How to Play Dreidel
Get a dreidel., Gather friends., Ante up., Take turns spinning the dreidel., Pass the dreidel on to the next player. , Keep playing until someone wins by collecting all the tokens.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Get a dreidel.
The dreidel you will get will depend on where you live.
Outside of Israel, the four letters on the sides of the dreidel are Nun, Gimmel, Hay, and Shin, which stand for "A Great Miracle Happened There," referring to the miracle of the oil.
In Israel, where the miracle happened, the dreidel has the letters Nun, Gimmel, Hay, and Pey, which means "A Great Miracle Happened Here." -
Step 2: Gather friends.
You can play with as few as two, but the more the merrier! Distribute tokens evenly among all of the players.
The tokens can be any little thing: pennies, nuts, raisins, matchsticks, etc.
A lot of people use gelt. , Before each spin, players put one token in the middle of the circle to create "the pot." Every time the pot is emptied, or there's only one token left, every player should put a token in the pot. , When it's your turn, spin the dreidel once.
The letter which comes up once it stops spinning determines whether you win, lose, or draw.
According to the letter appearing, the player should perform the following action:
Shin ("shtel" or "put in" in Yiddish)
- Put one more token in the pot.
Nun ("nisht"or "nothing" (in Yiddish)
- Do nothing.
Gimmel ("gantz"or "everything" in Yiddish)
- Take all tokens from the pot.
Hay ("halb"or "half" in Yiddish)
- Take half of all tokens lying in the pot.
In case of an odd number of tokens, round up.
If you run out of tokens, you are either "out," or you may ask another player for a loan. ,, -
Step 3: Ante up.
-
Step 4: Take turns spinning the dreidel.
-
Step 5: Pass the dreidel on to the next player.
-
Step 6: Keep playing until someone wins by collecting all the tokens.
Detailed Guide
The dreidel you will get will depend on where you live.
Outside of Israel, the four letters on the sides of the dreidel are Nun, Gimmel, Hay, and Shin, which stand for "A Great Miracle Happened There," referring to the miracle of the oil.
In Israel, where the miracle happened, the dreidel has the letters Nun, Gimmel, Hay, and Pey, which means "A Great Miracle Happened Here."
You can play with as few as two, but the more the merrier! Distribute tokens evenly among all of the players.
The tokens can be any little thing: pennies, nuts, raisins, matchsticks, etc.
A lot of people use gelt. , Before each spin, players put one token in the middle of the circle to create "the pot." Every time the pot is emptied, or there's only one token left, every player should put a token in the pot. , When it's your turn, spin the dreidel once.
The letter which comes up once it stops spinning determines whether you win, lose, or draw.
According to the letter appearing, the player should perform the following action:
Shin ("shtel" or "put in" in Yiddish)
- Put one more token in the pot.
Nun ("nisht"or "nothing" (in Yiddish)
- Do nothing.
Gimmel ("gantz"or "everything" in Yiddish)
- Take all tokens from the pot.
Hay ("halb"or "half" in Yiddish)
- Take half of all tokens lying in the pot.
In case of an odd number of tokens, round up.
If you run out of tokens, you are either "out," or you may ask another player for a loan. ,,
About the Author
Jason Thompson
Brings years of experience writing about crafts and related subjects.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: