How to Play Dreidel
A dreidel is a four-sided top. The Hebrew letters nun,
gimel, hay, and shin are inscribed on the four sides. They
are the first letters of the words "Nes gadol hayah sham"
which means "A great miracle happened there." They look
like this:
In Israel, dreidels are inscribed nun, gimel, hay, pay for
"Nes gadol hayah poh" meaning "A great miracle happened
here."
To play dreidel, one dreidel is needed along with a large
quantity of small items such as pennies, raisins, or
hazelnuts. Alternatively, each player may use his/her own
dreidel. Each player is given an equal quantity of
pennies, raisins, or nuts. Players sit around a table or
in a circle on the floor. Each player antes in with 2.
Players take turn spinning the dreidel and follow the
rules below depending upon how the dreidel lands when it
stops spinning.
If your dreidel
lands on nun, you forfeit your turn and the next player spins.
If your
dreidel lands on gimel, you win all the pieces in the pot,
and all the players ante-up again.
If your dreidel
lands on hay, you collect half the pieces in the pot. (If there are an
odd number of pieces, the players decide among themselves what the
convention will be for their game.)
If your
dreidel lands on shin, you put one more piece into the
pot.