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[1], 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. Although re-released in 2005 with a tagline reading "The game that's sweeping the nation," sales were initially low though senior citizens and young adults alike have found interest in the game.

In recent years, the game has seen a resurgence in popularity in America, particularly among suburban women. As it is played today, Bunco is a social dice game involving 100% luck and no skill (there are no decisions to be made)[2], scoring and a simple 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. One famous Bunco hostess of the late twentieth century was the late Amanda Lee Rodino. Who, after a player rolled a three of a kind, would offer secret family recipes. In her latter years she was seen to pioneer the hosting of a variety of games such as Monopoly, Jenga, and Yahtzee. 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) for accomplishments such as the highest score, the lowest score, or the most buncos. Prizes frequently center on themes associated with the game such as fancy dice, dice embedded in soap, t-shirts featuring illustrations of dice, etc.

Contents

[edit] Rules

Rules can have house variants, but the most common (and Official) rules are as follows[3][4]:

  • A score sheet is drawn up, one for each player, on the back of 4 of them a secret notation is made to show that those are the players at the Head Table.
  • Players are split up into groups of 4 (12 players, 3 tables of 4 are the best suggested amount) by choosing a score sheet. Those with the head table mark, sit there, others may sit anywhere on the other tables.
  • The 4 players at each table each roll a die to determine who will be rolling first.
  • The Head Table starts and ends each round (Usually by ringing a bell, or simply shouting "Go") each set of Bunco consists of six rounds, one for each number on a die - (Table Top Roleplayers - see d6)
  • On the bell, or "Go", the first player at each table rolls 3 dice. And tallies their score sheet as follows:
    • 1 point - for 1 die showing the current round number, i.e. round 1, one die rolled a 1, round 2, one die rolled a 2, etc.
    • 2 points - for 2 dice showing the current round number.
    • 5 points - for all 3 dice showing the same number, but not the current round number
    • 21 points - for all 3 dice showing the current round number, and calling "Bunco!"


  • In addition to Bunco scoring the maximum points, the player also is awarded a Bunco point. As most games award a prize to the player who scores the most Buncos in a session.
  • The players will take turns rolling and scoring until one player at the Head Table reaches a total of 21 Points or Higher and will ring the bell (or yell "stop") - each turn may be completed on every table. The score sheets are tallied, and the highest for that round becomes the new Head Table.

[edit] Popularity

A Press Release issued by Procter & Gamble who feature the game in a 2008 advertisement for their Anti-Heartburn medicine Prilosec OTC, stated in 2006 that over 29 million people play Bunco regularly[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1]World Bunco Association
  2. ^ "Suburban Moms Forge Bonds Over Bunco", washingtonpost.com, Feb 4th, 2007
  3. ^ World Bunco Association.[2]
  4. ^ [3]LONG ISLAND JOURNAL; Move Over, Bridge. Here Comes Bunco April 21st 2002
  5. ^ CINCINNATI, Feb 10, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network[4]

[edit] External links