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Online Dreidel Game: The Rules and a Guide
A Hanukkah dreidel game with the Israeli letters, a great miracle happened here. The rules, what each letter means, and play against the computer or as a family on one device.
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🎯 How to play
- Pick a mode: against the computer (the cat, the owl and the teddy bear) or a family game on one device.
- Pick how many players: 2, 3 or 4.
- Every player starts with 10 chocolate coins and puts one in the pot.
- On your turn tap Spin the dreidel. Nun - nothing happens, Gimel - take the whole pot, Hey - take half, Pey - add a coin.
- When the pot is empty, every player puts in a coin. A player who has to pay and has no coins is out.
- After 8 rounds, one for each night of Hanukkah, whoever has the most coins wins.
The most Hanukkah game there is
The dreidel is one of the oldest Hanukkah games. The whole family sits around the table, takes turns spinning, and waits to see which letter it lands on. In this game the dreidel spins on the screen, the pot counts itself, and nobody has to remember what each letter means.
What each letter means
The dreidel has four letters, the initials of “Nes Gadol Haya Po” - a great miracle happened here:
| Letter | Word | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Nun (נ) | Nes - miracle | nothing happens |
| Gimel (ג) | Gadol - great | take the whole pot |
| Hey (ה) | Haya - happened | take half the pot (rounded up) |
| Pey (פ) | Po - here | add a coin to the pot |
Outside Israel the fourth letter is Shin, “a great miracle happened there”. In the Land of Israel, where the miracle happened, it is Pey.
Two ways to play
- Against the computer: play the cat, the owl and the teddy bear. They spin on their own, and all you do is spin on your turn.
- Family game: 2 to 4 players on the same device. The game shows whose turn it is, and you pass the phone around, just like a real dreidel on the table.
The rules
Every player starts with 10 chocolate coins and puts one in the pot. When the pot empties, for example after a Gimel, everyone puts in a new coin. A player is out only when they have to pay and cannot. The game lasts 8 rounds, one for each night of Hanukkah, and whoever has the most coins at the end wins.
Against the computer, the coins you keep at the end turn into stars on the site.
Holiday ideas
- A real dreidel too: play on the screen and spin a real dreidel at the same time, and see who guesses right.
- Real coins: the winner of the family game gets a real chocolate coin.
More Hanukkah games
Light the Hanukkiah to learn the lighting order, Catch the Doughnuts for quick fun, and the Hanukkah Word Search for the words of the holiday.
🧠 Test Yourself
Answer all three questions correctly to earn 100 stars!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the dreidel say Pey and not Shin?
The letters stand for "Nes Gadol Haya Po" - a great miracle happened here. In the Land of Israel, where the miracle happened, the dreidel has Pey. Outside Israel it has Shin, "Nes Gadol Haya Sham" - a great miracle happened there. This is an Israeli site, so the game uses Pey.
What happens on Hey when the pot is odd?
You take half, rounded up. With 5 coins in the pot, you take 3.
When is a player out?
Only when they have to put in a coin, on Pey or when the pot empties, and have none. A player with no coins can still win the pot with a Gimel before anyone asks them to pay.
How does the whole family play?
Pick Family game and the number of players, and pass the phone or tablet around. The game shows whose turn it is.