After I purchased a large bag of dice at one of my favorite thrift stores, I remembered the Bunco parties my mother used to have at our home. The living room was set up with card tables and chairs, the dice were brought out, and lots of laughter and excitement ensued. I got to play a few times when they needed an extra player, and I thought that Bunco would be a great game for the last day of school for 2022.
It's a fast-paced exciting game, and requires counting. That's a win-win for school students.
Everyone got a prize, (most Buncos, most wins, most losses, etc.) and the students enjoyed it even more than I thought they would. We might make this a tradition. Happy holidays!
How to Play Bunco
1. There are six rounds, and each round has a separate goal: for all three dice to land on whichever round you are on.
2. Round one's goal is to roll ones; round two's goal is to roll twos, etc.
3. Four players are at a table and there are two teams at each table. The player across from you is your partner.
4. You get one point for every die that lands on that round's number. For example, if you are on round 5 and roll a 5, you get a point. You get two points if you roll two 5s. You get to keep rolling as long as you get a 5. When a roll produces no 5s, the dice pass to the next player.
5. A bunco is scored when all three dice land on the same number. For the sample round described above, if a player rolls three 5s, he yells "Bunco!" and the round ends for all of the tables. A bunco is worth 21 pounts, and that ends the round.
6. If all three dice are rolled and they all land on the same number, but not the number of the round, then 5 points are scored and play keeps going. For example, in the sample round above, the goal is to get three 5s. So, if a player rolls three 6s, he gets a 5 point "baby" bunco and passes the dice (because he got no 5s).
7. Score is kept by teams, so both players on a team add their points together. The first team to get to 21 points wins. This ends the game for all of the tables and players. If a player is in the middle of his turn, he may continue that turn. Whichever team has the most points wins at that table.
8. Players mark a "W" for a win, and an "L" for a loss. If a player scores a real bunco (same numbers on the dice as the round number), he marks a tally mark under the "bunco" space at the bottom of the score card. (These are availble to print for free online.). Only the player who rolled the bunco gets to count a bunco; his team partner does not. And a "baby bunco" (all three dice on the same number but NOT the number of the round) does not count as a tally mark for a bunco.
9. At the end of a round, the winning team moves up a table (Tables are numbered, with the lead table being #1, the next table #2, etc.), and the losing team stays. The winning team at table #1 stays and the losing team at table #1 moves to the last table.
10. At the end of the game, (we played six rounds as shown on the scorecards above), prizes are awarded as follows: most wins, most losses, most buncos, etc.
You can choose themes as well, and decorate the tables according to whatever theme you choose, have snacks that fit the theme, and prizes that do as well.