Throw a Guys' Night In

Boys' Life

What can be harder than planning a birthday party for a boy who’s outgrown the trucks and dinosaurs themes but isn’t old enough for an unsupervised celebration? We’ve come up with a party that’s designed to provide just the right shot of maturity with a chaser that’s all sweets.

Face Card

Customize the invitation to include your son’s image. If you’re not tech-savvy enough to do this yourself, he probably is.

• Download the poker party invitation

Big Brother

Enlist a card-savvy grown-up to lead the game and be the dealer, because 13-year-old boys are likely not to agree on rules of play. A square of green craft felt serves as a tablecloth, and green dealer visors make all the boys feel professional.

Pirate Felt Fabric
$4.10 (per yard)
Available at Online Fabric Store

Universal Size Dealer Visor
$10
Available at Just Poker Supplies

Place Your Bet

M&M’s -- custom ordered in red, green, white, and black -- serve as both poker chips and snacks. A card shuffler adds a note of authenticity to the game.

Custom Colored M&M's
$7 (7 ounces)
Available at My M&M's

2-Deck Texas Hold 'Em Automatic Card Shuffler
$16
Available at Just Poker Supplies

Cool Setting

Skull-and-crossbones china not only passes muster with the tween age group, but it also gives the dinner table a note of sophistication. The table can be set right on the green felt, with the M&M "chips" serving as a centerpiece.

High Steaks

A manly menu of steaks,twice-baked potatoes, and broccolini gives boys another taste of grown-up life. Try enlisting your son’s opinion when planning the menu -- you might be surprised at his appetite for sophisticated food.

Sweet Deal

Serve root beer in a wine cooler for a festive touch. An opulent chocolate cake is a step up from the airbrushed Thomas the Tank Engine cakes of previous years.

Gift Guys

If this age group is hard to plan a party for, it’s even harder to shop for. Below is our list of five sure-fire gift hits for 13-year-old boys, starting with the thing they all want but which feels a little uninspired in the giving.

iTunes Gift Cards
Available at Apple

Sphere Chair
$40
Available at Target

Plasma Lamp
$30
Available at Target

Pogo Stick
$48
Available at Target

Card Shuffler
$16
Available at Just Poker Supplies

Action Adventure

After dinner, the boys can pile up on the sofa and watch Casino Royale, and hopefully take notes on how to wear a tuxedo from 007. Other good movie ideas include Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Weird Science, Big.

Favorite Favors

As party favors, send home a deck of cards, a DVD of the movie you watched, a dealer visor, and a grab bag of the M&M poker "chips."