same suit.
• Gruppo / Terzetto: A set; three or four cards of the same rank in different suits.
• Matto / Jolly: The Joker; a wild card that substitutes for any one card in any meld, but only one per meld.
• Compra: 'Buying'; the out-of-turn purchase of the current discard (variant rule).
• Chiusa: 'Closed'; going out in a single turn having never opened before, for a 100-point bonus.
• Discard pile (mazzetto): The face-up pile where discarded cards go; the top is available for drawing once you have opened.
• Stock (mazzo): The face-down pile from which players draw new cards.