Dreidel: Game Guide

Originally posted on: Friday, September 16th, 2011

Are all those Yiddish words confusing you? Is Chaim talking to fast for your pace? Or maybe you're just a beginner? Well, I have a great guide on how to play the dreidel game in Whyville. Fear no more!

This game is simple. It's all about luck and chance.

Begin by having at least two players in the room. At least two people need to play. To play say "ante" when a new game begins. If others in the room don't want to play, come back another time.

When you say "ante" you are in the game and five clams are automatically deducted from your account. These clams are then put in the "pot". The amount of clams in the pot at this time will depend on how many people play. For example, if three people play, 15 clams are in the pot.

When it's your turn, Chaim will advise you to "spin" the dreidel. To spin it, simply say "spin". The dreidel will spin and randomly land on a symbol. These are Hey, Nun, Shin, and Gimmel. Confused yet? I was at first also. Don't worry, Chaim will tell you what it lands on.

If the dreidel lands on:

Nun: Nothing happens.
Shin: The player is deducted five clams, and then those clams are placed in the pot.
Hey: The player gets half of the clams in the pot. If the number of clams is odd, half of that is rounded up. Example: 15 clams, half=8 clams
Gimmel: You win! You rake in all the dough in the pot, and the game is over. You can play over and over as long as you have the clams to do it.

When a player lands on Gimmel, the game is over. Hey, you win some you lose some. (No pun intended.) It's all random, there's nothing you can do to increase your chances of winning.

I hope this helped you learned how to play the dreidel game, enjoy it before it's gone!