It’s Hanukkah season and here’s your dreidel game refresher in fabric and thread. There are lots of variations, but this is the classic version as I learned it.

Good luck!

Start the Game

At the start of each round all players put a chocolate coin into the center pot.

The first player spins the dreidel, and when the dreidel stops the letter that faces up determines how much the player wins or loses…

Nun – Player wins nothing, All the coins stay in the pot

Gimmel – Player wins the whole pot

Hey – Player wins half the pot, The rest of the pot stays for the next round

Shin – Player puts another coin into the pot

Variation in Israel: Instead of a Shin there’ll be a Pey

Means the same as Shin – Player puts another coin into the pot

Dreidel passes to the next player for the next round

To start the next round the player passes the dreidel to the next player and everyone puts another chocolate coin into the pot.

Happy Hanukkah!

Maria Bywater is the author of Sew Jewish available from Amazon.com and in PDF format from Etsy.