Board Games?

 Monopoly and Scattergories are big in our house.  At 11, he's also old enough to learn Backgammon. 

He's in alot of gifted classes so I think he'd be able to handle most anything an adult could.I havn't played Monopoly in a long time,but from what I recall it takes a pretty sizable chunk of time which I don't always have.I'll have to check out Scattergories.

Tena

What about Parcheese (sp?) or Sorry!.  Those are two of my favorite.  I second backgammon or what about Battleship?  I know a drinking version too if it is just adults

does it have to be BOARD games?

a nice easy one is UNO, just for when ya feel like something simple...

then there's tabu. that one is always loads of fun!

i second monopoly. if i remember correctly there are alternative rules for shorter games (it might be different game i'm thinking about though, not too sure)

seriously though? in our house 2 decks of cards usually went a long way. there's canasta and rummee (not sure if that's what they are called in english as well). both are grown-up games, but a 10 year old can DEFINATELY play them! i have fond memories of playing with my grandma for hours!

He plays Poker with his friends but card games bore me to tears.except for Yu Gi Oh.That was so fun but he decided in second grade it was completely uncool.Uno and battleship went to Goodwill in third grade.I wonder if they still make Scruples.My sisters used to have so much fun playing that.I'll have to check into Taboo.Parcheese sounds like a strategy game and if I hope to win even once in twenty I better stay away from those.

Tena

My favourites are Clue, Monopoly and Uno but my most recent obsession is Settlers of Catan.  It is different every time and can be played with 2

(an hour later she returns from the rush at the front desk)

people or up to 6. 

Trivial Pursuit and Yahtzee were favorites of my kids and me when they were growing up.  We also had alot of fun with Balderdash at family gatherings. 

Yahtzee has MY vote.  My sister-in-law is a statistician with the UN and frankly, she's SCAREY to play Yahtzee with.  It's very like 'poker' and you can play to whatever amount you want to.

Then there are things that can be really challenging like Chinese checkers (you play that with marbles on a board shaped like a star), and Chess. 

Then get the kid a *good* Hoyle computer disk for Solitaire.  There are 100 varieties of Solitaire and frankly they are excellent mind-building counting/strategy games.  Then transition him with a deck of cards to playing with regular cards. 

My next suggestion would be something like a telescope.  It would give him a leg up on 6 - 10th grade Science.

Apples to Apples is so much fun (more of a card game).  I think they have a Jr. version too.  It's great for learning too, because if it is a word or phrase he doesn't know you both can talk about it.  However, I think you need at least 3 players, though DH and I have managed using a ghost player as the third...it works out pretty well.

 Mastermind is a favorite around here.  When we don't have much time for game time, Kale and I will each take a turn guessing.  Its good for logic skills. 

There's a quick version of Monopoly now, we have it, though it still takes a good hour or so.  We have a debit version too, and the original.

And SkipBo.  Card game, but its fun.

I love Yahtzee! We were taught it as akids and our DSs both like it as well.  Scrabble is big at our house as are Scategories and Apples ot Apples.

Check out Cranium games. The original Cranium needs like 4+ players (though it's the most fabulous game on the planet..lol), but they have other games too that are pretty fun. Zigity is a card game, but it's pretty nifty. Hoopla is great. It's pretty much just played with cards, but it's not a card game, if that makes any sense. You have to do acting and singing and stuff as the cards tell you to. I'm sure they have others now too, but those are just off the top of my head.

What about the Game of Life? Trivial Pursuit? Clue?

Cranium & Trivial Pursuit are my favorites.

I LOVE CRANIUM!!!!

i also really love madgab

 I love Cranium too!  I would suggest Scattergories, Monopoly (there is a Dogopoly version now ), Clue, or Scrabble.

It's not a board game, but I have always loved jigsaw puzzles.  They make some seriously complicated ones nowadays (mosaics or 3d, maybe?), if you think he'd enjoy them.