Go Fish
Quick Rules
- Ask a specific opponent for a rank you already hold at least one of ("Do you have any 7s?").
- If they have it, they must hand over every card of that rank, and you get to ask again.
- If they don't, they say "Go Fish" and you draw a card from the pond; draw the rank you asked for and you go again.
- Collecting all 4 cards of a rank lets you lay down a completed "book."
- The game ends when all 13 books are claimed; whoever has the most books wins.
How to Play (Quick Overview)
- 1
Deal 7 cards to each player (5 each if there are more than 4 players). Place the remaining cards face down as the draw pile, often called "the pond."
- 2
On your turn, choose one opponent and ask them for a specific rank - you must already hold at least one card of that rank yourself to ask for it.
- 3
If the opponent holds any cards of that rank, they must give all of them to you, and you take another turn, asking anyone again.
- 4
If the opponent has none, they say "Go Fish," and you draw the top card from the pond. If it happens to be the rank you asked for, you take another turn; otherwise play passes to the next player.
- 5
Whenever you hold all 4 cards of a single rank, lay that completed "book" face up in front of you.
- 6
The game ends once all 13 possible books have been claimed by someone.
Objective
Collect more complete four-of-a-kind “books” than anyone else by asking your opponents for cards.
Setup
Shuffle a standard 52-card deck. Deal 7 cards to each player if there are 2 to 4 players, or 5 cards each if there are 5 or 6 players. Place the remaining cards face down in a pile in the middle - this is “the pond,” the draw pile players fish from.
How to Play
On your turn, pick any one opponent and ask them for a specific rank - for example, “Do you have any 7s?” You’re only allowed to ask for a rank if you already hold at least one card of that rank in your own hand.
- If they have it: they must hand over every card of that rank they’re holding, all at once. You take another turn and may ask (anyone) again.
- If they don’t have it: they say “Go Fish,” and you draw the top card from the pond. If that card happens to be the rank you just asked for, you take another turn. If not, your turn ends and play passes to the player on your left.
Whenever you end up holding all 4 cards of one rank - whether from asking, fishing, or a mix of both - lay that completed set face up on the table in front of you as a “book.”
Play continues, turn after turn, until every one of the 13 possible books (Aces through Kings) has been claimed by someone.
Scoring
There’s no point value - only completed books count. Each book (all 4 cards of one rank) is worth exactly one book toward the final tally, regardless of which rank it is.
Winning
Once all 13 books have been claimed, whoever has collected the most books wins. If two or more players are tied for the most books, the win is shared.
Variations
- Draw until it hits: some house rules have you keep drawing from the pond after a “Go Fish” until you get a playable card, instead of just drawing once.
- Simplified kids’ version: younger players often play with everyone’s hand face up, or with a smaller deck of matched pairs instead of asking for ranks.
History
Go Fish is a simple matching game with roots going back at least to the 19th century, related to the broader family of pair-matching card games played across Europe and North America long before formal rules were written down. Like many folk games, its exact point of origin isn’t well documented - it spread by word of mouth for generations before American game compilations and rulebooks standardized its name and rules by the early-to-mid 20th century.
Fun Fact
Because Go Fish requires no reading and only counting up to four, it’s one of the most commonly recommended first card games for teaching young children turn-taking and basic memory skills, often before they’re old enough for games with any real strategic decisions.