How to Play Bunco

By eHow Hobbies, Games & Toys Editor

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It's not the spelling so much as the way you play the game, right? Ranging from Bunco (the most popular) to Bonko and Bunko, the word varies by region and personal preference. At any rate, you just need nine dice and a handful of luck. Grab your friends - this game usually consists of three sets of four players.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

12 Chairs
3 Card Tables
Bells
Prizes
Beverages
Snacks
12 Pencils
3 Spiral Notebooks
9 Dice

Step1

Divide twelve players into three groups of four people. Two teams sit at each table; teammates sit opposite each other.

Step2

Assign the tables as the head, middle and bottom. At the end of a round, the winning team advances to the next table. Losers at the head table move to the bottom table.

Step3

Supply each table with three dice, a score sheet and a pencil for each player, and a scratch pad for the table's scorekeeper. Place a bell on the head table.

Step4

Begin play with the scorekeeper. The scorekeeper at the head table traditionally rings the bell to begin the round.

Step5

Roll your three dice.

Step6

Keep score at each table. (See the Related eHow "How to Keep Score in Bunco.")

Step7

Continue to roll until your roll earns no points. Play then moves to the left.

Step8

Continue to play at your table until a team at the head table scores 21 points or more - at which time, the scorekeeper rings the bell again.

Step9

Change partners after every round, with one player moving to the seat to the right before the next team arrives.

Step10

Play six rounds per set and at least two sets per game. The winner is the player with the most wins, though some groups award prizes in categories such as most Buncos and most losses.

Tips & Warnings

There are six rounds in a set. In Round 1, points are scored for every "one" that is rolled; in Round 2, for every "two" and so forth.
Score sheets should have a place to mark the round, the number of wins, the number of losses, and the Buncos.
Keep extra copies of the score sheets on hand.
Change partners at the beginning of each round.
There are several variations to playing Bunco, most notably in the way the round ends - some play until a team at any table scores 21, some until a team at the head table does. There are also variations in who moves at the end of each round - some groups have the winners move (except those at the head table); others have the losers move.

Comments

bluebonnetgirl said

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on 7/17/2008 I learned to play bunco a totally different way using two dice many years ago. I was wondering if anyone else plays this way. I cannot find any websites that shows the way I play it.

The way I learned it is that two dice are rolled at each table. Each time you roll a 6, you and your partner get a point. Each time you roll a double (except for double 3 or 6), you and your partner earn 5 points. But watch out! If you roll a double 3, you wipe-out your score and you and your partner start back over at zero during that round of play. That's one thing that makes it more fun. A bunco is when a double 6 is rolled. The first team (partners) to grab the dice gets the bunco! It is worth 25 pts! This really makes the game fun! You have to keep your eyes on the dice at all times and watch for buncos to be rolled. There's a frantic scramble when a bunko is rolled and sometimes the d