How to Play Go Fish Step By Step | Rules, Instructions and More
What is Go Fish
Go Fish is a classic, multiplayer kids’ card game that requires both luck and skill to match cards. Players attempt to create complete sets of 4 cards of a given rank (e.g. 3, 3, 3, 3) by asking players and drawing cards on their turn.
Objective
The object of Go Fish is to form more 4-of-a-kind groupings than your opponents (e.g. all 4 cards of the same rank, such as the 4 of clubs, 4 of diamonds, 4 of hearts, and four of spades).
Number of player
Go Fish is played with two or more players.
Playing time
5-15 minutes
What you need / equipment
All you need to play Go Fish is a standard deck of cards. If you want to spice it up with fun illustrations, consider getting a special Go Fish card deck, or a 6-pack of fun card games (Go Fish, Crazy Eights, Monster Match, Slap Jack, Old Maid, and War).
Skills
- Math (number sense, matching, counting, addition)
- Listening and memory
- Basic game mechanics (turn taking, matching cards, etc)
Age
Go fish is a great game for 3 years old and up. Around 5 years old, you’ll start seeing more strategy used through active listening and memory.
Why We Like It for Kids
Go Fish is a great transitional game from all luck card games (e.g. Old Maid, War, etc) to games that require both luck and skill. Kids need to actively listen to what card ranks have been requested by other players and remember those for future turns.
How to Play Go Fish, Step by Step
1: Gather 2 or more players and a standard deck of cards
All you need to play Go Fish is two or more players and a standard deck of cards.
2: Determine who will go first
To determine who goes first in Go Fish, you can choose any method, such as youngest player, rock-paper-scissors, draw a hard and highest goes first, etc. The player left off the dealer will go first.
3: Set up the game by dealing 5 cards to each player and forming a draw pile
To set up a game of Go Fish, shuffle a standard 52 deck of cards, then deal 5 cards, one at a time, face down to each player. Players can look at their cards, but shouldn’t reveal them to any other players. Place the remaining cards face down in the middle of the table to form a draw pile.
Note: if you’re playing with 2 players, increase the cards dealt to each player to 7 cards.
4: Evaluate the cards for 4-of-a-kinds
All players should look at their cards to see if they were dealt a 4-of-a-kind match. Any time a player has a 4-of-a-kind, they should play it immediately face-up on the table.
5: Play the turn
The player left of the dealer takes the first turn. During any turn:
- The player asks any opponent if they have any cards in a specific rank. For example: “Steve, do you have any 7s?”
- If the opponent has any cards in that rank, they must hand them all over to the player and the player may make another request to any opponent. For example, if Steve has two 7s, he must hand them both over. And the players turn continues where they can ask any opponent for a card rank, either the same rank or a new rank,
- If the opponent doesn’t have any cards of the requested rank, the opponent replies “Go Fish!” The player then must draw one card from the top of the draw pile and:
- If they draw the card they requested from the draw pile, they should show the other players that they had a successful draw, and their turn is saved! They also get another chance to ask an opponent for a card and repeat the process above.
- If the player does not draw the requested card rank, they add that card to their hand (and don’t show their opponents. Their turn is over. Note: if they form a set of another rank, they play it immediately, but their turn is still over.
Notes:
- When asking an opponent for a certain rank, the player must have at least one card of that rank in their own hand.
- Players do NOT draw more cards to replenish their hands on their turn unless they have played all of their cards.
- Players may not lie.
6: Rotate turns clockwise
After a turn ends, play continues clockwise to the next player, with the same process of requesting a card rank from any opponent.
7: Continue playing until all cards have been paired as 4 of a kinds
Play will continue until every card in the deck has been matched and played as a 4-of-a-kind by one of the players.
Note: If any player runs out of cards in their hand, they should draw 5 additional cards from the draw pile. If there are fewer than 5 cards in the draw pile, they should take all the remaining cards, If there are NO cards in the draw pile, they are done playing and wait for the other players to finish. When there are NO cards in the draw pile, when a player would normally “Go Fish,” the turn ends and play rotates to the next player for their turn.
8: Declare the player with the most matched 4-of-a-kinds the winner!
Count how many sets of 4-of-a-kind each player has. The player with the most matched sets wins!
