Go Fish
Cards Used
Go Fish is played with a standard 52-card deck and is suitable for 2 to 6 players. No jokers are used. Each player's goal is to collect matching sets of cards.
Aim of the Game
The aim of Go Fish is to collect the most books, which are sets of four cards of the same rank (for example, four 8s or four Kings).
Point Scoring
Each completed book of four matching cards is worth 1 point. At the end of the game, the player with the most books is the winner.
How to Deal
If there are 2 or 3 players, each player is dealt 7 cards. If there are 4 to 6 players, each player is dealt 5 cards. The remaining cards are placed face down in the centre of the table to form the draw pile, known as the “fish pond.”
Gameplay
- 1
Players take turns asking another player for a specific rank of card, such as “Do you have any 7s?” A player may only ask for a rank that they already have in their hand.
- 2
If the other player has one or more cards of that rank, they must hand over all of them, and the asking player continues their turn.
- 3
If the other player does not have the requested rank, they say “Go Fish!” The asking player then draws one card from the draw pile. If the drawn card is the rank they asked for, they may continue their turn; otherwise, play passes to the next player.
- 4
Whenever a player collects all four cards of the same rank, they place the set face up in front of them as a completed book.
- 5
The game continues until all 13 books have been collected or the draw pile and players' hands are empty. The player with the most books at the end of the game wins.
Need a deck? Pick up a Cardvenir pack and see the city while you play.