A website for playing the 6-player game 'Fish' online.
Visit the website at fishonline.herokuapp.com
Rules to Fish (also called Canadian Fish and Literature):
Overview: Number of players: 6
Duration: 20-40 minutes
Cards used: 54 cards (normal deck with 2 different jokers, red and black)
Skills: Strategy, Memory, Luck
Setup: The 6 players divide into two teams of 3 and sit around a table in such a way, that no two teammates are next to each other. The 54 cards are dealt out between the players, 9 to each player. One person is randomly selected to go first.
Halfsuits: In many games, the deck of cards is divided into 4 suits. In fish, there are 9 of them, and they are instead called halfsuits. The halfsuits are as follows:
Low Spades: 2 through 7 of Spades Low Hearts: 2 through 7 of Hearts Low Clubs: 2 through 7 of Clubs Low Diamonds: 2 through 7 of Diamonds Eights: All 8s and the two jokers High Spades: 9 through A of Spades High Hearts: 9 through A of Hearts High Clubs: 9 through A of Clubs High Diamonds: 9 through A of Diamonds Each halfsuit has exactly 6 cards. Knowing the halfsuits well is crucial for the game.
The Dynamic: Players take turns asking for cards from other players. On your turn, you can ask any player on the enemy team for a card. You cannot ask your own teammates. However, there is an important rule that is often forgotten: you can only ask for a card if you have a card in the same halfsuit as that card (for example, if you have the 2 of Spades, you can ask for the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 of Spades). You may ask for a card you already have to trick the other team. If the person asked has the card, you take the card and you ask again (doesn't have to be the same player). If the person asked doesn't have the card, it is now their turn to ask.
Declaring: At any point in time, if you think a halfsuit is entirely within your team and you know who has what card, you can declare it by saying "I declare". Then you must say the name of the halfsuit you are declaring. Then you list off which of your teammates has what card in that halfsuit (for example, "I declare the high Hearts. I have the 9 of hearts, Phil has the 10, J, and K of hearts, and Lukas has the Q and A of hearts"). If you are correct, this declaration is successful, and you win the halfsuit. If you are incorrect in anything (even if the halfsuit is within your team), the declaration is unsuccessful, and the other team wins the halfsuit. In either case, all cards from this halfsuit are discarded from the game. Winning a halfsuit is like 'scoring a goal' in fish. After a declaration, the game continues on the player whose turn it was before the declaration.
Winning the Game: When a team wins a fifth halfsuit, they win the game. Usually the game is continued until all 9 halfsuits are won to see how bad the loser loses (losing 9-0 is a lot worse than losing 5-4).
Additional rules: At any point in time, any player has the right to ask to be reminded of the last two moves. No more than two, though. Generally, there should be no talking about the game during the game. No form of communication between teammates is allowed. If it is a players turn and they do not have any cards, the turn is passed on to the next teammate to the left. If a team has no cards, the other team must declare all of the halfsuits left within them. If a team violates a rule (communicates, asks for a card theycant ask for, lies about having a card, etc.), the halfsuit associated with that play is won by the enemy team. How to Use this Website: This website allows you and your friends to play fish online.
There are some things you should know before using this website:
When asking for cards, card abbreviations are used. The value of the card is followed by the first letter of the suit of the card . So King of Hearts is abbreviated as 'KH'. The red and black jokers are 'XR' and 'XB' respectively. The options when asking for a card are already limited to only the cards you can ask for to reduce mistakes. Use the select bar at the bottom to declare. Select a halfuit first. Then select who has each card. The last two moves are automatically shown in the 'past moves' section. It is better to play fish online with a voice chat or a group call to be more fun. If someone leaves the game during the game, a spectator will take the persons spot. If there are no spectators, the game will be restarted. It is incredibly easy to cheat in online fish simply by writing down past moves or texting a teammate, so it is recommended to play with people you trust.