Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel
Dreidel, Dreidel is a fun game to play with the kids. I was so proud of my little guy when he asked to see the dreidel on our windowsill. He then started spinning it and telling me what each symbol meant. When I asked him where he learned this, he told me at school – so proud!
Here is how you play:
WHAT YOU NEED:
- 1 Dreidel
- 2 or more players
- The “Ante”—nuts, pennies, nickels, chocolate coins, nuts, or just about anything else…
- Flat Surface for dreidel spinning
DIRECTIONS:
- All players sit around the playing area.
- The “ante” is equally divided amongst all players.
- Everyone takes a turn at spinning the dreidel; the one with the highest spin has the first turn. (Nun is highest, then gimmel, hey, and shin.) If there is a tie for highest, those who tied spin again.
- Everyone puts one unit of the ante (penny, nut, etc.) into the pot.
- The one who has first turn is followed in a clockwise direction by all the others.
If the dreidel lands on a …
Nun stands for the Yiddish wordnul, which means zero, nothing, nil. That is what you basically do – next spinner, please!
If however, your dreidel landed on a…
Gimmel stands for gantz, which means whole. Everyone, including you, now puts another unit of the ante into the pot, and the person to your left tries his luck at spinning.
Sometimes your dreidel will land on a…
Hey stands for halb, half. The pot has now been diminished, and it’s time for the player to your left to take a stab at riches.
But don’t complain. The dreidel could have landed on a…
Shin is for shenk; yes, that means give. Your hope now is that the pot will still be around next time it is your turn to spin. Maybe then you’ll get a gimmel and recoup your losses…
