Machhli Pakdo is Go Fish, desi style. You ask a friend 'Rohit, Badshah hai?'. If he has any, he hands them all over. If not, he says 'Machhli pakdo!' and you draw from the talaab (the pond). Collect all four cards of a rank to make a book, and the most books wins.
It's a gentle, chatty game that kids pick up fast and adults somehow get very serious about. This page has the Go Fish rules exactly as Mandli plays them, plus scoring, tips and common home variants.
Mandli is points only. There's no money, betting or coins anywhere in the app.
Kya chahiye: Just phones. The app deals, runs the talaab and lays your books down.
Rules: kaise khelte hain
The deal
One 52-card deck. With 3 players, everyone gets 7 cards. With 4 to 6 players, everyone gets 5. The rest go face down in the middle as the talaab. If anyone is dealt four of a kind, it goes down as a book straight away.
Asking for a rank
On your turn, pick one player who still has cards and ask for one rank that you already hold. You can't ask for a rank you don't have, and you can't ask yourself.
If they have any cards of that rank, they must give you all of them, and you ask again (anyone, any rank you hold). You get 20 seconds to ask; if time runs out, Mandli asks the next player with cards for your lowest rank.
Machhli pakdo!
If the player has none, they say 'Machhli pakdo!' and you tap the talaab to draw one card (10 seconds, or it draws for you).
- If you draw the rank you asked for, you show it ('Pakdi!') and ask again.
- Otherwise your turn ends and play moves to the left.
- If the talaab is already empty, your turn just passes.
Books
The moment you hold all four cards of a rank, they go down in front of you as a book. In Mandli each book turns into a little fish on your line. There are 13 books in the deck.
Running out of cards
If your hand empties, you draw 5 cards from the talaab (or whatever is left) when your turn comes, and carry on. If the talaab is empty too, you are out for the rest of the round.
What everyone knows
Asks are public, like at a real table: 'Rohit ne Neha se Badshah maange, 2 mile'. Everyone sees the rank and how many cards moved, never the suits. A card you draw stays private unless it is the rank you asked for. The round ends when all 13 books are down.
Points kaise milte hain
Each book is worth 5 points. The player with the most books gets 15 extra; if players tie for most, each of them gets the 15. Every 'Pakdi!', drawing the exact rank you asked for, adds 1 point. Points carry into the room's running total across games.
Jeetne ke tips
- Listen to every ask. If Priya asked for Rani, she has at least one Rani, and you can ask her for it later.
- Ask for ranks where you hold two or three cards; one good ask can finish a book.
- After you give cards away, others know you no longer have that rank, so they won't waste asks on you.
- Keep asking the same player while it works. A lucky streak can take three or four books in one turn.
- With 3 players the hands are bigger, so early asks are more likely to hit.
Ghar wale rules aur variants
In some homes the player only has to give one card of the asked rank, not all of them. In Mandli they always give every card of that rank.
Some kids' versions collect pairs instead of four of a kind. Mandli uses books of four.
Some rules end your turn after any draw, even a lucky one. In Mandli, drawing the rank you asked for gives you another ask.
Machhli Pakdo online kaise khelein
Make a room in Mandli and send the link on WhatsApp, or show the QR code if you are sitting together. Friends without the app can join from the browser link with a name and a colour. In Saath mode everyone sits together and asks out loud; in Door mode you play from different homes with the voice chat built into the game (mic and speaker buttons, nothing recorded). Up to 6 play at the table and the rest of the room watches counts, books and the ask log, never a hand. After a round, the player with the fewest books makes room for someone waiting. If a player leaves, a bot keeps their seat going.
Sawaal jawaab
What are the rules of Go Fish?
Deal 5 or 7 cards each and put the rest in the middle. On your turn, ask a player for a rank you hold. If they have it, they give you all of it and you go again. If not, you draw one (go fish). Four of a rank make a book, and most books wins.
How many cards do you deal in Go Fish?
In Mandli, 7 each with 3 players, and 5 each with 4 to 6 players.
What happens if you draw the card you asked for?
You show it and get another turn to ask. In Mandli that's called 'Pakdi!' and it is worth 1 point.
What is Machhli Pakdo?
It's the Hindi name we use for Go Fish. 'Machhli pakdo' means 'catch a fish', which is what you say when you don't have the card someone asked for.
Can I play Go Fish online with friends?
Yes. Mandli is free with no ads and no login, 3 to 6 people can play a table, and it is points only.