How to Play Go Fish: Simple Rules for Kids and Families

Learning how to play Go Fish takes about two minutes, which is why it is so often the first card game children learn. You ask other players for cards you need, collect sets of four, and try to finish with the most sets. It teaches matching, turn taking and a little memory, and it works with any standard deck of playing cards. This guide gives the standard rules first, then 2-player rules, easy versions for little ones and a few tips to help you win. If your family enjoys it, try our other card games for kids next.

Quick rules

• Deal 7 cards each to 2 or 3 players, or 5 cards each to 4 or more players. Spread the rest face down as the pond.
• On your turn, ask one player for a rank you already hold, for example "Sam, do you have any 9s?"
• If they have any, 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 the rank you asked for, show it and take another turn. Otherwise play passes to the left.
• When you hold all four cards of one rank, lay them down as a book.
• The game ends when all 13 books are made. Most books wins.

What you need

• A standard 52-card deck with the jokers removed. A special picture-card deck works the same way.
• 2 to 6 players. Three to five is ideal.
• A table or floor space big enough for the pond.

Setup

1. Choose a dealer. The youngest player often goes first, or deal and let the player to the dealer's left start.
2. Shuffle and deal cards one at a time, face down: 7 cards each for 2 or 3 players, 5 cards each for 4, 5 or 6 players.
3. Spread the remaining cards face down in a messy pile in the middle. This is the pond, also called the ocean or the stock.
4. Players pick up their cards and sort them by rank. If anyone is dealt four of a kind, they lay it down as a book straight away.

How to play

Taking a turn

1. Ask. Pick any other player and ask for a rank, such as "Priya, give me your queens." You must already hold at least one card of that rank. Suits do not matter.
2. Collect. If the player has any cards of that rank, they must give you all of them. Your turn continues, and you can ask the same player or anyone else for any rank you hold.
3. Go fish. If they have none, they say "Go fish." Take the top card, or any card, from the pond.
4. Lucky catch. If the card you fish is the rank you just asked for, show it to everyone and take another turn. If it is a different rank, keep it, and the turn passes to the player on your left.

Making books

As soon as you hold all four cards of a rank (all four 7s, for example), place them face up in front of you. That is a book. Books cannot be taken by other players.

Running out of cards

If you run out of cards during the game, draw one card from the pond on your next turn and carry on. If the pond is empty and you have no cards, you are out of the game and simply wait for the others to finish.

End of the game

Play continues until all 13 books have been laid down. Then everyone counts their books.

Scoring

For a single game, the player with the most books wins. If you play several rounds, keep a running total.

How to win

Win by holding the most books when all 13 are made. With 13 books there can be a tie between two or more players; share the win or play a quick tiebreak round.

How to play Go Fish with 2 players

The rules are the same. Deal 7 cards each, leaving 38 cards in the pond. Because there is only one player to ask, memory matters more: when your opponent asks for a rank, you know they hold it, so you can ask for it back after you fish a match.

Variations

• Pairs version for young children: collect pairs instead of books of four. Lay down any pair you are dealt. This is quicker and easier for ages 3 to 5.
• Ask for a specific card: instead of a rank, ask for an exact card, such as "the 9 of hearts." Only that card is handed over. This is slower and more about memory.
• Turn ends on a fish: some families play that your turn always ends after you go fishing, even if you catch the card you asked for.
• Rule differences: some rule books deal 7 cards to 2 players and 5 cards to everyone else; agree your dealing rule before you start.
• Bigger groups: with 7 or more players, shuffle two decks together and make books of four from the combined deck, or split into two tables.

Tips and strategy

• Listen to every request. When someone asks for 5s, they hold at least one 5. Later, if you get a 5, ask that player for theirs.
• Remember who gave cards away. If a player just handed over all their kings, they have none left, so do not ask them.
• Ask for ranks where you hold three. Finishing a book quickly protects those cards from being asked for.
• Spread your questions. Asking the same rank over and over tells everyone what you are collecting.
• Help little ones sort. Children do best when they keep cards of the same rank together in their hand.

Common mistakes

• Asking for a rank you do not hold. This is not allowed in standard rules, so check your hand first.
• Handing over only one card when you hold two or three of the asked rank. You must give all of them.
• Forgetting to lay down a completed book.
• Ending the game when the pond runs out. Keep asking until every book is made.

Enjoyed it? Go Fish players usually love Old Maid, War and Crazy Eights, all easy to learn with the same deck.