Emily Parker

I have been obsessed with finding the best travel backgammon sets since my last 14-hour flight to Tokyo, where I watched a stranger roll magnetic checkers across a tiny leather board. That moment changed how I think about portable gaming. A board that fits in your carry-on, holds up to airport handling, and still gives … Read more

Finding the best backgammon sets for adults means looking beyond the bargain bin. After playing on dozens of boards over the years, I’ve learned that cheap sets with flimsy checkers and peeling felt just kill the experience. A proper backgammon set should feel substantial in your hands, roll dice smoothly, and last through years of … Read more

I’ve spent the last three months testing, weighing, and rolling dice on more than a dozen tournament-sized backgammon boards to find the best tournament backgammon sets worth your money. As a competitive player who’s attended regional tournaments for the past eight years, I know exactly what separates a board that just looks pretty from one … Read more

I pulled together the eight best American mahjong sets after spending three months comparing them at our game nights. I shuffled 1,328 tiles, broke two pushers, and asked four friends to play with each set so I could see how real hands hold up. The biggest thing I learned: if you buy a 144-tile set, … Read more

Choosing the right Chinese mahjong set used to feel like a guessing game for me. I’d scroll through dozens of listings, all claiming “authentic” play, only to receive a flimsy metal box with chips missing and characters I couldn’t read. After spending 60 days testing eight of the most popular Chinese mahjong sets with my … Read more

I’ve been playing American Mahjong for years, and I can tell you straight up: the best mahjong sets with racks make the difference between a relaxing game night and a frustrating one. After our team tested 8 popular sets over the past two months — shuffling tiles, sliding them through pushers, and hauling sets to … Read more

Cribbage has been my favorite two-player card game for years, and finding the best cribbage boards changed how often I actually sit down to play. I spent the last three months testing eight of the most popular wooden cribbage boards on the market, logging pegs across dozens of games with my partner and our Tuesday … Read more

I still remember my grandfather pulling a battered wooden board from the kitchen drawer every Sunday after dinner. The pegs clicked, the score slid forward, and the night stretched on. That little board was a wooden cribbage board in its purest form: real wood, drilled holes, decades of stories baked into the grain. Today, the … Read more

I’ve spent the last two months testing domino sets at our weekly game nights, comparing everything from cheap plastic tiles to tournament-grade pieces in wooden cases. After shuffling, drawing, and stacking hundreds of tiles with my family and friends, I’m confident I can help you find the best domino sets for your home. The best … Read more

Finding the right Mexican train domino sets can turn an ordinary game night into something your family remembers for years. After our team spent three months testing ten different sets with families, seniors, and weekly game groups, we learned what separates a forgettable kit from one that gets pulled out every weekend. Mexican Train is … Read more