When I was growing up we played a version of go fish where each kid, or player, was searching for pairs.  “Do you have a king?”  and if they did, we would place out pair down, and get to go again.  Each query of an opponent would be met with a dang nab it or a go fish.

The other night my opponent and I couldn’t quite remember the exact rules.  We were questioning if the goal was to collect as many tricks or groups or to get rid of your cards first.  Well, the jury is still out on that one, we have found examples of both rules.

So, there are a various ways to play, but you need a way to deal, a way to make tricks or groups, set up the fishpond and a way to tell who wins.
 

The Deal #1
Deal out all the cards to the number of players you have plus one.  The extra hand will be come the fishpond.

The Pond.
Most examples stated to leave the pond as a stack of cards in the middle of the players.  We say ha and bahh to that.  We suggest messing up the cards on the floor and letting the players have a good stir of the cards.

There are several version of how to ask for a card

The query #1
Give me a jack.  Since this would be if you were playing with pairs, then you would only have one jack in your hand at a time.  If you had a pair, you would have laid it down already.

The query #2
Give me all your Jacks.  This is when you are making a set of 4 cards.  

The query #3
Give me your Jack of Diamonds.  This is also when you are trying to make sets of 4 cards.

The winner version one:
The first player to get rid of all of their cards wins. 

The winner version two:
The player to collect the most tricks or groups of cards wins.

In both win scenarios, it is possible for a tie.  And that’s OK.

Our Game:
Our favorite version is when you deal out an extra hand and then mess up that hand all over the table or floor and call it the fishpond.  Then you ask a player for a specific card while trying to make groups of four cards.  If you guess that the person is holding the correct card, then you get to go again.  The players to get rid of their cards first win.