Go Fish Card Game

Go Fish is the friendly card game everyone learns first. Ask the other players for cards that match yours, fish from the pond when they say no, and collect complete sets of four to win.

How to play Go Fish Card Game

• With one opponent each player gets 7 cards; with two or three opponents everyone gets 5. The rest of the deck is spread face down as the pond.
• On your turn choose a rank you already hold, such as sevens, and ask one player for it.
• If they have any sevens they must hand over all of them, and you ask again.
• If they have none they say "Go fish!" and you draw one card from the pond. If you fish up the rank you asked for, you get another turn; otherwise play moves to the next player.
• As soon as you hold all four cards of a rank, that book is laid down in front of you.
• If you run out of cards you take one from the pond on your next turn. Once the pond is empty, players who run out are finished asking.
• When all 13 books are made, the player with the most books wins.

Controls

• Tap a card in your hand to choose that rank (all your cards of that rank lift up).
• Then tap Ask under your hand, or tap an opponent's seat. Against one opponent, tapping the same card again asks straight away.
• Keyboard: Tab to a card and press Enter to choose it, then press 1, 2 or 3 to ask that opponent. Esc clears your choice.
• Use Players for one to three opponents and Bots to choose how well they remember.

Tips

• Listen to every question: a player who asks for nines must have a nine. Ask them for nines later and they have to hand it over.
• If someone just said "Go fish" for kings, they have no kings until they draw again, so ask somebody else.
• Ask for the rank you hold the most of first. Three of a kind needs only one more card to become a book.
• Playing with younger players? Pick Bots: forgetful for computer players that ask at random.

FAQ

How do you play Go Fish?

Deal seven cards each to two players, or five each to three or four. On your turn, ask any player for a rank you already hold. If they have it, they hand over every card of that rank and you ask again. If not, they say "Go fish" and you draw from the pond. Four of a kind is a book, and the player with the most books wins.

What are the rules for Go Fish?

You may only ask for a rank you hold at least one card of, and a player who is asked must give up all of their cards of that rank. Fishing the rank you asked for earns another turn. A player with no cards draws one from the pond. The game ends when all 13 books have been made.

How many cards do you deal in Go Fish?

Seven cards each for two players and five each for three or four players. The rest of the deck becomes the pond.

Do I get another turn if I fish the card I asked for?

Yes. If the card you draw from the pond matches the rank you asked for, show it and take another turn.

What happens when I run out of cards?

You take a card from the pond at the start of your next turn and keep playing. When the pond is empty too, you are done asking and wait for the others to finish.

Are the computer players cheating?

No. They only use what everyone at the table can hear: who asked for which rank and who had to go fish. They never look at your hand.

Is Go Fish good for kids?

Yes. It needs only matching and counting to four, and the forgetful bots setting makes the computer players easier to beat. Games are saved so you can stop and come back.