How To Play Go Fish [Card Game]

How To Play Go Fish [Card Game]

How To Play Go Fish

This post contains affiliate links. 

Go Fish is a classic card game for kids. It has been around forever.  Oftentimes you will see decks made specific for playing Go Fish! (like this one).  Those decks are fun to play with, but when you are traveling or out-and-about, you don’t always have one of those decks with you!  However, if you have a standard deck of playing cards you can still play!  Today I am going to show you how to play Go Fish with a standard deck of playing cards! 


How to play go fish

Go Fish! With Standard Deck Of Cards

The concept behind Go Fish! is simple. The dealer deals each player five or seven cards (depending how many players there are) face down and places the remaining cards in the center of the table.  Players take turn asking each other for cards in an attempt to collect matches to the cards they were dealt.  The object of the game is to match all of the cards in your hand. The player who runs out of cards is the winner. 

objective

The objective of the game is to be the first person to get rid of all the cards in their hand.  

Terms To Remember

Rank refers to the number or letter on a specific card (Ace, 1-20, King, Queen, or Jack).  Each rank has a card from each suit.  

A book is a set of 4 cards.  

Suit refers to either heart, diamond, club, or spade.  

how to play go fish!

  •  Deal the cards.  The person who deals will rotate clockwise after each round.  The dealer gives each player 7 cards. *If there are more than 4 players in a game the dealer can give each player 5 cards instead of 7.  
  • Begin play.  The player left of the dealer goes first. Start a turn by asking any one player if they have a specific card.   You can choose to ask anyone for any card.  The goal is to get 4 cards of the same rank. 
  • The player who was asked will look at their cards to see if he/she has a card(s) that matches.  If so, that player will hand over all cards that match.  If not, the player will say “Go Fish!”
  • If you get the cards you asked for you get to go again by asking either the same player for a different card or another player for a card. 
  • “Go Fish”.  “Go Fish” means draw a card from the center fishing pond.  Only one card can be drawn during a “Go Fish”.  Play then proceeds clockwise. 
  • Create Matches.  Lay down 4-of-a-kind matches to get cards out of your hand. *In some variations of the game, 2-card matches can be played instead of 4-of-a-kind, however, this must be decided before the game starts.  
  •  Take another turn after laying down a match.  
  • How to win.  The first person to get rid of all the cards in their hand is the winner.  

More Games To Try

There are so many games you can play with a standard deck of cards.  A few games to try include: 

This Post Has 2 Comments

Leave a Reply