Cards, deal and values
Each player receives thirteen cards; the rest forms the stock, with one card turned up to start the discard pile. A turn is draw one, meld optionally, discard one.
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| 2 - 10 | Face value |
| J, Q, K | 10 each |
| Ace | 11 (but 1 in an A-2-3 sequence) |
| Joker | The card it represents; 25 caught in hand |
Melds: sequences and sets
- Sequences: three or more consecutive cards of one suit. The ace sits below the two OR above the king - K-A-2 is illegal - and a sequence with a joker can reach fourteen cards.
- Sets: three or four cards of one rank in different suits - 9♥ 9♥ 9♦ is not a set.
- Each meld holds at most one joker, whose identity is fixed the moment it lands: its position in a sequence, or the declared missing suit in a set.
- A card can never belong to two melds at once, and sequences are never split.
Opening with 40
Your first meld - or several put down together in one turn - must be worth at least 40 points, counted from the new melds alone. Until you have opened you may not extend table melds, may not take from the discard pile, and may not discard a joker or any card that fits a meld on the table.
The open table
- Melds belong to nobody: any opened player extends any sequence at either end, or adds the fourth suit to any set of three.
- Hold the real card a table joker represents? Swap it in and take the joker into your hand to reuse or keep.
- You may take the top discard instead of drawing - but only once opened, and only by melding it immediately. It can never stay in your hand or be re-discarded.
- When the last stock card is drawn, the discard pile is shuffled into a new stock.
Closing and scoring
Closing means discarding your final card. Melding your whole hand with nothing left to discard is illegal, and nobody may close until every player has completed one full turn. The closer scores zero; the opponent adds the value of every card still in hand to their running total. Reaching 101 points loses the match.
Frequently asked questions
Can my opening include cards added to my opponent's melds?
No. The 40 points must come entirely from NEW sequences and sets out of your own hand, all in the same turn. Extending table melds only unlocks after you have opened.
Can a sequence contain two aces?
Not the same suit twice, and an ace can never sit in the middle - but a full 14-card sequence (ace low to ace high with a joker) is legal, using the two different copies of the ace.
What happens to the joker's value when I reclaim it?
The meld keeps its value through the real card you swapped in; the joker becomes a normal wild card in your hand again - and a 25-point liability if you are caught holding it.
Why can't I discard this card?
You have not opened yet, and the card either is a joker or fits a meld on the table - both are protected discards before opening. Open with 40 and every discard becomes legal.
Who wins if we both stay under 101 forever?
Hands keep being dealt and every closed hand adds points to the loser of that hand, so someone always crosses the line eventually - there is no draw in Scala 40.
Related rulebooks
- Rummy rules - meld to the table and go out first
- Rummy 500 rules - dig the discard pile, meld your way to 500
- Burraco rules - italy's rummy - pozzetto, clean burrachi, 2000
- Gin Rummy rules - meld, knock and go gin - first to 100
Last reviewed 2026-08-22 · play Scala 40 online free