General Overview:

Number of players (2-6) 

Ages 3+ 

Time: 5-20 minutes 

Game play: 

 Set Up: Deal out cards (See amounts below). Place the remaining cards in the center of the table. Flip over the top card and sit it face up next to the deck (this is the discard pile).  

 Cards Dealt: 

 2-4 Players: 7 cards  

5-6 Players: 5 cards 

 Play starts with the youngest player first and then goes in a clockwise format.  

 On a players turn, they have 4 different things they can do (but can only do one per turn):  

·        Play one set of matching fish cards (as many as they have) down in front of them 

·        Play a matching fish card on someone else’s pile 

·        Play one of their cards whose suit (circle, triangle, heart, square) color matches the suit color on the top discard pile 

·        Play one of their cards whose fish matches the fish on the top of the discard pile 

If the player cannot do any of those things they need to take one card off the top of the “draw” pile. If the player can play it immediately, they are allowed to do so. If not, the player who sits to their left takes their turn – this will continue in a clockwise direction.  

When a player only has one card remaining they need to call out “dead fish” to warn the opponents they are about to go out. If the player fails to do so after they have taken their turn, they will be penalized by have to draw 2 cards from the draw pile.  

Game Type: Quick Play (5 minutes)

 Objective: Be the first person to play all of their cards 

Game type: Classic (15-20 minutes)

Objective: Be the first player to have their 3 dead fish score cards flipped over (from the sick side to the happy side).

Once a player plays their last card, the round is over. That player now takes one of their dead fish cards and flips it over and keeps it in front of them.  Play resumes by shuffling and dealing all the cards (the person who goes out in the previous round deals). Play starts with the person directly to the left of who went out in the last round. Play continues until someone has won 3 rounds (flipped 3 cards over).  

Game type: Elimination (15-20 minutes)

Objective: Be the last player standing.

Play starts and is continued until a player plays all their cards. Once they are out of the cards they “make it to the next round”. Play continues until all the players except one have played all their cards. The player (only one) that is not able to play all their cards is eliminated. The next round is played (minus the player eliminated) the same way until another player is eliminated. Play continues until there are two players left. Whoever goes out first between those two wins.