How to Win in Bunco

Bunco is a fast-paced dice game played with 3 dice. The game can be played with 2 or more players but most easily with any number of players in multiples of 4.

Things You'll Need

• 3 dice
• scorepad
• pencil
• prizes

Instructions

It all boils down to some good luck!

1. Winning at bunco is not as simple as just winning a game. It is most often broken down into several parts. Bunco groups typically give prizes to the winners of the most wins, the most buncos, the most mini buncos and sometimes even the most losses. You first need to decide how many winners you want. With 2 players, obviously you want one winner. With 16 players, you may want 4 winners or more.

2. Every bunco group recognizes the winner of the most wins as the winner. A game of bunco is broken down into 6 rounds. Each round will earn you a win or a loss with a teammate. After each round, you move seats up the winning ladder or down the losing ladder to a seat and new partner. This keeps all scorecards and wins different. Most bunco groups will play 3 games on a bunco night or 18 rounds. This gives each player a total of 18 points when adding wins and losses. The person with the most wins is the bunco winner.

3. Another winner of the night is often identified as the player who rolls the most buncos. A bunco is scored when a player rolls all 3 dice to the number that is currently being scored on the respective round. For example, if fives are being rolled and scored and someone rolls a set of fives (3-fives) in one roll, that is a bunco. The person who rolls the most buncos in the 18 rounds for the night is also a bunco winner for the evening.

4. The player that rolls the most baby buncos for the night is the baby bunco winner. A baby bunco is rolling a set of any number except the number that is currently scoring. For example, if we are still rolling the 5s and a player rolls three 4s in one roll, this is a baby bunco. There is an exception to the baby bunco. If a player rolls 3 ones, it is considered snake eyes and erases all your points for that round and does not score as a baby bunco. If 3 ones are rolled during the ones round it is a bunco. If 3 ones are rolled during the other rounds it is snake eyes.

5. The player that scores the most losses sometimes wins a booby prize. Different bunco groups are creative and create different ways to identify their biggest loser. This person could be the one who wins the opportunity to host the next bunco night. This person could win the opportunity to clean up after bunco. The biggest loser can be the one responsible for the treat or drinks for the next gathering. The bigget loser can be the one who has to hang the huge fuzzy dice in their car for the month until the next bunco night. If they are ever spotted without the dice by another bunco member, she gets fined in some playful way.

6. There are many ways you can add winners to bunco depending on the size of your group. For 2 players the most wins is the only logical way to compete. The larger the group gets the more winners should be incorporated. You can also reward the winner of equal wins and losses (9-9). A crown can be worn by the person who had the last bunco until the next bunco is rolled. The last bunco winner at the end is the one who had the last bunco or easier, the one wearing the crown. Theme winners can be brought into bunco night by costumes and best dishes prepared by theme.

Tips & Warnings

• Incorporate enough winners into bunco to spread out prizes or money. People are there to have fun with friends not to gamble.