I love collaborative projects. I apologize for the length of this post, but I aim to provide insight into my unique holiday party. People will cross state lines for this party. For those specifically interested in the chip designs, you might want to skip ahead.
Hanukkah History Brief:
Hanukkah celebrates the Israelites' victory over foreign occupation and their reclaiming of the temple. The menorah, emblematic of God's creation and the divine guidance leading the Israelites out of Egypt, was traditionally kept lit continuously. Upon reclaiming their temple, they found only enough oil to light the menorah for a single day. Despite this, they lit the menorah, and miraculously, the limited supply of oil lasted for eight days, the time needed to secure more oil. This remarkable event is the cornerstone of our celebration.
The Party:
For the past 20 years, I've been hosting a Hanukkah party that has grown from a simple gathering to the elaborate event it is today. Attendees are encouraged to bring their menorahs, and the event starts with "Menorah Roulette."
After everyone has placed their Roulette bets, the evening progresses with the lighting of the menorahs and the Hanukkah story being read to the children. Afterward, the younger children are taken upstairs by babysitters, marking the beginning of the games. These continue until the last menorah candle burns out, approximately an hour later, which signals the start of the live auction.
During the auction, guests use the money they've won from the games to bid on various gifts my wife and I have purchased, ranging from experiences and subscriptions to things like electronics and games, totaling around $1000.
The Games:
Our games are designed to be enjoyable and rewarding, encouraging guests to earn money for the auction rather than lose it.
Upon arrival, adults receive a gift bag containing chocolate gelt, a dreidel, five playing cards, five roulette poker chips, and play money, which we plan to replace with actual chips.
Hanukkah Roulette - is the first game of the night, where participants place bets on which candle will be the last to burn out. There are various betting options, similar to traditional roulette, but themed around the menorahs and candles.
The game features a table layout with grids representing menorahs and betting mats for placing wagers. Players are betting on the specific candle that will be the last to burn out. They can also make other bets such as a specific menorah with the last burning candle, or even the position of the candle on any menorah. Additional bets include predicting the row or column of menorahs with the last candle, choosing a candle by its color, or estimating the time until the last candle extinguishes.
Payouts are static and pay on odds.
Poker Hands - is a social game designed to encourage interaction, where guests trade cards to form winning poker hands.
Guests are initially given five playing cards and engage in trades to assemble the best possible poker hand. The objective is to negotiate and exchange cards discreetly so people don’t know what you have. The game becomes particularly intriguing with the inclusion of a Joker card, which grants its holder the power to force a card exchange with any player - exchanging the joker for any one of their opponents cards. The person who has the joker cannot make a poker hand and they have the option for redemption during the auction.
The culmination of the game involves comparing the poker hands formed, with rewards distributed according to the hand rankings.
Dreidel - is a traditional gambling game with historical significance, offering a simple yet engaging format where spins of the dreidel determine the distribution of tokens, adding an element of chance to the festivities.
The Dreidel game is a quintessential Hanukkah pastime, centered around a four-sided spinning top, each side engraved with a Hebrew letter: Nun (נ), Gimmel (ג), Hay (ה), and Shin (ש). The game unfolds as players take turns spinning the dreidel, with the outcome determining their action in the game. There are several ways to play but we have settled on a game where players gather around the table and the first player set the ante by putting a sum of money into the pot. Then they spin their dreidel and resolve the outcome.
- Nun (נ): The player takes no action, passing the turn to the next player.
- Gimmel (ג): The player wins the entire pot, often generating excitement among participants.
- Hay (ה): The player claims half of the pot, rounding up if there's an odd number of tokens.
- Shin (ש): The player contributes an additional ante to the pot, raising the stakes for the next spin.
Assuming they didn’t get a Gimmel, the play continues to the next player who add their ante to the pot and spins. When someone lands Gimmel that round is over and the next player starts the new one.
The Chips:
Please note: I’m open to all feedback, suggestions, and critiques, as I believe diverse perspectives will contribute to the best outcome. This will be quite the investment I and I want to make sure I do it right. I am open to every aspect of the design changing. Be picky but also be helpful.
We're considering ceramic chips for their customizability and are currently deliberating over the denominations and quantities needed, especially with the potential attendance of up to 30 people. We aim to provide players with a starting kit of chips and maintain a reserve for the "house."
Players start with:
$1 - 5 chips
$5 - 5 Chips
$25 - 4 Chips
$100 - 1 Chip
The house has:
$1 - TBD
$5 - TBD
$25 - TBD
$100 - TBD
$500 - TBD
I am also considering $0.50 and $1000 chips.
I've been experimenting with some chip designs and am eager for feedback. Given the investment involved, my goal is to create something that enhances our Hanukkah celebration and serves as a memorable token of the occasion but can also be used for a game of poker from time to time.
I am currently thinking about how to combine the first and second designs. I want poker suits on the chips too. The third one was the first attempt at something. I am including it for brainstorming ideas.
Here is what the first design looks like with multiple denominations.
Please give me all the feedback you have. It would be great if others were interested as we did a group order, but I will do this alone if needed.
THANKS!!!
-Ian
