Edition: Classic Go Fish with a standard deck, where you collect books of four of a kind. Last checked October 25, 2026
Go Fish Rules: How to Play Go Fish
Go Fish is a cozy card game for kids and grown-ups where you ask each other for cards and collect four of a kind. Here are the rules most American families use, and the small differences you will find in Denmark.
- Players
- 2 to 6, best with 3 to 5
- Age
- 5 and up
- Playing time
- 15 to 30 minutes
How to win: Collect the most books. A book is four cards of the same rank, like four kings.
Who is right?
The classic arguments at the table when you play Go Fish.
Do you get to ask again after you get cards?
Yes, in American Go Fish.
In standard Go Fish your turn continues as long as you get what you ask for. Many also let you go again if you fish the exact card you asked for. In Fisk, the Danish version, many families pass the turn after every question.
Some families pass the turn after each question no matter what, which gives younger kids more turns.
Can you ask for a rank you don't have?
No.
You must hold at least one card of the rank you ask for.
Some let the youngest kids ask freely while they learn the game.
Do you hand over all the cards or just one?
All of them.
If you have cards of the rank asked for, you must hand over all of them.
Some play that you only give one card at a time, which makes the game last longer.
What you need
- A standard 52-card deck
Setup
- 1Take out the jokers and shuffle the cards.
- 2With 2 or 3 players, deal 7 cards each. With 4 or more players, deal 5 cards each.
- 3Spread the rest face down on the table. That is the pond, also called the stock.
How to play
- 1The player to the dealer's left goes first.
- 2Ask a specific player for a specific rank, for example: Do you have any sevens?
- 3You may only ask for a rank you already hold at least one card of.
- 4If that player has cards of that rank, they must give you all of them, and you get to ask again.
- 5If they have none, they say Go fish, and you draw a card from the pond. If you draw the rank you asked for, show it and ask again. Otherwise your turn is over.
- 6When you have four of a kind, lay them down in front of you as a book.
- 7Play passes clockwise.
- 8If you run out of cards, draw one from the pond on your turn. If the pond is empty, you are done.
- 9The game ends when all 13 books are down. The player with the most books wins.
House rules
Pick the rules you want to play with tonight. Everyone at the table has to agree.
Our Go Fish rules for tonight
Everything else follows the official rules.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards do you deal in Go Fish?
Seven cards each with 2 or 3 players, and five cards each with 4 or more. In Denmark most families deal 5 cards each, or 7 with only two players.
What is a book in Go Fish?
A book is four cards of the same rank, like four sevens. There are 13 books in total.
Source: Common American Go Fish rules and Danish family tradition. The rules are written in our own words. Ask the referee if you are unsure.