Bunco

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Bunco (also Bunko and Bonko) is a parlour game played in teams with three dice. A winning throw in Bunco is to throw three of a kind of a specified number.

According to the World Bunco Association, Bunco began as a progressive dice game in England, later being imported to the American West as a gambling activity. It was not until after the Civil War that it evolved to a popular parlor game. The Association states that during Prohibition, Bunco as a gambling game was re-popularized and the term "Bunco-Squad" was born, referring to law-enforcement groups that busted up Bunco Gaming. Bunco as a family game saw a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s.

In recent years, the game has seen a resurgence in popularity in America, particularly with affluent suburban women. As it is played today, Bunco is a social dice game involving luck, some skill, scoring and a complex set of rules. Women who are part of a Bunco Club take turns as the Bunco Hostess, providing snacks, refreshments and the tables to set up the games. The Hostess may also provide a door prize. Small amounts of money can be involved as well. The object of the game is to accumulate points and to roll certain combinations. The winners get prizes provided by the Hostess or pooled from the Club resources. Prizes frequently center on themes associated with the game such as fancy dice, dice embedded in soap, t-shirts featuring illustrations of dice, etc.