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Go Fish

Players
2 to 6
Deck
52 cards, no jokers
Level
Easy
Game
Until all 13 books are made

Ask for the cards you need, fish when you’re told to, and collect sets of four.

At a glance

Ask, fish, collect fours

On your turn you ask another player for cards of a rank you already hold. If they have none, you “go fish” from the pile. Collect all four cards of a rank to make a . Most books wins.

Setup

One deck, two to six players

Use a standard 52-card deck without jokers. Pick a dealer and shuffle. In this example there are three players: you, West and East.

The deal

Seven cards each

With two or three players, deal seven cards each. With four to six players, deal five each. The rest goes face down in the middle: the , or the fishing pond.

A turn

Ask for a rank you hold

The player left of the dealer starts. Ask one player for a rank, and you must already hold at least one card of it: “West, do you have any 7s?”

West must hand over every 7 they hold: here just the 7 of diamonds. You got what you asked for, so you ask again.

Every question shows a card.

Go fish!

You ask East for kings. East has none and says “Go fish!” You draw the top card of the stock. If it is the rank you asked for, show it and ask again; otherwise your turn ends. You drew the 7 of spades, not a king, so your turn ends.

Remember who asked for what.

Special cards

Four of a kind is a book

With all four 7s you have a . Lay it face up in front of you. It stays there for the rest of the game.

Out of cards?

If your hand runs empty, draw a card from the stock on your turn and ask for that rank.

Scoring

Count your books

There are 13 books in the deck. Each book you collect is one point. Here you have 4, West 3 and East 6.

Winning

Most books wins

The game ends when all 13 books have been made. The player with the most books wins.

Point at a dot to see why it matters

Variants and house rules

Ask for a specific card
Instead of a rank, ask for one exact card: “West, give me the 7 of diamonds.” You still need a card of that rank yourself.
Pairs (Australian Fish)
Collect pairs instead of books of four, and put each pair down as soon as you have it.
The turn goes to the asked player
After you go fish, the turn passes to the player who said “Go fish!” rather than to your left.
Authors
Deal out every card and play with no stock: when a player doesn’t have the rank, the turn simply passes.

Tips from the table

  1. Remember what the others ask for: it tells you which ranks they hold.
  2. Ask for the rank you hold the most of, so one good answer can complete a book.
  3. If someone just took your 9s, don’t ask them for 9s again next turn: think about who else might have one.

Go Fish: quick answers

  • How many cards do you deal in Go Fish?

    Seven each with two or three players, five each with four to six players.

  • Can you ask for a card you don’t have in Go Fish?

    No. You must hold at least one card of the rank you ask for.

  • What is a book in Go Fish?

    All four cards of one rank, such as four 7s. The player with the most books at the end wins.

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