Dice white elephant
Roll to take a gift from the pile, then everyone opens and you keep rolling to swap until the timer rings. Faster than steals for a big group.
The dice rulesWhite elephant game: rules and a free helper
Draw the order, track every steal and frozen gift, and finish with the first player’s swap, all on one TV, laptop or shared call screen. Free for any group, with no sign-up or download.
In short
White elephant is a gift exchange game: everyone brings one wrapped gift, draws a number, and on their turn either opens a gift from the pile or steals one that’s already open. If your gift is stolen, you open or steal again; a gift freezes after three steals, and number 1 gets a final swap at the end. The free helper below runs the draw, the turns and the steal counts on one screen.
The free white elephant helper
Put it on the TV or share it on your call. Add names for a random draw, or hand out numbered tags; then the helper calls each turn, keeps track of who has what and freezes gifts for you. Classic, dice and story versions.
The helper needs JavaScript. Everything you need to play on paper, the rules, the dice table and printable tags, is on this page.
What’s free and what At Yours Plus adds
FreeNo sign-up, no download
- The whole helper for any group in person: the draw, every turn, steal counters, freezing, a turn timer and the final swap
- The Classic dice table with a 3D die, and the pass-the-gift story the Swap at Snowberry Lodge
- Online rooms for up to 8 people, each on their own device
- Printable rules, numbered tags 1–30 and dice table cards, in A4 and US Letter
- Saved player lists on this device, ready for next year
At Yours PlusFor the host
- Online rooms for up to 24: the office exchange, wherever everyone is
- The Office, Family and Winter dice tables, and 3 more pass-the-gift stories: office, family and a secular winter one
- Player lists saved to your account, ready on any device next year
- Every story and dice table ready to print, in A4 or US Letter
One host’s At Yours Plus covers everyone in the exchange, and guests never pay. US$4.99/month or US$29/year. It also includes our other full room games and their printable companions.
See At Yours PlusHow do you play white elephant?
Everyone brings one wrapped gift, draws a number, and on their turn opens a gift or steals one. Here are the standard rules, step by step.
Set a budget and bring one gift
Everyone brings one wrapped gift worth about the same, with no name on it, and adds it to the pile.
Draw numbers
Everyone draws a number from a hat, or the helper draws the order for you. Number 1 goes first.
Open or steal
On your turn, open a wrapped gift so everyone can see it, or steal any gift that’s already open.
Robbed? Go again
If your gift is stolen, you open a new gift or steal a different one straight away. You can’t steal back the gift just taken from you.
Three steals and it’s frozen
Once a gift has been stolen three times it stops moving: its third new owner keeps it.
The final swap
When everyone has a gift, number 1, who never got to steal, may swap with any gift that isn’t frozen. Then everyone takes their gift home.
How do steals work in white elephant?
A steal takes an opened gift from someone else; they then open a new gift or steal a different one, so one turn can set off a chain. The chain ends when someone opens a wrapped gift. Steal limits keep it moving: most groups freeze a gift after three steals and ban stealing a gift straight back. These are the house rules worth agreeing before you start, and the helper’s settings:
| Rule | Common choices | Helper default | When to change it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steals before a gift freezes | 2, 3 or no limit | 3 | Use 2 for 20 or more people; no limit for small, competitive groups. |
| Steals in one turn | No limit, or 1–3 | No limit | Cap it at 2 when the group is big, so one turn can’t run round the room. |
| Stealing straight back | Not allowed, or allowed | Not allowed | Allow it only if your group wants chaos. |
| Steal a gift once per turn | Off or on | Off | Turn it on so a hot gift can’t bounce around in a single turn. |
| First player’s final swap | On or off | On | Turn it off to end on the last turn, which is quicker. |
| Turn timer | Off, or 30 seconds to 2 minutes | Off | 60 seconds keeps a group of 20 to about half an hour. |
Popular white elephant variations
Same gifts, different ways to share them out. The helper runs the first two for you.
The story version
Everyone holds a gift while someone reads a story; pass on every LEFT, RIGHT and ACROSS. Whatever you hold at the end is yours.
Left-right storiesA themed exchange
Pick a theme: something cosy, a book you loved, a mug and a treat, or something you’d want yourself. It makes gifts easier to choose and funnier to steal.
Gift ideas by budgetA budget that works
Agree a range, not a number: US$20–25 is common for friends and offices, US$10–15 for students or big teams. Everyone should be able to say yes easily.
