🐟 Go Fish: card game rules

How to play Go Fish

Goal: Collect as many sets of four matching cards (four of the same number) as you can.

Setting up

1. Shuffle and deal 7 cards each for two or three players, or 5 cards each for four or more.
2. Spread the rest of the cards face down in the middle of the table. That's the pond.

How to play

1. On your turn, ask one player for a number you already hold at least one of, for example: 'Do you have any sevens?'
2. If they have any cards of that number, they hand them all over and you ask again.
3. If they don't, they say 'Go fish!' and you take one card from the pond.
4. If you fish up exactly the number you asked for, show it and take another turn. Otherwise the turn passes on.
5. Lay every set of four you complete face up in front of you.
6. If you run out of cards, take one from the pond. If the pond is empty, you're out of the game.

Who wins

Once all 13 sets are on the table, the player with the most sets wins.

Tips

• Listen to what other players ask for. It tells you what's in their hands.
• With little kids, play for pairs instead of sets of four so the game moves faster.

Variations

• Pairs Go Fish: collect matching pairs instead of sets of four.