Q&A for How to Play Go Fish

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

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.

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.

Yes, you can ask for a card that isn't in your hand. It won't help you, but it gets rid of one of the other person's cards if that's what you're trying to do.

The ace is used like any other card, If you don't have a ace and the other person says "do you have an ace" you would say go fish and vice versa for if you do have a ace.

No, you do not have to show all your cards. However, if asked for a specific card you possess, you must present it. You can't hold any cards back.

If you have no cards left, you might draw the same number of cards as the initial deal to continue playing. However, consider if there will be enough cards remaining in the deck for other players to draw after you take your replacement cards. If you need to, shuffle your matched cards and place them underneath the current pond pile and continue to play.

You only draw one card from the pile when you go fish. You do not continue drawing until you find the card you requested.

Yes, you must have the card you are asking for in your hand. You need to make a match with a card you already possess, and if you do not have a matching card, you cannot ask for it.

If you have successfully formed and laid down all your pairs, then having no cards left means you have completed your objective and will have won the game.

The rule for this situation often depends on how you and the other players decide. Some groups permit the turn to continue, while others are stricter.

If fewer than 4 people are playing, each person gets 7 cards. If more than 4 are playing, each person gets 5 cards.

Yes, if the other player has the card you asked for, they must give it to you.

As long as that card has not been placed down in a pair, yes, you can ask for it back.

That depends on who you ask! Most players just draw one card when they run out.

You can ask anyone for a card, except for yourself, because that would waste your turn.

You should hold the card until you get the fourth. In matching pairs, you only declare or lay down a set once you have all four cards of that rank.

Yes! One of the best things about Go Fish is that it works with a group of any size. Whether you have one friend or thirty, it's a simple and fun game that everyone can play.

Yes. There is no limit to the amount of cards you can have (especially if you have a large deck!).

You can play with just 3 cards but the game-play is going to be a little bit different.

No, you may only ask one player for a card at a time. You must wait for your next turn to ask a different person.

No. If the other person had three cards when they asked for it, then they would get a full group. Until everybody has no cards and there are no more cards in the deck, then the person with the most groups wins.

Unfortunately, they have to match.

Yes, those are the traditional rules. The basic rule is that if you end up with the card you asked for, you keep playing, and if you don't, you end your turn.

Traditionally, yes, but you would still have to end your turn because you picked up a card you didn't ask for.

No, you never discard in Go Fish—there's no limit to the size of your hand, which means you might end up with a lot of cards at some point.