White elephant dice game rules
Gifts go in the middle and everyone sits in a circle. In round 1, people without a gift roll in turn until the pile is empty. Then everyone opens, a timer starts (3, 5 or 10 minutes) and round 2 swaps gifts with every roll. When the timer rings, keep what you’re holding. This is our free Classic table; the helper rolls the die and highlights the line.
| Roll | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 | Pick any gift. Take any gift from the pile. Keep it wrapped for now. Takes a gift |
| 2 | Not yet. No gift this time. Pass the die to the next person without one. |
| 3 | Neighbour’s choice. Take a gift from the pile, but the person on your right chooses which one. Takes a gift |
| 4 | Shake test. Pick up two gifts and give each a shake. Keep one and put the other back. Takes a gift |
| 5 | Not yet, you choose. No gift yet, but you choose who rolls next from the people still without one. |
| 6 | Victory lap. Take any gift from the pile, and do a little victory dance. Takes a gift |
| Roll | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 | Swap with anyone. Swap gifts with anyone you like. They don’t get a say. |
| 2 | Pass left. Give your gift to the person on your left. |
| 3 | Pass right. Give your gift to the person on your right. |
| 4 | Everyone left. Everybody passes their gift one place to the left. |
| 5 | You choose two. Pick two other people. They swap gifts with each other. |
| 6 | Everyone right. Everybody passes their gift one place to the right. |
White elephant online, for remote teams
A private room for the office exchange: everyone wraps a virtual gift with a short description and a picture of their real one, then opens and steals on their own phone or laptop. Free for up to 8; the host’s At Yours Plus opens rooms for up to 24, with no per-person fees.
The room swaps descriptions, not parcels. Each person buys and sends their real gift to whoever ends up with it, so collect addresses privately before the party (or agree on e-gift cards). The room never asks for addresses.
Rooms, phones and privacy
Gifts are shipped separately
The room swaps short descriptions, not parcels. After the game, each person sends their real gift to whoever ends up with it. Share addresses privately; the room never asks for them.
What everyone seesA wrapped gift shows only its paper until someone opens it; then everyone sees the picture, the description and who brought it.
RoomsRooms last two hours, and the host can add time in the final 30 minutes. Reopen your invitation in the same browser to get your seat back. Room data, including every gift description, is removed when the room closes.
Free white elephant printables
The actual pages, free in A4 and US Letter. Print the tags for the number draw and a dice card for each table. Need gifts? See our white elephant gift ideas.
Print at home
Print at home
Print at home
Print at home · At Yours PlusEvery story and dice table
The whole set on paper, with a contents page: every table for the dice game and every story for passing gifts, with LEFT, RIGHT and ACROSS in bold capitals and arrows.
- All 4 dice tables: Classic, Office, Family and Winter
- All 4 white elephant pass-the-gift stories
- All 4 left right Christmas stories
Included with the host’s At Yours Plus
White elephant questions
What is a white elephant gift exchange?
A party game where everyone brings one wrapped gift and takes turns, in a random order, either opening a new gift from the pile or stealing one that has already been opened. Whoever loses a gift opens another or steals a different one. Gifts freeze after a set number of steals, and the first player gets one last swap at the end. It works for 6 to 30 people with a spending limit everyone agrees on.
How many steals are allowed in white elephant?
Most groups let a gift be stolen three times: the third steal freezes it, and its new owner keeps it. Big groups often use two, and small, rowdy ones use no limit. Two other common rules keep it fair: you can’t steal back the gift that was just taken from you, and some groups cap the number of steals in one turn so turns don’t run on.
What’s a good white elephant budget?
US$20–25 is the most common range for friends and office exchanges. US$10–15 suits students, big teams or a gag-gift party, and US$30–50 suits close family or friends who want something nicer. Put the range in the invitation and keep it the same for everyone, so every gift is worth stealing. For ideas at each budget, see our white elephant gift ideas.
How long does white elephant take for 20 people?
About 30–40 minutes, as an estimate: roughly a minute to open and show off each gift, plus the steals they set off, and a few minutes for the final swap and photos. Groups that love to steal take longer. A 60-second turn timer, a freeze after three steals and a cap of two steals a turn keep 20 people close to half an hour.
How do you play white elephant online?
Open a private room on this page and send the link. Everyone joins from their own phone or laptop, wraps a virtual gift (a short description and a picture of their real one) and opens or steals on their turn while you talk on your usual video call. Free rooms hold up to 8; the host’s At Yours Plus opens rooms for up to 24. The room swaps descriptions, not parcels: each person still sends their real gift to whoever ends up with it. If you’re all on one call, you can also share the helper’s screen and show gifts on camera.
How do you play white elephant with dice?
Everyone brings a wrapped gift to the middle. In round 1, people without a gift take turns rolling one die: some numbers take a gift from the pile, others pass the die on. When the pile is empty, everyone opens their gift, a timer starts, and in round 2 each roll swaps or passes gifts around the circle. When the timer rings, you keep what you’re holding. Our free dice table is below, and the helper rolls a 3D die for you.
Can you open your own gift?
In person, yes: nobody knows which gift is whose, so it can happen. If you recognise yours, most groups let you choose again. In our online room you can’t open the gift you wrapped unless it is the last one left.
What’s the difference between white elephant, Yankee swap and Dirty Santa?
They’re regional names for the same open-or-steal gift game. Rules change more from group to group than from name to name, so agree on the steal limit, the budget and whether the first player gets a final swap before you start.
Is the helper free, and do guests need an account?
Yes, the in-person helper is free for any group, with no account, download or ads, and your progress stays on this device. Online rooms are free for up to 8 people and guests never pay or sign up. The host’s At Yours Plus (US$4.99/month or US$29/year) adds rooms for up to 24, player lists saved to your account, the Office, Family and Winter dice tables and three more pass-the-gift stories, each ready to print.