Types of Game Tables

Foosball: Foosball is a table soccer game in which players control teams of soccer players who are attached to rotating bars. Players push, pull, and rotate the bars to pass, shoot, and score. The cheapest models cost as little as $50 or $100, but look for a table without printed paper surfaces and stiff handles; high-quality models range from about $250 to $1,000.

 

Air Hockey: In air hockey, opposing players hold flat paddles, with which they protect their goals and shoot the puck (a thin plastic disc). The puck glides across the table along the air that rises out of small holes in the table’s surface. Miniature tabletop versions of air hockey sell for under $30, but the real thing ranges from about $250 to $600 and includes an electronic scoreboard. As an alternative, some manufacturers sell dome hockey, which is very similar to foosball; players control the hockey players using rotating bars and/or knobs.

 

Table Tennis: Table tennis, or ping-pong, is the only game table that is also an Olympic sport. As in tennis, players take turns serving, and when a player misses the small plastic ball, hits it into the net, or off the table, the other player scores a point. These tables cost $100 to $500, and they are incredibly popular in college dormitories. In addition to the table, you will need to purchase a net, two or more paddles, and several balls. The table itself, however, is often foldable, which makes for easy storage.

 

Billiards: Billiards, or pool, is a familiar game. There are several different ways to play, but in any version, opposing players take turns using the white cue ball to knock the other fifteen balls into pouches on the sides and corners of the table. Billiards requires a significant amount of space because the pool cues are approximately five feet long and extend well beyond the table during play. Make sure the table is level and that all the accessories seem solid; a slate table is also better than a composition table. The tables themselves can cost from $300 and $600 or more, and may include cues and a set of balls.

 

Arcade Games: Arcade games are games you might expect at a video arcade. This category includes traditional video games, such as sports games, fighting games, and others, as well as more active games such as a hoop shoot. A hoop shoot has a small basketball goal, at which players shoot miniature basketballs; all the while, the balls they have already shot roll back to them along a sloped cloth corridor. Depending on the kind of arcade game you purchase, you will likely spend $100 to $500.

Poker Table/Card Table: A specialized poker table has built-in slots for chips and likely has a green felt tabletop. These tables (or tabletops) can cost over a hundred dollars, however, so another option is to purchase a simple twenty-dollar round card table; it will easily work for poker, as well as other card and board games.

Other Options: If none of these games suits you, there are several other options on the. Dartboards, for example, come in the electronic and bristle models, and are inexpensive (often less than $100 for either model). Meanwhile, shuffleboard and virtual golf are other, more expensive options.