No Limit Texas Dreidel Tournament Style

Tournament Style One

Requires two playing tables and two No Limit Texas Dreidel Deluxe Editions for 8 players each.  Play the Advanced Game with two hole spins.


(1) Have two tables available for people to play No Limit Texas Dreidel with a "Facilitator" at each table teaching people and announcing the "play"  (acting in the role of the dealer at a poker table). Up to eight people can play at a table at a time.

(2) After people have learned the game, have them sign up to play in the Tournament -- offer a prize for winner and second place.

(3) How many people sign up will determine how many tournament rounds there will be. There shouldn't be more than eight players at a table at a time.  So if eight or fewer sign up for the tournament, there will be one round.  If twelve sign up, there should be two rounds of six players each.  If 50 sign up, there would be seven rounds (six with seven players and one with eight players) etc. etc..

(4) The successive rounds are played and the winner (or winner and runner up, if there are only a few rounds) play at the Championship Table.  This game is played to its finale to determine the winner and runner up.

Tournament Style Two

This style is more structured and requires a seat for each guest and a NLTD set (shaker and two small dreidels) for each guest.

Jeremy Monat of Washington DC's Young Professionals' Kesher came up with these No Limit Texas Dreidel Tournament plans.  They had 50 people play NLTD at once!  Thanks for sharing Jeremy.  They played the Advanced Game with two hole spins.
  1. At party entrance: All entrants receive a ticket assigning them a table number; entrants' names are posted on a board under their table number. Ideally 4-6 people are assigned to a table. One person at each table is the Facilitator, who has played the game before.
  2. The hour before the First Round: At the practice table, NLTD Master trains table Facilitators on how to run a table (by having them direct people how to play). Others are encouraged to come play to practice for the tournament.
  3. 20 minutes before First Round: Organizers distribute shakers, dreidels, and gelt to tables knowing how many people will be at each table.
  4. 5 minutes before First Round: Announcement made to start finding tables. Organizers redistribute NLTD pieces to tables as necessary.
  5. Start of First Round: A 15 minute round begins. The first hand is played open, with the facilitator explaining what each player might do; gelt is re-distributed to players in original counts. Then in the remaining time (about 10 minutes), hands are played (rotating the spinner around the table) until time is up; tables finish the hand they're on when time is called.
  6. End of First Round: Each table facilitator fills out report, listing top two finishers and their gelt count (gold = 2, silver = 1).
  7. Between rounds: NLTD Master fills Championship Table of 8 by taking winner at each table, then enough runners-up (by highest gelt count) to fill Championship Table.
  8. NLTD Master announces who will advance to championship round.
  9. Beginning of Championship Round: Eight players sit at championship table and begin 15 minute round. Table finishes the hand it's on when time is called.
  10. End of Championship Round: Players total their gelt. Winner gets $50 ModernTribe.com gift certificate, runner-up gets $25 one.