How to Play Dreidel

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By andipandi10
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The dreidel is a big part of the Hanukkah celebration.

“Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made it out of clay, and when it’s dry and ready, oh dreidel I will play.” If you celebrate Hanukkah, you are very familiar with this song. The dreidel is a big part of the Hanukkah celebration. The triangular spin top is marked on all four sides with the Hebrew letters Shin, Hey, Gimel and Nun, which stand for “A Miracle Happened There.” It references the story of the oil that was only supposed to last for one night lasting for eight, which is what is celebrated during Hanukkah.

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Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Dreidel
Hanukka Gelt (chocolate coins)

Step 1

Give each player 10 pieces of gelt.
Step 2

Each player places one coin into the pot.
Step 3

The first player spins the dreidel.
Step 4

The four symbols look like this:

• נ (Nun)
• ג (Gimel)
• ה (Hey)
• ש (Shin)
Step 5

If the dreidel lands on Nun, nothing happens.
Step 6

If the dreidel lands on Gimel, the player takes the whole pot.
Step 7

If the dreidel lands on Hey, the player takes half of the pot.
Step 8

If the dreidel lands on Shin, the player must place one coin in the pot.
Step 9

The rest of the players each take a turn spinning the dreidel and does the appropriate action depending on what letter the dreidel lands on.
Step 10

The game continues in order until only one person has all of the coins. This person is the winner of the game.