Card games have always been the highlight of rainy days or lazy Sundays. Nothing beats sitting around a table with your family and friends and playing an old-fashioned card game. Even in this age of electronics and hyper-realistic video games, card games remain incredibly popular. When the power goes out, and all you have is a candle to light the room, a deck of cards will keep you entertained for hours.
One of the oldest and most iconic card games is Go Fish, sometimes just referred to as Fish. Almost everyone has played this beloved game at one point or another. Although Go Fish is a well-known game, not everyone knows the official rules. Like many card games, the rules have been muddied with personal preferences and house rules. But don’t worry we’re going to teach you the official rules to Go Fish and make you a master of the game.
What is Go Fish?
There is much debate about the origins of Go Fish. The game seems to be derived from several similar card games, but most historians agree that the current version of the game was created in the United States in the 19th century.
Go Fish is played with a standard 52-card deck. It’s a game that relies on both memory and strategy. The rules are simple enough that even small children can play, but still enjoyable enough for adults, too. Go Fish can be played between two to ten players, but it’s best to avoid going over five players. It usually only takes a few minutes to finish a game, so it’s perfect for multiple back-to-back rounds.
Go Fish Rules
The game starts with each player being dealt five cards. If there are only two players, then each person is dealt seven instead. The remaining deck then gets spread in a large pile between the players. This will act as your “pool” or “ocean” for when players need to “go fish.”
The objective of the game is to collect four cards of the same face value. This creates a book of cards that act as your points and are set outside of the game. The game ends when all the available cards have been collected into books. The player with the highest number of books wins the game.
Players can gain more cards by either asking other players for cards of a certain value or fishing for a card in the pond. As an example, a player named Sarah starts her turn by asking another player named Kyle if he has any aces in his hand. Sarah must already have at least one ace card in her own hand before she can ask. If Kyle has any aces in his hand he must hand them all over to Sarah. If he doesn’t have any aces, he’ll tell Sarah to go fish.
Sarah will then pull a random card from the center pile. If it is an ace, she must show it to all the other players and then gets to take another turn. If the pulled card isn’t an ace, then it becomes the player to the left of Sarah’s turn, and they will ask for cards they need to form a book. This continues until all cards have been gathered into books.
Strategy
Memorization is the most important skill in Go Fish. By listening and remembering what cards players ask for and which ones they’ve given, you can control the game. Doing this will let you know who has the cards you need and let you get the most out of your turn.
If you draw a card from the pile that you don’t already have it’s best to ask for that card value on your next turn. You should prioritize completing books as quickly as you can that way players can’t take the cards you need away. To be truly great at Go Fish requires players to be laser-focused and to have a bit of luck on their side.
Go Fish also works on an honor system. Players have to trust that everyone is playing fairly. Everyone has to tell the truth about what cards they do and don’t have. Go Fish is the perfect game to teach small children the importance of integrity and honesty. There is no easy way to prevent players from lying so remember to always be truthful.
Variations and House Rules
The official rules for Go Fish are pretty bare bones. Once you’ve played a couple of rounds, you’ll have mastered the game. To keep Go Fish fresh and exciting, there are a couple of special rules that players can add for some variety.
- A player gives only one card when asked.
- A player forms and lays down pairs instead of 4-card books.
- A player whose call is unsuccessful and draws the card being asked for does not get another turn.
- A player asks for a specific card instead of a rank. A player must still have at least one card of the named rank in order to ask and must reveal that card when asking.
- If the other players get all their matches and one player has a card left with no more go-fish cards to draw, the player with the remaining card loses the game.
- Books are saved by each player, face down. When the main play is finished, a further stage of play starts, with the player who has the most books. That player may ask another player for a rank that they remember that player has; if correct they win the pair; if incorrect, play passes to the next player. The winner is the player who has eventually collected a pair of every rank.
- Jokers can be used to create a pair by asking another player if they have any jokers in their hand. Two jokers form one pair.
- Instead of going around in a circle, the turn switches to the last player who said: “Go Fish”.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Go Fish Book.