How to Play Go Fish with Playing Cards

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Get the most matches to win this fun card game for all ages!

Co-authored by Elaine Heredia, BA Reviewed by Ashton Wu

Last Updated: February 19, 2026 Fact Checked

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Setup

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Playing a Round

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Ending a Round

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Winning

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Video

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Q&A

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Go Fish is a super fun game you can play with your friends of all ages, and it doesn’t take long to learn the rules! All you need to play is a regular 52-card deck and 2 to 6 players. To win, be the player who lays down the most matches. Ready to play? Keep reading to learn the objective of the Go Fish card game, how to set it up, gameplay rules, how to end a round, and more about how to become the winner!

How do you play Go Fish?

Deal 7 cards to each player. Your goal is to lay down as many sets of 4 matching cards as you can. On your turn, ask another player for a card you need to make a match in your hand. If they have the card, take it. If they say, "Go fish!" draw a new card and end your turn. The player who lays down the most sets wins!

Section 1 of 4:

Go Fish Setup

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Pick someone to shuffle and deal 5-7 cards to each player. If there are 2-3 players, each person should get 7 cards. If there are 4 or more players, each person should get 5 cards. The dealer could be the person whose birthday is coming up next, the person who won the last game, or whoever draws the highest value card from the deck.^{[1]
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- Remove all the Jokers from the deck before you shuffle and deal the cards.
- It’s okay to look at your cards! Just keep your hand hidden from the other players so they can’t see what you drew.
Tip: For a fun variation, use 2 decks of cards and double how many cards each player is dealt. The game will last longer, and it’ll be harder to remember which cards everyone else has.
This creates the “fishing pond.” Make sure all of the cards stay facedown so that no one can peek!^{[2]
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At the beginning of the next round, this player will become the new dealer, and the player to their left will go first. This rule ensures everyone gets a chance to go first at some point!^{[3]
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Section 2 of 4:

Go Fish Gameplay

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Ask another player if they have a specific card to start your turn. Take a look at the cards in your hand and note any cards that you already have multiples of. Then, pick one of the other players and ask them if they have that card in their hand. For example, if you have 2 Jacks in your hand, you only need 2 more to make a match. Remember that you can only ask one person at a time, and that you can only ask about one card value at a time, as well.^{[4]
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- "Card value" refers to the number or the face on the card, not the suit. It doesn’t matter if the person has a Jack of Hearts or a Jack of Diamonds. If they have any Jack at all, they must give it to you.
- Keep in mind that once you ask about a specific card, the other players will know that you have that card in your hand! Try to keep track of who has what to give you the advantage in the game.
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Draw a card if the other player tells you to "Go fish!" If the other player says "Go fish!" it means they don't have the card you requested. In that case, you must draw one of the facedown cards from the middle of the play area and end your turn. This can be a blessing in disguise, since the card you draw might match some of the cards you're already holding in your hand!^{[5]
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- You have to keep the card you pulled, even if it isn’t one you want. You can’t throw it back and pick another one.
You can ask the same person about a different card, or ask a new person. If you keep getting lucky and finding the cards you need to make matches, you could take several turns in a row before having to "Go fish" and pass the turn to the next player.^{[6]
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Lay down as many sets of 4 matching cards as possible on your turn. You can’t hold matches in your hand. As soon as you get one on your turn, you have to lay it down in front of you so that everyone can see it. The more sets you lay down in a round, the better your chances are of winning the game!^{[7]
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- To make the game shorter and easier, change the rules and lay down 2-card matches instead of 4-card matches.
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Tell other players to "Go fish!" if you don’t have the card they ask for. This is the most fun part of the game! If the person asked you for a Queen and you don’t have any, tell them to "Go fish!" Their turn then passes to the player on their left.^{[8]
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- It can be fun to order people to "Go fish!" but remember to do it with a friendly attitude. After all, you’re playing a game with your friends!

Section 3 of 4:

Ending a Round of Go Fish

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End the round when someone plays all the cards in their hand. As soon as someone lays down or gives all the cards in their hand away, the round ends. Count each player's sets of matching cards that they laid down throughout the round and write them down. These are your scores! Whoever has the highest score wins the round.
- Play as many rounds as you want! You can also just play one and call it a day.
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Or, end the round if the pond is empty before someone plays all their cards. This is an optional ending that can be good to use if you like really fast-paced games. You could always decide that the person with the most matches at that time won the round, or it could just be a draw.^{[9]
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- You could also choose to keep playing even after the fishing pond is empty. You’ll just take turns trying to get cards from your opponents without having to "go fish" at the end of your turn.

Section 4 of 4:

Winning Go Fish

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Win the game when you lay down the most sets of 4 matching cards. The player who lays down the most matching sets wins Go Fish! If you want, the remaining players can keep playing until there is also a 2nd place winner, a 3rd place winner, and so on.^{[10]
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Community Q&A

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Question

If I ask for nines and the opponent has 3 nines, does she give me all 3 nines?

Community Answer

Yes. But if you're playing pairs, she should only have 1.

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Question

Can I lie if you wanted to have those cards?

TheArtOfSarcasm

Community Answer

You are not allowed to lie when you play Go Fish. It defeats the purpose of asking if someone has something you need, as people would always lie and say they do not.

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Question

Do I put the card I draw into my hand or set it to the side?

Community Answer

You hold it in your hand, unless you can use it to make a match, then you'd put both cards down to the side.

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