How to Play Dreidel

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Dreidel is a spinning-top game for two to six players built around a four-sided top marked with four Hebrew letters: Nun, Gimel, Hey, and Shin. Each spin determines whether a player wins tokens from the pot, adds to it, or simply passes the top on. The game is fast to learn, runs on luck, and suits mixed ages well.

Its appeal lies in the repeated swings of fortune: a single Gimel spin can turn the game on its head, and pots refill whenever they run low, keeping everyone in until one player finally cleans up. It is traditionally played during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, often with chocolate coins or small sweets standing in for tokens.

A little history

The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top associated with Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. Its origins as a children's game are unclear, and scholarly opinion varies on exactly how and when the Hebrew-letter version became linked to Hanukkah observance. What is widely documented is that similar four-sided spinning tops, sometimes called teetotums, were common across Europe for centuries and were used in various gambling and parlour games. The specific Hanukkah tradition of playing dreidel with coins or sweets is well attested in Ashkenazi Jewish communities from the nineteenth century onward, and the game has been played in that context ever since.

Setting up

1. Seat all players around a flat surface with the pot (an empty central space) accessible to everyone.
2. Distribute an equal number of tokens to each player. Ten to fifteen tokens each is a workable starting amount.
3. Each player antes one token into the central pot before the first round begins.
4. Decide who spins first. The youngest player going first is a common choice, or simply roll a die.

How to play

1. At the start of each round, every player must have at least one token. If a player is down to zero tokens, they are out of the game unless the group agrees to stake them one token to continue.
2. The active player spins the dreidel and waits for it to fall. The letter facing upward determines the outcome.
3. Nun (no action): The spinner does nothing. Pass the dreidel to the left.
4. Gimel (take all): The spinner takes the entire contents of the pot. Every player, including the spinner, must then ante one token into the pot before play continues.
5. Hey (take half): The spinner takes half the tokens in the pot, rounding up if the pot holds an odd number. Pass the dreidel to the left.
6. Shin (add one): The spinner places one token from their own supply into the pot. Pass the dreidel to the left.
7. After the result is resolved, the dreidel passes clockwise to the next player, who antes nothing additional unless the pot was emptied by a Gimel spin.
8. Whenever the pot is empty or holds only one token, every player antes one token before the next spin.
9. Play continues until one player holds all the tokens or until the group agrees a time limit has been reached, in which case the player with the most tokens wins.

Winning and scoring

The winner is the player who collects every token in play, leaving all other players with nothing. In practice, games with larger groups can run long; it is perfectly acceptable to agree before starting that the player holding the most tokens after a set number of rounds or a fixed time limit wins. There is no standard points system beyond token count.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns the Gimel re-ante. The standard ruling is clear: when a Gimel empties the pot, all players including the winner put one token back in before the next spin. If a player cannot ante because they have no tokens, they are eliminated at that point unless the house rules permit a one-time stake. Agree on this before play begins to avoid arguments mid-game.

A second frequent disagreement is over Hey when the pot holds a single token. Rounding up means the spinner takes it. Some groups play that a one-token pot stays until the next ante refreshes it; this is a legitimate variation but it should be decided in advance. If the dreidel falls on its handle or leans against something without toppling, the spin does not count and the player spins again.

How to win more often

• Protect your stack early. Avoid house rules that let eliminated players back in for free; it dilutes the advantage you build through careful play.
• Pay attention to pot size before you spin. A large pot makes a Gimel transformative; a small pot barely matters. If you are in the lead, a modest pot size limits your exposure on a Shin spin.
• With young or inexperienced players, start with fewer tokens (six to eight each) so rounds resolve quickly and nobody waits too long between turns.
• Because the outcome is entirely luck-driven, your real strategic lever is agreeing on game length before you start. A timed game favours the player who runs hot early; an all-or-nothing game rewards patience and survival.

Variations

Shin Pays Two

In this common variant, landing on Shin requires the spinner to add two tokens to the pot rather than one. This speeds up pot growth considerably and makes the Shin result genuinely costly, increasing tension around high-stakes spins.

Timed Tournament

Set a timer for a fixed period, typically fifteen or twenty minutes. When it rings, the player holding the most tokens wins. This works well for groups with young children or when playing alongside other Hanukkah activities, since it guarantees a result and keeps things moving.

Team Dreidel

With six players, split into two teams of three. Each team pools its tokens into one shared supply and players take turns spinning on behalf of their team. The team that bankrupts the other wins. This variant suits players who find head-to-head elimination discouraging.

Pot Cap

Agree on a maximum number of tokens that can sit in the pot at once. Any ante beyond the cap is returned to the player. This prevents the pot from ballooning after multiple Shin and Nun runs and keeps individual spins from being wildly lopsided, which younger players often prefer.

Dreidel: frequently asked questions