How to Play Go Fish (Easy Rules for a Regular Deck of Cards)

Go Fish is one of those card games that seems simple until everyone realizes they learned different house rules growing up.

To make this guide easy to follow, I had my family sit down and play with a regular deck of cards while I photographed each step along the way. We played with five players, removed the jokers, laid down completed matches immediately, and even added one funny rule for anyone caught hiding cards.

If you’ve never played before—or just want a refresher—here’s exactly how to play Go Fish.

Supplies Needed to Play Go Fish

• Standard 52-card deck
• Remove jokers
• Optional card shuffler
• Optional card holder for younger kids

Can You Play Go Fish With a Regular Deck of Cards?

Yes! Go Fish is traditionally played with a standard deck of playing cards with the jokers removed.

How Many Cards Do You Deal in Go Fish?

• 2–3 players → 7 cards each
• 4 or more players → 5 cards each

Who Goes First in Go Fish?

Traditionally, the player to the left of the dealer goes first.

For family games, you can also let:

• youngest player start
• winner of last round start
• whoever shuffled start

How to Set Up Go Fish

1. Remove jokers.
2. Shuffle the deck.
3. Deal:
   • 7 cards → 2–3 players
   • 5 cards → 4+ players
4. Place remaining cards face down in the center of the table.
5. This becomes the Go Fish pile (draw pile).

We played with five players, so everyone started with five cards.

How to Play Go Fish

Step 1

Deal cards.

Step 2

Choose a player to start the game.

They ask another player for a card rank (a number, an Ace, or a face card) that they already have in their hand.

Example: They have (2) 3s, and they need more to complete their set. They would say,
“Do you have any 3s?”

Step 3

If the player asked has any matching cards, they must hand them over (all of them).

Step 4

If that player does not have the card the asking player wants:
They would say,

Go Fish!

The player asking for cards has to draw one card.

Special draw rule:
If you draw the exact card you asked for:

• show it
• Keep your turn

If not:

• Keep the card
• turn ends

Step 5

As soon as they collect four matching cards, they place the set face up in front of them.

What Are the Rules of Go Fish?

• Ask only for ranks (numbers, Ace, or face cards) already in your hand
• Opponents hand over all matching cards – if asked for them
• Completed sets are laid down immediately (sets of 4 for most play – for little kids you can adjust to sets of 2)
• Keep playing until someone runs out of cards
• If the draw cards run out, reshuffle and continue

How Do You Win Go Fish?

Continue until all books (matching sets of 4) are completed and no cards remain.

The meaning: Every single card in the deck has been grouped into sets of four (books).
The total: There are 13 total books in a standard 52-card deck.
The outcome: Once all 13 books are on the table, players count their sets, and the person with the most books (sets) wins.

Keeping Score for Go Fish

How to Keep a Tab

• Assign points: Each completed book (set of 4 matching cards) is worth 1 point.
• Write it down: Use a scorecard with columns for each player’s name.
• Tally each round: Record the number of points earned at the end of every round.
• Add them up: Keep a running total of the points as you progress.

Alternative Scoring Methods

• Target Score: Play consecutive rounds until one player reaches a specific total, such as 10 or 20 points.
• Round Wins: Instead of counting total books, simply give 1 point per round to the person who had the most books in that specific round.

Expert Tips for Playing Go Fish With Kids

Try pairs instead of sets of four

Younger kids may enjoy making matches of two.

Keep cards grouped by number

This particular player has (2) 6s – They have the 6s grouped together so they can see they are close to a matching set. Their strategy should be to try to complete that set. They should ask a player if they have any 6s. Once they get (4) 6s – they have a complete set.

The player below has 2 Jacks grouped together, so their strategy should be to ask for Jacks. Once they get 4 Jacks, they have a complete set.

Use a card holder for little hands

Our Favorite House Rule: No Sneaky Cards

To keep things fair, any player can challenge a denial.

If someone says they don’t have a card and gets caught:

• they hand over the card(s)
• their turn ends

(Alternative: draw 2–3 penalty cards.)

Variations to Make Go Fish More Challenging

Try the Exact Match Rule (Advanced Players)

Want to make Go Fish harder?

Instead of asking simply:

“Do you have any 3s?”

Players ask for a specific number of matching cards.

Example:
Player A asks:

“Do you have two 3s?”

If Player B actually has two 3s, they hand both over.

If Player B has a different number—or none at all—they say:

Go Fish

This version adds memory and strategy because players must pay attention to previous turns and estimate what opponents are holding.

We tried this variation, and it makes the game feel more competitive for older kids, teens, and adults.

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