Go Fish

How to play

1. Know the goal: books of four: A standard 52-card deck is dealt 7 cards each for two players or 5 each for three or four; the rest is the face-down pond. Four cards of the same rank form a book and are laid down automatically. There are 13 books in all, and whoever holds the most when they are all made wins. The strip of 13 cells lights up in the owner's colour as each book is made.
2. Tap one of your ranks, then an opponent: Your hand is stacked by rank. Tap a stack, say your three 9s, and it lifts; then tap any opponent who still has cards to ask them for 9s. You can only ask for a rank you already hold, so there is no rank picker to get wrong.
3. Take their cards or go fish: If they have any 9s they must hand over every one and you ask again — you can keep a streak going. If not, they say “go fish” and you draw the top card of the pond. Draw the rank you asked for and you show it and keep asking; draw anything else and it joins your hand and the turn passes.
4. Use the seat tags and the ask log: The bots only use what was said out loud: who asked for what, who handed what over, who went fishing. On Easy, each opponent's seat shows what they are known to have or lack; on Standard it shows the rank they last asked for; the menu keeps a full ask log. Expert gives you no hints at all.
5. Count the books and play again: When the last book is made the result screen reveals all 13 books one by one, then the placings, your hit rate and your longest ask streak. Play again for a fresh deal, replay the same deal, or copy the game link so a friend can try the exact same cards.

Rules & variants

Go Fish only cares about ranks — suits never matter. Collect all four cards of one rank and you have a book. A deck has 13 ranks, so a game always produces exactly 13 books.

Two rules govern every ask: you may only ask for a rank you already hold, and only ask a player who still has cards. A player who is asked must hand over every card of that rank, not just one. That is why every ask is information — the whole table now knows you hold at least one of that rank.

You keep the turn as long as you get what you asked for, either from the player or by fishing the exact rank from the pond. When your hand runs out you draw one card from the pond before asking; if the pond is empty too you are out and watch the others finish. This version ends when all 13 books are made rather than when someone runs out of cards, so the result is decided purely by books.

The three computer players never peek at your hand or the order of the pond. They remember who asked for what and who just received what, and when they ask you the speech bubble says why — for example “Because you asked for 9”. The level only changes how long they remember: Easy uses the last two asks, Standard the last four, Expert everything.

Common house rules: some families play with pairs instead of books of four, or stop as soon as the pond runs dry. This page uses the most common books-of-four rules and plays until all 13 books are made. Typical beginner mistakes are asking for a rank you don't hold, handing over only one card when asked, and forgetting what was just asked — a player who asked for 9s and missed still holds a 9.

Every game has a deal code (for example 4S-1K3F: four players, Standard level, seed 1K3F). Copy the game link from the menu and anyone who opens it gets the same cards and the same bot behaviour — ask the same questions and every step repeats exactly.

FAQ