How to play
Go Fish is the first card game most of us ever learn, and it still works: short turns, a bit of memory and a lot of “Go fish!”. This version is for two players, against the computer or a friend sharing the same phone.
Pick Computer or Friend in the menu. In friend mode the screen hides the cards and asks you to pass the device when the turn changes. Then choose how many games a match needs: 1, 3 or 5. Most people play single games.
Each player gets seven cards from a standard 52-card deck. The rest is the pool, face down in the middle.
On your turn, tap a card in your hand. That asks your opponent for every card of that rank: “Sevens?” You can only ask for a rank you already hold.
- If they have any, they must hand over all of them, and you ask again.
- If they have none, it’s Go fish: you draw one card from the pool. If the card you draw is the rank you asked for, you show it and ask again. Otherwise the turn passes.
Whenever you hold all four cards of a rank, that book is laid down in front of you automatically. If your hand runs out, you draw one card from the pool. The game ends when all 13 books are made (or the pool is empty and a hand runs dry). The player with more books wins; six each is a draw.
What everyone knows. Every question is heard by both players. When your opponent asks for Kings and doesn’t get them, they still hold a King. The game remembers this for you: the “Holds” chips above the opponent show the ranks they are known to have, and matching cards in your hand glow green. Those are sure catches. The chip disappears when they hand the cards over or complete the book.
Strategy
Ask for what they asked for. The strongest move in Go Fish is memory. If the opponent asked for Nines and you hold a Nine, ask for Nines: you get theirs for certain and keep your turn.
Ask for your pairs and triples. A rank you hold three of needs only one more card, and any card you take brings you closer to a book. A rank you hold once is a long shot.
Give nothing away for free. Every question tells the opponent what you hold. If you have a choice between a sure catch and a fishing expedition, take the sure catch first, then fish with the rank that reveals the least.
Watch the pool. When the pool runs low, the cards you need are either in the opponent’s hand or already in books. Count the books on the table before asking for a rank that can no longer be completed.
If you enjoy Go Fish, try Golf Solitaire or King next.
