Play Go Fish for free
Go Fish is a friendly card game where you collect sets of four by asking the other players for cards. It is one of the best-loved family card games. Here on Kitchen Table Cards you can play it free in your browser against three computer players, with big cards, a Hint button and no time pressure.
How to play · Going fishing · Winning · Tips · Questions
How to play Go Fish
Go Fish is played with a standard 52-card deck. Each of the four players is dealt 5 cards, and the rest are spread face down in the middle of the table. This is the pond. A player chosen at random goes first, and play goes around the table to the left.
- Asking: on your turn, ask one player for a rank, for example "Walter, do you have any Sevens?" You must already hold at least one card of that rank.
- Getting cards: if they have any, they must give you all of them, and you get to ask again.
- Books: as soon as you have all four cards of a rank, you lay them down as a book.
Going fishing
If the player you asked has none of that rank, they say "Go fish!" and you draw one card from the pond. If it is the rank you asked for, you show it and take another turn. Otherwise you keep it, and it is the next player's turn.
If you run out of cards, you take 5 new cards from the pond. Once the pond is empty, there is no more fishing.
Winning the game
The game goes on until all 13 books have been made. The player with the most books wins. If two players have the same number, it is a tie.
How to play on this site
| Choose a rank | Click or tap one of your cards. All your cards of that rank rise up. |
|---|---|
| Ask a player | Press "Ask Rosa", "Ask Walter" or "Ask June", or click the player's name. You can also drag your card onto a player. |
| Go fishing | When you are told "Go fish!", click the pond in the middle of the table or press "Go fish!". |
| Hint | Suggests who to ask for what, and explains why. |
| Pause | Stops the other players until you are ready to carry on. |
| Settings | Choose how fast the other players play, and the table colour. |
Tips for winning at Go Fish
- Listen to the other players. When someone asks for Kings, you know they have at least one King. Ask them for Kings on your next turn.
- Remember who said "Go fish!" A player who had no Fives a moment ago is not worth asking for Fives.
- Ask for the rank you hold most of. If you have three Jacks, one more makes a book.
- Ask the player with the most cards. When you have no clues, they are the most likely to have what you need.
Go Fish questions and answers
Is this Go Fish game free?
Yes. Go Fish on Kitchen Table Cards is completely free to play in your browser. There is no download, no sign-up and nothing to buy.
Who am I playing against?
You play against three friendly computer players, Rosa, Walter and June. They remember what other players have asked for, just like real players, though some have better memories than others.
How many cards does each player get in Go Fish?
With four players, each player is dealt 5 cards. The rest of the deck is spread face down in the middle of the table as the "pond".
Can I ask for a card I don't have?
No. You can only ask for a rank you already hold at least one card of. That is why asking tells the other players something about your hand.
What happens when I fish the card I asked for?
You show it and take another turn. If you fish any other card, you keep it and the turn passes to the player on your left.
What happens if I run out of cards?
You take 5 new cards from the pond and carry on. If the pond is empty too, you sit out until the end of the game.
How do you win Go Fish?
The game goes on until all 13 books (sets of four) have been made. The player with the most books wins. It is possible to tie.
Is Go Fish a good game to play with grandchildren?
Yes. Go Fish is one of the best first card games for children, because the rules are simple and there is no reading needed beyond the card numbers. You can play it here together on a tablet.
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