Rules · Social
How to play Go Fish
Go Fish is a classic collection game for 2–6 players. Ask opponents for cards you need, collect books of four matching ranks, and finish with the most books.
Setup
Standard 52-card deck. With 2–3 players, deal 7 cards each. With 4+ players, deal 5 cards each. Remaining cards form the draw pile (the "ocean").
A turn
- Choose any opponent and ask for a specific rank — e.g. "Do you have any Jacks?" You must already hold at least one card of that rank.
- If they have any, they hand over all their cards of that rank. You take another turn.
- If they don't, they say "Go fish". You draw one card from the ocean.
- If the drawn card is the rank you asked for, show it and take another turn. Otherwise play passes to the next player.
Books
When you collect all four cards of a rank, you have a book. Place it face-up in front of you. Books no longer count as cards in your hand.
Running out of cards
If you have no cards but the ocean still has cards, draw one and continue. If both your hand and the ocean are empty, you're out of the game.
Winning
The game ends when all 13 books are collected. The player with the most books wins. ACE ranks finish order by books collected (ties broken by who collected first).