Money Games to Play at a Party

Most people enjoy and appreciate parties and money. Combine these two favorites by playing an array of money-themed games at your next party. Whether you'll be doling out play money for kids or offering older guests real cash as an incentive, party games are sure to catch your guests' interests and attention.

A casino-themed party is well suited for an array of money-related party games. Many classic casino games like poker or Black Jack are easily adaptable to at-home parties. All you need is a dealer, a deck and a card table. For more elaborate parties, rent roulette tables and wheels from a party supply store to add to the theme. To avoid any complications with illegal gambling, provide partygoers a stack of differently valued chips; if you don't have real chips, substitute colored buttons or even glass stones. Invite players to try several games through the night. At the end of the event, offer guests a selection of small prizes to choose based on the number of chips they turn in. For example, a person with chips valued at $20 could win a bottle of wine.

Auctions invite party guests to engage in a friendly competition for prizes and rewards. Turn auctions into fun party games by adding a challenging twist to the bidding. Along with placing a bid for an item, each bidder must also perform a challenge task; at a birthday party, for example, each bidder must present the bid as well as offer a joke, song or dance to the birthday guest. The bid is accepted only if the birthday guest accepts the additional task. Another fun game is to hold a blind auction. Guests bid on items that are wrapped or covered; the auction host offers a clever description of the item that doesn't give it away. For example, the description of a jar of candy may be, "How friendly are you with your dentist?" At the end of the auction, donate the funds to a charitable cause or local organization.

Test the budget skills of party guests with an array of challenges. One option for a budget game is to divide the guests into teams of two or three players. Award each group a different amount of imaginary money. Place several household items on the table and challenge the groups to select a group of items that they believe adds up to their allotted total. Add up the cost of each item to determine a winner. To raise the stakes, provide each group real money; for each dollar the group is off in their guess, they must turn over a dollar to the party host. The last team holding a dollar wins the game.

Another budget challenge involves purchasing small gifts. Before the party, invite guests to spend no more than $5 on a small gift. Guests present their unwrapped gifts on a table at the party, along with the receipt to guarantee adherence to the budget. Guests then vote on which gift is the most clever, the most useful, the most valuable or the most beautiful; they cannot vote for their own gifts. Whichever guest wins the vote gets to keep all the gifts on the table.