Go Fish Video Tutorial
Go Fish Rules
- If a player runs out of cards, they draw 5 more for a 3+ player game (or 7 if a 2 player game. If fewer than 5 cards are in middle (for 3+ player game), take whatever is left
- If draw deck runs out, continue play until cards have been played as four-of-a-kinds
- If player runs out of cards and NO cards left, they’re done with play and wait until the end
- Players must have at least one of a rank to ask another player for it
Go Fish Variations
Play the matched sets of 4-of-a-kind face down. This will require better listening and memory to know what card ranks have already been matches so players don’t call that rank again and waste a turn.
Play in pairs instead 4-of-a-kind. If you play this way, we suggest you match colors (red = hearts and diamonds AND black = clubs and spades. So players would ask “Do you have any red fours?”
Go Fish FAQs
What are the origins of Go Fish? Who created it and when was it invented?
The exact origin of Go Fish is unclear. Historians generally credit these 3 sources:
- Versions of games resembling Go Fish game play date back several centuries.
- An early version of a game resembling Go Fish game play, called Happy Families, was popularized in 1851 by British game inventor John Jaques Jr. Instead of using a standard deck of cards, the cards instead had matching pairs of illustrated professions (Barber, Butcher, Baker, etc).
- More recently, the game variation Go Fish, as we know it, is credited to an 8-year-old boy, named David Coffelt Jr., from Buffalo, New York.
Can you lie in Go Fish?
You cannot lie in Go Fish. The game is on the honor system and lying ruins the game. That means that all players must:
- During their turn, only “fish” (or ask for) card ranks if they already have one or more of that rank in their hand
- During an opponent’s turn, if asked, give their opponent ALL of the cards of a rank when they’ve been asked
Is Go Fish a pair of 2 or 4?
Go fish is a game of quartets, or 4-of-a-kind. All 4 cards of a rank must be grouped together to complete the set, often called a “book,” and are immediately played face-up on the table.
How many cards do you start with in Go Fish?
Games of Go Fish with three players or more start with 5 cards. Games of Go Fish with two players should start with 7 cards per player.
What are the rules of Go Fish when you run out of cards?
- When you run out of cards in Go Fish, you should draw more cards from the draw pile to match your starting base that was dealt. That means 7 cards if playing with 2 players, or 5 cards if playing with 3 or more players.
- If there are fewer cards in the draw pile than the player would otherwise draw, they take all the cards.
- If there are NO cards in the draw pile, their play is done and they wait for the other players to finish.
Do you always keep 7 cards in Go Fish? Do you always keep 5 cards in go Fish? Do you keep picking up cards in Go Fish?
No. You do not replenish your cards during a typical turn to get back to the number you started with. You only draw cards when you’ve played all of your cards, at which point you draw enough cards to get back to the starting number of 5 (for a 3+ player game) or 7 (for a 2-player game).
What happens if there is a tie in Go Fish? Who wins Go Fish in a tie?
Oddly, there isn’t a lot of information on how to play a tie Go Fish at the end of the game. Our recommended approach is to use the highest 4-of-a-kind scored as the tie breaker, with Aces being highest (then King, Queen, Jack, 10, etc). So if both players tied with 4 sets of kinds and the play looked as follows:
- Player 1: (A, A, A, A; 10, 10, 10 , 10; 4, 4, 4, 4; 2, 2, 2, 2)
- Player 2: K, K, K, K; Q, Q, Q, Q, J, J, J, J; 8, 8, 8, 8)
Player 1 would be the winner because their highest set (Aces) is higher than Player 2’s highest set (Kings). We like this system because it’s clear and is a fair way to break a tie (assuming both players understand the tie break system).
We’ve seen other resources suggest other tie-break options such as:
- End as a tie: But it’s annoying to play a whole game and end in a tie.
- The tying players do a playoff of a full game: But that feels too long. Plus, if it’s a 2-player game, it’s exactly the same as just ending in a tie. And if it’s 3+ players you’re making other people sit out a whole game, which isn’t fun.
- The tying players are dealt cards and the first to get a 4-of-a-kind wins: This seems ok at first, and is shorter than a full game. But, it becomes 100% luck. Whoever is dealt better cards, or guesses better, wins. The skill is removed because it’s just 2 players, and isn’t played out in a way that that listening and memory is in a full game.
How do you play Go Fish with 2 players?
Go Fish is a great two-player game and only requires one rule modification: players base-card number should be increased from 5 cards to 7 cards, both for the initial deal, and for redraws after they play all the cards in their hand.
