Go Fish
Go Fish deals seven cards to each of two players from a standard deck, with the rest face down in a pond. On your turn, name a rank you already hold at least one of and ask your opponent for it. They must hand over every card of that rank if they have any; if not, you "go fish" and draw from the pond. Complete all four cards of a rank for a book. Whoever holds more of the thirteen possible books when the game ends wins.
Computer · 0 books
No books yet
Books completed
0 / 13
Your hand · 7 cards
No books yet
Ask for a rank
Ask for a rank you already hold at least one of — only those buttons are enabled. A hit hands you every matching card and you go again; a miss sends you fishing in the pond, and the three-dot menu explains the one rule every version of Go Fish agrees on.
Your statistics
- Played
- 0
- Won
- 0
- Win rate
- 0%
- Streak
- 0
- Best streak
- 0
- Best time
- —
A game counts as a win when you finish with more books than the computer. Kept in this browser only.
Keyboard
- H
- Hint — a rank worth asking for
- N
- New game
- F
- Full screen
- Deck
- One deck, 52 cards
- Players
- 2 (you vs. the computer)
- Starting hand
- 7 cards each
- Win by
- Most books, out of 13
How do you play Go Fish?
Each player is dealt seven cards — the standard hand size for a two- or three-player game. The rest of the deck sits face down as the pond. On your turn you must name a rank you already hold at least one card of, and ask your opponent for it. That "must already hold one" rule is universal across every version of the game: it's what stops an ask from leaking information for nothing.
If your opponent holds any cards of that rank, they must hand over every one of them, and you take another turn — you can ask again, for the same rank or a different one you hold. If they hold none, you "go fish": draw the top card of the pond. Draw the very rank you asked for and you may reveal it and go again; draw anything else and your turn ends.
How do books work?
The instant you hold all four cards of a rank, they are set aside face up as a completed book — including at the very start of the game, if the initial deal happens to give you all four of something before anyone has taken a turn. A completed book is not replaced with a fresh card, so your hand only ever shrinks from having one, never grows back to seven afterward on its own.
If your hand ever runs completely empty while the pond still has cards, you immediately draw back up to a full hand of seven (or however many the pond has left), so the game keeps moving.
When does the game end?
Either when all thirteen possible books have been claimed between the two players, or when the pond is empty and no further ask could possibly succeed for either side — meaning the two hands no longer share any rank in common, or one hand has run out completely with nothing left to draw. Whoever holds more books wins; an equal split is a tie.
Does asking for a card give anything away?
Yes, always — asking for a rank proves you hold at least one card of it, whether the ask hits or misses, and a sharp opponent remembers that and can target it right back once you no longer have the cards to back it up. The computer opponent on this board tracks exactly this: every rank you have openly asked for, and every rank you have proven your opponent doesn't hold by missing with the pond empty, feeds directly into what it asks for next.
How do you get better at go fish?
- Ask for ranks you hold multiples of firstEvery extra copy already in your hand means one fewer unseen copy could be anywhere else, so both the odds of a hit and the value of that hit go up together.
- Remember every rank your opponent has asked forAn opponent's ask proves they held that rank at the time — confirmed, guaranteed information you can use against them the moment you pick up a matching card yourself.
- Don't repeat an ask you've already proven can't succeedOnce the pond is empty and you've missed on a rank, every remaining copy of it must be sitting in your own hand — asking again wastes a turn that could extract new information instead.
- A run of extra turns from consecutive hits is worth chasingEvery successful ask lets you go again, so a hand with two or three ranks close to complete can turn into a run of several turns in a row — worth planning your ask order around.
Go Fish questions people ask
- How many cards do you start with in Go Fish?
- Seven each, for a two-player game — the standard hand size when there are two or three players. A four-or-more player game deals five each instead.
- Can you ask for a card you don't already have?
- No — you may only name a rank you hold at least one card of yourself. This is a universal rule across every version of the game.
- What happens if your hand runs out during the game?
- If the pond still has cards, you immediately draw back up to a full hand. If the pond is also empty, your empty hand simply stays empty until the game ends.
- How do you win Go Fish?
- By holding more completed four-of-a-rank books than your opponent when the game ends. There are thirteen possible books in total; an equal split is a tie.
The rules in six lines
- 1Deal seven cards eachThe rest of the deck forms a face-down pond.
- 2Ask for a rank you already holdYou may only name a rank you have at least one card of in your own hand.
- 3A hit means the whole rank changes handsIf your opponent holds any cards of the rank you asked for, they must give you every one, and you go again.
- 4A miss sends you fishingDraw the top card of the pond. Draw the rank you asked for and go again; draw anything else and your turn ends.
- 5Four of a rank is a bookSet it aside face up the instant you hold all four — it is not refilled with a new card.
- 6Most books winsThe game ends when all thirteen books are claimed, or when no further ask can possibly succeed. Whoever holds more books wins; an equal split ties.
The long version, with worked examples and the questions beginners actually ask, is on how to play go fish.
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<p style="font:14px system-ui;margin:6px 0 0"><a href="https://www.cardgamenook.com/go-fish">Play Go Fish</a> at Card Game Nook</p>