Bunco Simply speaking, Bunco is a game of dice, played in rounds. Players take turns rolling the dice and trying to accumulate as many points as possible to win each round. The game is played at tables of four in competing teams of two.

The History of Bunco Bunco was originally "8-Dice cloth" according to the World Bunco Association which was a dice game in 18th-century England. It was imported to San Francisco as a gambling activity in 1855, where it gave its name to gambling parlors, or Bunco parlors, and more generally to any swindle. After the Civil War the game evolved to a popular parlor game. During the 1920s and Prohibition, Bunco was re-popularized as a gambling game, often associated with a speakeasy. Law-enforcement groups raiding these parlors came to be known as "Bunco squads". Bunco as a family game saw a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s.

GETTING STARTED Determine how many tables in play by counting how many are playing and divide by 4. Each table is numbered 1 through 5. There are 4 players at each table and 3 dice. A bell is placed on the Table One. A boa is placed on the last table. 20 Bunco Score Cards are prepared. Each card is labeled with a Table number and a Player letter on one side and a place to keep your score on the other side. Players draw a score card at random when they arrive and sit at the table indicated on your card. Your partner for the first round ONLY will be the other player with the same table # and player letter. For example if your card has Table #3 and Player letter B, you will sit at table 3 and your partner is the other player with the same table # and player letter. Sit opposite of your partner. **There are instructions below if there is an odd number of players.

Not enough or too many players? If you have multiples of four players – no problem. If you have one extra player, then that player will be the hole puncher for the first round. Each player will take a turn to be the “hole puncher” for a round of play. If some people sit out more rounds than others, recognize winners based on percentages. For example, Lucy has won 68% of the games she played, and Suzy has won 72% of the games she played, so Suzy is the ultimate winner! If there are 2 extra players, those 2 players will play at the last table. They each will have a ghost partner. **See next slide. After each round, there should be a different 2 players who have a ghost partner, unless a player with a ghost partner moves to Table One. If there are 3 extra players, those 3 players will play at the last table. Only one of the players will play with a ghost. Again, after each round, there should be a different player with the ghost partner, unless that player moves to Table One.

Playing with a Ghost If you are only missing a partner you can choose to play with a ghost. Get a big stuffed animal to be the “ghost” player and set it in one of the chairs. The ghost’s teammate will roll for himself/herself and for the ghost. Whoever is teamed with the ghost for the next rounds will do the same. It is a bit tricky playing with a ghost. Don’t miss the ghost’s turn to roll the dice.

Warning Some of you already know how to play your version of Bunco. The instructions that you see on the next few slides may be different than you are used to. You are going to play the way you are instructed on these slides NOT your way. The idea here is to learn something new.

HOW TO PLAY There are six rounds in each set of Bunco. Table One controls the pace of play by starting each round and ending each round with a ring of the bell. The oldest person at the table is the first person to roll. Players earn points by rolling the three dice. In each round, players are trying to roll the same number as the round, or the target number. So if you are playing the first round, the target number is 1 and you count how many 1’s you roll on the dice. If you are playing round 4, the target number is 4, so you count how many 4’s you roll on the dice.

One point is awarded for each target number rolled successfully One point is awarded for each target number rolled successfully. For example rolling in round 1 earns 2 points, in round 2, the same roll earns one point. In rounds 3-6 this roll earns no points. Five points are awarded for rolling three of a kind of any number except the current target number. For example rolling     in round 3 earns 5 points. BUNCO! is called when rolling 3 of a kind of the target number. For example, rolling     in Round 3. Rolling BUNCO is worth 21 points, but the player has to yell it out to get credit for it.

Scramble This can be optional After anyone rolls a BUNCO, all players scramble to grab the three dice. The player who rolls the Bunco only gets the 21 points IF that player or the partner gets all three dice. If the other team gets one or more of the dice, then whoever grabbed a die gets to count the points equal to the number on each die they grabbed.

Each player rolls as long as they score one or more points Each player rolls as long as they score one or more points. When they fail to roll the target number on any of the dice, the dice are passed to the player on the left. Each set of partners (a team) MUST keep track of how many points the team earns as players continue to take turns rolling the dice. If there is a disagreement at the table about the score, then each team at the table starts back at 0. The round is over when Table One reaches 21 points. They ring the bell and the round is over for everyone. The other tables keep rolling until the high table rings the bell. They may score more than 21 points.

Tiebreakers during a Round If both teams at one of the lower tables have a tied score at the end of a round, they participate in a roll-off. They are each allowed to roll the dice again for one session to accumulate additional points. Player #1 starts off rolling first. This player will continue to roll and accumulate points as long as they are successfully rolling the number of that round. Each player is given a session to roll and accumulate points for their team to end the tie. If at the end of this session one team is now in the lead, the roll-off ends. The team with the highest score is deemed winner. If needed, additional roll-off sessions are repeated until the tie is broken.

CHANGING TABLES At the end of each round the winning team from each of the lower tables move up to a higher table. The winning team from Table One stays at that table. The losing team from the Table One moves to the last table. During the switch partners MUST be changed at every table EXCEPT Table One.

The Score Card Players keep track of their scores on their own BUNCO Score Card. When a player rolls a BUNCO, that player uses the hole puncher to punch a hole in the BUNCO section of the score card. Only the player that actually rolled the BUNCO gets credit. The player's teammate does NOT get a hole punch. When a team wins a round, both players use the hole puncher to punch a hole in the WIN section of the score card. At the end of the BUNCO session, all the players total their wins and BUNCOS on their scorecards for a chance to win a prize. ***** The teacher or a designated player can be the hole puncher.*****

Traveling This is Optional One option: Whoever rolls a Bunco gets to wear a BOA. When someone else rolls a Bunco, it is their responsibility to get the boa from the last player who had it. The last person wearing the boa wins a prize. Another option: Whoever rolls a Bunco gets a "Fuzzy Die" or other (preferably soft, tossable) object. When another player calls a Bunco, then the player who has the object throws it at the player who called Bunco. The player holding the object at the end of the game wins a prize.

Wipeout This is optional When playing wipeout, each round of Bunco is only played from 2 to 6. The ones round is skipped. Rolling three ones in any of the rounds is called a wipeout and is not counted as a Bunco. The player rolling the wipeout loses all of his/her team’s points for the round and must start over. Traveling Wipeout is played like regular traveling, but a different soft fuzzy is thrown around and whoever holds it at the end of play gets a consolation prize. Any player who rolls a wipeout must record it with a W on their score card. If not recorded, it will not be counted.

Possible Prizes Most BUNCOs First BUNCO Most Wins – player with the most hole punches in the win section Fewest Wins – player with the fewest hole punches in the win section Traveling – last person wearing the Boa or holding the object. Most Wipeouts – player with the most W’s on the score card Traveling Wipeout – last person holding wipeout object