How to play Go Fish
Go Fish is a card game for 2 to 6 players where you collect books: all four cards of one rank. On your turn, you ask another player for a rank. If they have none, they say "go fish" and you draw. When all 13 books are down, the player with the most books wins.
- Players
- 2 to 6
- Deck
- One standard 52-card deck
- Hand size
- 7 cards, or 5 with four or more players
- Goal
- Collect the most books of four
Setup
Deal 7 cards to each player, or 5 if four or more are playing. The rest of the deck is the stock. Four cards of one rank (all the 9s, say) make a book, and a book in your hand is laid face up right away.
How to play
- On your turn, pick another player and ask for a rank you have in your hand.
- They hand over every card they have of that rank.
- If they have none, they say “go fish” and you draw the top card of the stock. An empty stock draws nothing.
- If you got cards, or your draw matches the rank you asked for (a lucky fish), you go again. Otherwise the turn passes.
- Lay down any book of four as soon as you have it.
- If your hand runs out, draw a new hand the size of your starting hand. If the stock can’t cover it, take what’s left. With an empty stock, you sit out. A player who sits out skips turns and can’t be asked, but their books still count.
Winning
The game ends when all 13 books are down, or when fewer than two players can still play. Most books wins, and a tie is shared.
Variants
Each option below is one the host can pick before the game. The first choice listed is the standard game described above.
| Option | Choices | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Asking | Must hold the rank (default), Ask for any rank | With Ask for any rank, you can ask for any rank that isn’t a book yet, even one you don’t hold. |
| Go again | On a successful ask (default), Only on a lucky fish, Never | Only on a lucky fish passes your turn after a successful ask; only drawing the rank you asked for lets you go again. Never ends your turn after one ask, whatever you get. |
| Empty hand | Draw from stock (default), Sit out | With Sit out, a player whose hand runs out sits out for the rest of the game, even if cards are left in the stock. |
Playing it in Deckhand
Your hand stays on your phone. You choose who to ask and which rank, and the app hands over the cards, draws for you on a go fish, and lays each book down as it forms. The host picks the asking, go-again, and empty-hand rules in the lobby.
Deckhand is free on the App Store and Google Play. One phone starts a table and everyone else joins with the code, so nobody needs a physical deck.
FAQ
How many cards does each player get in Go Fish?
7 cards each with two or three players, and 5 cards each with four or more.
Do you have to hold a card to ask for it in Go Fish?
In the standard rules, yes: you can only ask for a rank you already have. A common variant lets you ask for any rank that isn’t a book yet.
What is a lucky fish?
When you go fish and the card you draw is the rank you asked for. That lets you take another turn.
What happens when you run out of cards in Go Fish?
You draw a new hand the size of your starting hand from the stock, or whatever is left. If the stock is empty, you sit out, but your books still count.
How do you win Go Fish?
Have the most books when all 13 are down. A tie is shared.