Game Night Gifts for Adults (and a Game Night Gift Basket)

If someone hosts a regular game night, they already own the games. What they usually lack are the things around the games: a proper surface, something to roll dice in, cards that are not falling apart, a way to keep track of whose deal it is. Those are the gifts that improve every single game night from then on.

The test for any game night gift: will it come out every time they play, a year from now? A new party game may be played twice. A good table cover or a dice tray is used every week.

For the table

A table cover. The best upgrade for a home game is a proper playing surface: cards slide, chips stack and dice do not bounce off the edge. A round poker table cover fits over an ordinary dining table and turns it into a card table for the night, then folds away.

Card holders. Long card games with big hands — canasta, pinochle, rummy — are hard on the wrists. A set of curved wooden card holders stands each hand up on the table. It is the gift older players are most grateful for.

For dice games

A dice cup. A leather dice cup with lid comes with five dice and plays liar's dice, poker dice and more. It makes a satisfying rattle and keeps dice on the table.

A dice tray. A folding hexagon dice tray catches every roll and stops dice ending up under the sofa. Roleplaying groups and dice-game players both use one.

Shut the box. A four-player shut the box is a classic pub dice game that suits a mixed group and needs no explaining twice. See shut the box rules.

For poker night

Chips that feel real. Plastic chips are the giveaway of a casual game. A set of clay poker chips has the weight and click of a casino chip.

A dealer button. An all in dealer button in heavy acrylic settles the eternal "whose deal is it?" argument and looks good doing it. For hosts, our guide to hosting a poker night covers the rest.

Game night gifts for couples

For a couple who play together, choose a game for two in a good version: a cribbage board, a chess set, a backgammon set, or a quality deck with a list of card games for two. It is a gift that comes with a reason to sit down together.

How to make a game night gift basket

A game night gift basket works best when it is built around one game and everything needed to play it well:

• Poker basket: a deck of cards, a set of chips, a dealer button and a printed hand rankings chart.
• Dice basket: a leather dice cup with dice, a dice tray and the rules for three dice games written on cards.
• Card basket: two good decks, a set of card holders and a score pad.

Add snacks that will not leave greasy fingers on the cards, and put the rules on top so the first game can start straight away. A waterproof deck is a wise addition to any basket that comes with drinks.