How to Play Bunco: Tables, Rounds and Scoring

Bunco is a quick, noisy dice game built for a crowd. Players sit in teams of two at several tables, roll three dice, and score whenever their dice match the number of the current round. A round ends as soon as a team at the top table reaches 21; then players change tables and partners, and the next number begins. There is no strategy to speak of. The appeal lies in the pace, the chatter and the shout that goes up when someone throws a bunco.

Setting up a Bunco night

The classic format seats twelve players at three tables of four, with partners facing each other across the table.

• Head table: the top table, which holds a bell. A team here reaching 21 ends the round for everyone.
• Middle table: the one in between.
• Low table: sometimes called the foot.

Each table needs three dice, a tally pad and a pencil, and every player gets a personal score card for wins, losses and buncos. Groups one or two players short often use a "ghost": an empty seat whose rolls are made by the ghost's partner.

Rounds and target numbers

A set has six rounds, and the round number is the target: in round one everyone wants 1s, in round two 2s, and so on up to 6s. Many evenings run four sets with a food break in the middle.

How Bunco scoring works

A player keeps rolling for as long as each throw scores at least one point, adding to the team tally. When a throw scores nothing, the dice move to the player on the left, who sits on the other team.

Some groups rule that a bunco at any table wins that table's round outright; most simply add the 21 and carry on. Settle it before the first set.

Ending a round

When a team at the head table reaches 21 points, someone rings the bell. Players at the other tables finish the roll in progress, then each table compares totals. A tie at a lower table is broken with one roll each.

Every player marks a W or an L on their card. Buncos go on the card too, and many groups hand a small token, often a fuzzy die, to whoever rolled the latest one.

Changing tables and partners

1. The winning team at the head table stays there.
2. The losing team at the head table moves down to the low table.
3. Winners at the middle and low tables move up one table.
4. Losers at the middle and low tables stay where they are.
5. At every table, the four players split up so each has a new partner for the next round.

With three tables, that movement always leaves four people per table. Larger groups add more middle tables and follow the same pattern.

Keeping the evening fair

• Roll in the open. Dice that leave the table or land tilted against something are rolled again.
• Count aloud. The pace is fast, and tallies drift without it.
• Use two scorekeepers per table, one from each team, so totals are checked.
• Keep spare dice nearby. At least one always disappears under a chair.

Prizes at the end

Traditional Bunco nights finish with small prizes for categories such as most buncos, most wins, most losses and the player holding the bunco token at the end. Snacks, a plant or a book work just as well as cash. Where money does go in a pot, it should be a token sum the whole group agrees on, among adults only, and it is worth checking local rules on home games where you live.

Bunco questions

Can you play Bunco with fewer than twelve people?

Yes. Eight players at two tables works well, and four at a single table is fine too: the first team to 21 simply wins the round. Ghost seats fill odd numbers.

How long does a Bunco night last?

Rounds are short, so a four-set evening usually fits into a couple of hours including food and chat.

Is there any skill involved?

None in the rolling. The interest comes from the table changes and the company. If your group wants choices to matter, try Farkle's bank-or-roll decisions or the bluffing in Liar's Dice; for a quiet table of two, gin rummy and its scoring makes a natural change of pace.