Directions to Play Bunco
Bunco is a dice game designed for twelve or more players, ideally groups of four. Members of Bunco groups typically include twelve regular players who pay a monthly fee, used for game prizes. Some charity groups use Bunco as a fundraiser, charging participants to play in a Bunco tournament. The game involves a series of six rounds. Bunco players roll for ones in round one, twos in round two, threes in round three, fours in round four, fives in round five and sixes in round six.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Set up three card tables if you have 12 players. If you have more than 12 players, set up one card table for every four players. Set up four chairs per card table.
-
2
Number the tables, such as table one, table two and table three. Table one is considered the head table, and table three the losing table.
-
-
3
Place a pad of paper, three dice and four pens or pencils at every table.
-
4
Prepare blank score sheets for each player, with a star written on the back of four sheets. Hand out the score sheets to the players. The four players who get the sheets with the stars sit at the head table for the first round. The rest of the players sit wherever they want at the remaining tables.
-
5
Ask for a scorekeeper for each table, which changes at every round. The person most familiar with the game should take score during the play.
-
6
Place a bell at the head table. Ringing the bell starts the round. This can be done by the scorekeeper for that round, sitting at the head table.
-
7
Ring the bell to start the game. Players immediately begin rolling the dice. The person sitting across from you is your partner for that round. During the first round, the object is to roll ones. If the first person rolling the dice gets any ones, she gets one point for each one. If she doesn't roll a one, her turn ends and the dice goes to the person to her right.
-
8
Yell "Bunco" if you roll three ones. Your team gets 21 points.
-
9
Stop rolling the dice when a team at the head table yells "Bunco." This means a team at the head table reached 21 points, making them the winning team at the head table.
-
10
Talley the points made by your team. The highest scoring team at each table is the winning team for that table. If your team won, you move to the next table. If you are at table three you move to table two, and if you are at table two you move to table one. If you won and are already at table one (the head table), you stay at table one. If you were at table one and lost, you move to the loosing table: table three. If you are already at the losing table, and lost, you don't move.
-
11
Change partners. When you change tables or stay where you are, you switch partners for the next round. Before starting the next round, keep a tally of all your games won, and Buncos you called (for rolling three dice for that round); prizes typically go to the person with the most Buncos, most wins and most losses at the end of the game. Do this on your score sheet.
-
12
Begin the next round when someone at the head table rings the bell. Play the same way as the previous round, only this time you are rolling for twos. Rolling three twos on one roll is a Bunco during this round, worth 21 points.
-
13
Continue with each round, playing to round six. Depending on the group, you may play three sets of rounds.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
As with many games, Bunco rules may vary.
References
- Photo Credit dice image by Olga Shelego from Fotolia.com
