If you're new to card games, Go Fish is a great place to start. This classic card game for kids can be played with 2 to 6 players, and all you need is a standard 52-card deck. Learn the rules of the game and some variations.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Understanding the Rules
Step 1. Know the goal
The aim of 'Go Fish' is to collect as many 'books' or sets of 4 cards of the same value as possible, if possible. The person with the most books at the end of the game is the winner.
- An example of a book is to have all four queens in the deck: the queen of hearts, the queen of spades, the queen of clubs and the queen of diamonds.
- A book does not necessarily have to consist of cards with pictures. You may have a book made up of 9-value cards: the nine of hearts, the nine of spades, the nine of clubs and the nine of diamonds.
Step 2. Learn how to build a book
Players collect complete books by taking turns asking for the card they need to create a complete set of cards. For example, if a player has been given a two of clubs and a two of hearts, he will ask another player if he has a two. This will add cards to the 'book' until it is complete.
Step 3. Understand what 'fishing' means
If a player is asked for a card he has in his hand, he is obliged to deliver all the cards in that group. If he does not have that card he will reply 'Draw'. The player who requested the card then draws a card from the extra deck of cards called the 'middle deck'. This will give him an extra chance to get a card from the book he is building.
- If the player receives or draws the card he was looking for from the deck, he gets another turn.
- If the player does not find himself with the card he was looking for, his turn is over.
Step 4. Understand how the game ends
Players continue to follow the round, search for cards, draw cards and form books, until someone has no more cards or the draw deck runs out. The person with the most books is the winner.
Method 2 of 4: Shuffle and Deal the Cards
Step 1. Name who makes the cards
In Go Fish a person starts as a dealer: the person who deals the first hand of cards and starts the game. The person who came up with the idea of playing usually plays the role of dealer. The other players settle in a circle that extends to either side of the dealer.
- Some people prefer to follow certain rules to figure out who should be the dealer. For example, it could be the youngest or oldest person present, or who has the first birthday.
- If you find yourself playing more than one game of Go Fish, the dealer of the second game is usually the one who won the first game.
Step 2. Shuffle the deck
Whenever you are about to start a game, shuffle the deck to reshuffle the cards from the previous game. This ensures that the cards are not organized in a predictable pattern and shows other players that there are no tricks.
Step 3. Deal 5 cards to each player
Start with the deck of cards facing down, so that the cards cannot be seen by any of the players. Give the top-most card to the first player on the left, the next card to the next player in the circle, and so on. Continue by dealing one card at a time around the table until everyone has 5 cards.
If there are two of you to play, deal 7 cards instead of 5
Step 4. Create a deck in the center or 'pool'
Place the remaining cards in the center of the circle or table so that they are within everyone's reach. They don't have to be in order, but they should all be facing down. This is the pool that everyone fishes from.
Method 3 of 4: Play the Game
Step 1. Examine your cards
Keep the cards fanned out so that other players can't see them, and take a look at what you've been given. If you have two or more cards of the same rank, you may decide to look for more cards of that type to form a book. If you don't have any cards of the same rank, you may decide to search based on the cards in your hand.
Step 2. The game begins with the player to the left of the dealer
This player chooses someone else, no matter who, to ask if they have a card of a specific value. For example, the player may say 'Moirin do you have a 3?'
- If Moirin has a 3, she is forced to turn it in and the player gets another turn.
- If Moirin has no 3, he says 'Draw'. The player then draws a card from the pile in the center. If it is the card the player was looking for, another turn is guaranteed. Otherwise, the hand passes to the player on his left.
Step 3. Create a complete book
As the game moves around the circle, players begin to collect enough cards to form complete books. When a book is complete, the player shows it to the others and then places the cards face down.
As the players ask each other for cards, try to remember who is asking what. When it's your turn, you'll have the advantage of knowing what they're holding. For example, if you hear a player ask for an eight, and you also plan to complete your streak of 8s, remember to ask them on your next turn
Step 4. Finish the game
Eventually the deck in the center will decrease and the cards will run out. When this happens, each player will count their books. The person who owns the most books will be the winner.
Method 4 of 4: Use a Variant
Step 1. Ask for specific cards
Rather than looking for a card of the same value, ask for one in particular. For example, if you have a jack of hearts, ask another player for a jack of diamonds, rather than simply asking for a jack. This variant makes the game more difficult and thus tends to last longer.
Step 2. Play with pairs instead of books
When you form a pair of cards of the same rank and color, show it to the other players and lay it down. A simpler variant could be to make pairs of cards of the same rank, even if they are not of the same color.
Step 3. Disqualify players who run out of cards
In a typical Go Fish game, the game ends when one player runs out of cards. Play a variant in which the game continues between players who still have cards.
