A game for 2 or more players

Dreidel is a traditional game of chance. The dreidel is a four-sided top with a different Hebrew letter on each side. The game dates back at least to the time when the Greek King Antiochus IV had outlawed Jewish worship (175 BCE). Jews who gathered to study the Torah would play dreidel to fool soldiers into thinking they were just gambling. Now, it’s usually played to see who can win the most gelt (chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil). Let’s learn how to play!

Step 1

Grab some tokens and distribute them evenly among all of the players. The tokens can be any little thing: pennies, nuts, raisins, toothpicks, etc. A lot of people use gelt. Players should have around 6-12 tokens, and sit in a circle.

Step 2

Before each spin of the dreidel, 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.

Step 3

Take turns spinning the dreidel. The letter that comes up once it stops spinning determines whether you win, lose, or draw. See the symbol chart below. If you run out of tokens, you are either “out,” or you may ask another player for a loan.

Step 4

Pass the dreidel on to the next player, and keep playing until someone wins by collecting all the tokens. Now you know how to play Dreidel, so have some fun with this great holiday tradition!