Tweet
The game
The dreydel is a four sided top. On each side is a Hebrew letter - Nun, gimel, Hai, Shin (in Israel the letter Pey is substituted for Shin, for reasons that will be explained later)
The game is a gambling game and may be played for money, or, more commonly, for chocolate coins called "gelt"
The pot is established. It may be done by ante of 2 or more coins, or simply by pouring out gelt from a bag.
Players spin in turn. A spin of gimmel results in the player taking the entire pot (G = get, gimmel = Ganz, all)
A spin of hay results in taking half the pot (h-half, Hey= Halb, half) A spin of nun and nothing happens (n-nothing, nun = nisht, nothing) A spin of Shin and the player puts in one or two coins.
In some variations a diminished pot is replenished by further ante, in others by replenishment from a bag of chocolate coins.
The dreydel is a four sided top. On each side is a Hebrew letter - Nun, gimel, Hai, Shin (in Israel the letter Pey is substituted for Shin, for reasons that will be explained later)
The game is a gambling game and may be played for money, or, more commonly, for chocolate coins called "gelt"
The pot is established. It may be done by ante of 2 or more coins, or simply by pouring out gelt from a bag.
Players spin in turn. A spin of gimmel results in the player taking the entire pot (G = get, gimmel = Ganz, all)
A spin of hay results in taking half the pot (h-half, Hey= Halb, half) A spin of nun and nothing happens (n-nothing, nun = nisht, nothing) A spin of Shin and the player puts in one or two coins.
In some variations a diminished pot is replenished by further ante, in others by replenishment from a bag of chocolate coins.
Comment