Go Fish

Go Fish is a simple game that is popular with children (my 6 year old son for example). There are many variations of it, the rules here describe how it works in this game. It may not be exactly the way you are used to playing.

Objective

To collect as many "books" as possible. A book is four cards of the same rank. The player with the most books at the end of the game wins.

Dealing and setup

The game can be played by 2 - 4 players. First cards are dealt to the players, if there are 2 players then each gets 7 cards, if there are 3 players then each gets 6 cards and if there are 4 players then each gets 5 cards. Once the dealing is done the rest of the deck is put in a random pile on the table.

Asking and fishing

The initial player is selected at random. The player can then ask one of the other players for a particular rank. For example, you might ask Bill if he has any sixes. You may only ask for ranks that you already have at least one card of. E.g. if you don't have any sixes yourself you can't ask for them. If Bill has any sixes, then he must give them to you, and you get another turn and can ask again. If Bill doesn't have any sixes then he will tell you to "Go Fish" which means that you will draw one card from the pile on the table. If you get a six, then you show it to the other players and get to play again. If you get anything else you are finished with your turn and the player next to you plays.

Scoring