Dreidel rules

Everyone starts with the same number of tokens. Since this is a Chanukah game, we’ll peg this number at eight.

Everyone gets a dreidel.

Before the first round, and each subsequent round, each player puts one of his tokens in the middle.

To start the game, everyone spins his dreidel at the same time.

Everyone whose dreidel landed on a shin must put one token in.

Everyone whose dreidel landed on nun does nothing.

Everyone whose dreidel landed on hei gets to take one token out. If there are fewer tokens in the middle than there are people who spun a hei, no one who spun a hei gets a token.

Everyone whose dreidel landed on gimel splits the remaining tokens evenly. If the number of tokens in the middle is not divisible by the number of people who spun a gimel, the remainder is left in the middle. For instance, if there are seven tokens in the middle and five players spin a gimel then every player should take one piece leaving two pieces in the middle. If there were seven tokens and 10 players spin a gimel, no one would take a token.

Everyone spins his dreidel again, repeating the above process.

A player is eliminated when he is forced to put a token in but has none left. The game continues until all but one player has been eliminated. If a situation arises when all remaining players would be forced to lose because they have no tokens left, that’s called a Menorah Mishpucha and everyone has to sing the Dreidel song in harmony. It also means they ignore that spin and keep spinning until there is a sole winner.