About Bunco

History

• During the 18th century, Bunco was called 8-Dice Cloth and primarily played in England. It made its way to America during the Gold Rush of the 1840s and 1850s, when a scam artist used a variation of the game to swindle prospectors out of money. The result was a secondary definition of the word Bunco---a scam or confidence game.

  Interest in the game waned with the Civil War but regained popularity in the late 1800s during the post-war economic boom in America. Bunco parlors opened to host games among gamblers, but the game caught on with women and children, as well. During the late 1800s through the beginning of World War I, Bunco was played primarily as a family game. During the Prohibition Era of the 1920s, Bunco parlors arose as a form of speakeasy.

  Bunco waned again following WWI, but experienced a resurgence during the 1980s as a game played by groups of women and couples. Toy companies have attempted to expand the game to children over the past few years, introducing kid-friendly sets aimed at capturing a younger generation.

Function

• Bunco requires groups of four to play, with 12 people being the standard size of a Bunco game. The basic play includes breaking up into pairs and taking a seat at a table. There are multiple tables depending on the number of players, but there is always a head table. This table sets the pace for the rest of the tables, ringing a bell when play begins and when play ends.

  Players alternate turns clockwise at the table, usually beginning with a roll-off. The highest roller of the dice will go first. Players will roll three dice, attempting to score points for rolling a specified number with the first team to 21 winning that round. This number is usually determined by the round number. For instance, if you are in round five and roll a five, you get a point. If you roll two fives, you get two points. If you roll three fives, you roll a Bunco and you automatically get 21 points and win the round. The round immediately ends when someone rolls 21 points, either by hitting a Bunco or by accruing points. There are usually six rounds to each game.

  At the end of the round, the team with the highest score at that table is considered winners of that round. At this point, teams alternate tables. In a 12-person game, the winning team at the head table stays put, while the losing team drops to table two. The winning team at table two goes up to the head table. The losing team from table two drops to table three. The winning team from table three goes to table two. The losing team at table three stays put.

  At the end of the night, the team with the most successful rounds wins.

Features

• The game is based on groups of four with the ideal number being 12 people. This means you need three tables to accommodate play. Each table needs the following: three dice, two pencils, two pads of paper and a score sheet for each person.

  You will also need a bell to be kept at the head table to mark the beginning and end of each round.

Size

• Bunco has worldwide appeal, as noted by the creation of the World Bunco Association. The group, founded in 1996, considers itself the governing body for Bunco worldwide. As part of its function, the group manages a website, links to Bunco supply providers and administers an annual tournament at Bally's Las Vegas.

  The game also has a presence in the social networking sphere. BuncoSpace is the only social network aimed at Bunco players worldwide.

Significance

• The WBA also sponsors the World Bunco Association Tournament. This three-day event at Bally's Las Vegas Hotel and Casino brings together hundreds of players to play. In 2009, the WBA will award $25,000 as a grand prize, with three $1,000 runner-up prizes.