The four letters of a dreidel have a Yiddish origin which explains how the dreidel game is played. To start the game everyone makes a uniform ante, such as a penny or a nickel. The ante is the pot or the winnings available to the players. One person begins by spinning the dreidel. Depending on which side the dreidel stops, the player that spun must respect the following rules.

1) Nun = Nichts, or nothing: The person that spun receives none of the pot.

2) Giml = Ganz, or the whole thing: The person that spun wins everything. Everyone must ante again to continue playing.

3) Heh = Halb, or ½: The person that spun gets half of the pot. No new ante.

4) Shin = Shtel, or put: The person that spun must add an amount equal to the ante to the pot.
The game continues until one person wins all!!