How To Play Go Fish: A Step By Step Guide (With Pictures)

Go Fish is one of the most basic card games a kid (or adult) can learn. It’s beloved by many and played often, so learning the ins and outs will be a fun achievement.

The game equates players to “fishermen” and cards to “fish”. The name “Go Fish” refers to a central part of the game where a player tells another to draw a card.

Ready to learn how to play Go Fish? Our step by step guide, complete with pictures, will have you mastering the rules in no time!

Setting Up The Game

Players:

• 2-10 players

Materials:

• a specialized Go Fish deck (helpful for kids), or a standard deck of cards.

Setup Instructions:

• Deal 5 cards to each player (or 7 if there are only two players)
• Place the rest of the deck in the center of the group.

Understanding The Objective

The objective of Go Fish is to get as many sets of cards as possible. A “set” is a group of four of the same card, such as four ace cards.

To do this, you must correctly deduce which players around you have that particular card in their hand. If you were trying to get a set of Ace’s, you would try to guess which player has an ace in their hand.

Playing a Turn

Start with the player at the dealer’s left and take turns counter-clockwise from there.

On your turn, decide which rank of cards you’d like to get. If I had a hand with three Ace’s, a 9, and an 8, I would use my turn to try to get more Ace’s.

Asking For Cards

Choose any opponent and ask for the card you would like to have more of to create a set: “Do you have any Ace cards?”

If they do have Ace cards, they must give you all of them. At that point, your turn continues, and you can ask the same or a different player for Ace cards, or for a different card.

When you ask any player for a card that they do not have, they tell you “Go fish”. This means to draw the top card from the center deck. If you get the card you asked for from the draw, your turn continues.

Collecting Sets

Once you obtain a “set”, you place all four cards face-up in front of you.

Ending Your Turn

Your turn ends once you “Go Fish” and don’t get the card you asked for.

The next player repeats the same process, and so on.

Ending The Game

The game ends when all 13 sets have been won. The winner is the player with the most sets.

Towards the end of the game, sets are won and cards dwindle. Some players may find themselves with no cards in their hands. They can continue to play by drawing from the card deck on their turn and asking for cards of that rank.

Once the cards in the deck are gone, however, they must skip their turn until the game is over.

Tips For Winning

• Keep your cards concealed at all times.
• Pay attention to cards that your opponents ask for. You can be sure that they have that card in their hand. If you have the same card in your hand, ask for it from that player on your turn.
• You may choose to ask for the same card over and over until you get a set. That way, opponents are unaware of the other cards in your hand.
• Keep a poker face when people are asked for cards – don’t reveal that you have it in your own hand!

Variations and Alternative Rules

• Jokers can be used either as wild cards or to create a pair.
• You can have sets be pairs instead of groups of four.
• A player gives only one card when asked.
• A player’s turn ends when they Go Fish, whether or not they draw the card they originally asked for.

Love This Article?

We know you’ll have an exciting game of Go Fish after this, and it might interest you to play Go Fish online as well. No physical cards required!

Remember to check out these great game tutorials too:

How To Play “Smurf”: Fun Game For Groups

How to Play Pictionary: An Illustrated Guide

How to Play Fishbowl Game: Rules, Regulations, and Tips