How to play Go Fish
Go Fish is a game of asking and remembering. You collect books: all four cards of one rank, such as the four 7s or the four kings. When all thirteen books have been made, the player with the most wins.
Here you can play against Otto alone, or against Mabel, Otto and June together. Choose with the switch above the table.
The deal
With two players each gets seven cards; with four, each gets five. The rest of the pack is spread face down in the middle of the table. That is the pond.
Your turn
- Ask one other player for a rank. You must already hold at least one card of that rank yourself.
- If that player has any cards of the rank, they must hand them all over, and you take another turn.
- If not, they say “Go fish” and you take a card from the pond. If it happens to be the rank you asked for, you show it and take another turn. Otherwise your turn is over and the player on your left goes next.
Tap a card in your hand to choose its rank, then press the Ask button. With four players, press the name of the player you want to ask. When you are told to go fish, tap the pond.
Books
As soon as anyone holds all four cards of a rank, the book is laid down and stays down. Each player’s books are shown beside their name, and yours above your hand.
Running out of cards
- If you have no cards when your turn comes, you take one from the pond and then ask as usual.
- If the pond is empty as well, you are out, and the others play on.
- If nobody else has any cards to ask for, you take a card from the pond and the turn moves on.
The game ends when the last book is laid down. Two or more players can finish level, and then they share the win.
Tips for winning more often
- Listen to what the others ask for. Anyone who asks for 9s is holding at least one, and when a 9 comes your way you know where to find more.
- Remember who handed cards over, too. The player who was just given two queens now holds at least three.
- Every question gives something away. When you ask for a rank and are told to go fish, everyone knows you hold it.
- When nothing is certain, ask the player with the most cards. They are the most likely to have what you want.
- A player who said “Go fish” to a rank does not have it. Do not ask them again until they have taken more cards.
- The History button shows what has been asked and answered, if you lose track.
How good are the computer players?
Mabel, Otto and June go only by what has been said and done in front of everyone. They never look at a hidden card. They keep the last few turns in mind, as a careful player would, and forget what was asked longer ago than that. The Hint button forgets nothing, so a hint is sometimes sharper than they are.
With two players Go Fish is mostly luck: whoever fishes the last card of a rank usually gets the book. With four players, a good memory makes a real difference.