Steal or OpenYankee swap rules
In a Yankee swap, everyone brings one wrapped gift and draws a number. On your turn you unwrap a new gift or swap for one that's already open; whoever loses a gift picks again. When the last gift is unwrapped, number 1 gets the final swap, since they never had a chance to swap before.
Who's playing?
Type each name and press Add. You can fix names at any turn.
No players yet. You need at least 3.
House rules
Turn 1 of 8
Name
Open a gift or steal one.
Tap the gift to steal.
Turn order and names
That's a wrap
Who went home with what:
The game stays on this phone. Close the page and it picks up where you left off.
The final swap is what makes it fair
Number 1 unwraps first with nothing to swap for, so a Yankee swap gives them the last move: once every gift is open, they may trade theirs for any gift that isn't frozen. If they like what they have, they keep it and the game ends.
Example: twelve gifts are open and number 1 holds a scented candle. The heated blanket has been swapped three times and is frozen; the waffle maker has been swapped once. Number 1 can trade the candle for the waffle maker, but not for the blanket.
Swap limits
Without a limit, a popular gift can change hands for a long time. Most groups stop a gift after its third swap: the third person to take it keeps it. The host page above starts with that rule and marks frozen gifts with a lock.
"Swap" or "steal"?
Same move, different word. In a Yankee swap you swap for an opened gift; in white elephant and Dirty Santa you steal it. Either way, the person who loses the gift picks again.
Questions people ask next
Is a Yankee swap the same as white elephant?
Yes. It's the same game; Yankee swap is the name many people use in New England.
Who goes last in a Yankee swap?
Number 1. After the last gift is unwrapped, they get one final swap.
Can number 1 swap for a frozen gift?
No. A frozen gift stays with whoever holds it.