Everyone puts one piece of gelt in the pot, then you take turns spinning. Nun means nothing happens. Gimel means you take the whole pot. Hey means you take half. Shin means you put one piece in. When the pot is empty, everyone adds a piece. If you have to pay and can't, you're out. The last player with gelt wins.
Dreidel is about as simple as games get. There's no strategy, no reading, and no math beyond splitting a pile in half. A four-year-old can play it with a grandparent, which is a big part of why it has lasted.
What you need
- A dreidel. Any four-sided dreidel with the Hebrew letters on it. Plastic, wood, clay, it doesn't matter.
- Something to play with. Chocolate gelt is the classic. Nuts, raisins, pretzels, small candies or buttons all work too. Plan on about 10 pieces per player. More on that in how much gelt you need.
- Two or more players. Three to six is the sweet spot. See how many players can play.
- A hard, flat surface. A bare table or floor. A tablecloth or carpet kills the spin.
Setting up
- Give every player the same number of pieces. Ten each is standard.
- Everyone puts one piece in the middle. That pile is the pot.
- Pick who goes first. Youngest player is a nice tradition. Then go around the circle.
Taking a turn
On your turn, spin the dreidel by its handle and let it fall. The letter facing up when it stops tells you what to do.
| Letter | Name | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| נ | Nun | Nothing. Your turn is over. |
| ג | Gimel | Take everything in the pot. |
| ה | Hey | Take half the pot. Odd number? Round up. |
| ש | Shin | Put one piece into the pot. |
If your dreidel was made in Israel, it has a Peh (פ) where the Shin would be. Peh plays exactly like Shin.
When the pot is empty
A Gimel empties the pot. So can a Hey when there's only one piece left. Before the next spin, every player still in the game adds one piece to start the pot again.
Running out of gelt
Having zero pieces doesn't knock you out. You're only out when the game asks you to pay and you can't, which means landing on Shin or being asked to refill the pot with nothing left. Until that happens you're still spinning, and one lucky Gimel can put you right back in it.
Who wins
The last player with gelt wins. In practice a lot of games end earlier than that, because dreidel can run long. Which brings us to house rules.
House rules worth knowing
Every family plays a little differently. Agree on these before the first spin and you'll skip the arguments later.
- Rounding on Hey. Most people round up, so a pot of 7 pays 4. Some round down. Rounding up is what our online game uses.
- Everyone antes each round. After everyone has had a turn, each player adds one piece to the pot. This keeps the pot fat and speeds things up a lot. In our simulations, a two-player game with 10 pieces each drops from about 137 spins to about 46.
- Play to a time limit. Set a timer for 20 minutes, or play until the Hanukkah candles burn down. Whoever has the most gelt when time's up wins. Honestly, this is how most real games end.
- Shin costs more. Some families make Shin cost 2 or 3 pieces. It drains players faster and shortens the game.
- Bad spins don't count. If the dreidel flies off the table, leans against something, or barely turns before falling over, spin again.
- The eating rule. Decide up front whether players can eat their gelt mid-game. Whatever you eat is out of play, and nobody gets a refund.
Printable rules card
Print this and keep it with your dreidel. Two cards per page.
Quick answers
What if the dreidel lands on its handle or point?
That's not a result. Spin again.
Does it matter who spins first?
Barely. Going first gives a tiny edge, and we ran the numbers on our luck and odds page.
What if someone runs out of chocolate because they ate it?
Then they've learned a valuable lesson about delayed gratification. They're playing with whatever they have left.
Updated October 2026