Bunco Rules: How to Play and Host a Bunco Night
Bunco is a fast, noisy dice game made for groups. It needs no skill at all: you roll three dice, cheer, switch partners and roll again. That is exactly why it is a favorite for parties, clubs and family nights. Here is how to set up a full Bunco night for twelve players, the scoring, how players move between tables, and the odds of rolling a Bunco.
What You Need
- Twelve players is the classic number: three tables of four, playing in pairs.
- Three dice for each table, so nine dice in total.
- A bell for the head table.
- A score sheet for each table and a tally card for each player to record wins, losses and Buncos.
Fewer than twelve? Use a "ghost" player: the person sitting opposite the empty seat rolls for the ghost as well. Short of dice, a phone with the Dice Roller set to three dice works at any table.
Setting Up the Tables
The tables are the head table, the middle table and the low table. Partners sit across from each other. For the first round, people can draw cards or use a picker to make random teams, so friends do not always end up together.
How to Play
- Six rounds. In round 1 the target number is 1, in round 2 it is 2, and so on up to 6.
- Roll. On your turn, roll three dice and score points for the target number (see the chart). If you scored, roll again; if not, pass the dice to the left.
- Ring the bell. As soon as a team at the head table reaches 21 points, the head table rings the bell and the round ends for everyone. Other tables finish the roll in progress.
- Wins and losses. At each table the team with more points marks a win on their tally cards; the other team marks a loss. A tie is settled with a quick roll-off.
- Move and switch. Winners at the middle and low tables move up one table. Losers at the head table move down to the middle table. Winners at the head table and losers at the low table stay. At each table, players then switch partners.
After round 6 a set is finished. Many groups play four sets in an evening, starting again from round 1 each time.
Bunco Scoring Chart
| Roll | Points |
|---|---|
| Each die showing the round number | 1 |
| Three of a kind, not the round number | 5 |
| Three of the round number (Bunco) | 21 |
Players also mark every Bunco on their tally card, because prizes for most Buncos are a Bunco night tradition. Some groups give a bigger bonus or a fun penalty for three 1s; agree on house rules before you start.
The Odds of a Bunco
Each die has a one in six chance of showing the target number, so luck alone decides who wins:
| On one roll of three dice | Chance |
|---|---|
| At least one point | about 42% |
| Three of a kind, not the round number | about 2% (5 in 216) |
| Bunco | about 0.5% (1 in 216) |
That means a table might see a Bunco only once in a couple of hundred rolls, which is why the whole room cheers when one lands. For more on how dice behave, see our guide to dice probability.
Prizes and House Rules
- Common prizes: most Buncos, most wins, most losses and the last Bunco of the night.
- Traveling prize: some groups pass a small prize to whoever rolls a Bunco, and the person holding it at the end wins it.
- Simpler version: with a small group, play at one table and skip the moving, as in the Bunco section of our easy dice games.
Where Bunco Comes From
Bunco is often traced to an English dice game called eight dice cloth, said to have reached San Francisco in the 1850s. There the name became linked with gambling halls and con artists, and "bunco" or "bunko" came to mean a swindle in American slang. How much of the early story is true is hard to say.
The friendly table game is much better documented. It became a popular social game in American homes and clubs from the 1980s onward, and Bunco nights are still a common way for neighbors and friends to meet. If your group wants a dice game with a little more strategy, try Farkle next.
FAQ
How many people do you need to play Bunco?
The classic Bunco night has twelve players at three tables of four, but you can play with eight or with a single table of four. Use a ghost player if the numbers do not fit.
What is a Bunco in the dice game?
A Bunco is rolling three of the round number at once, for example three 4s in round 4. It scores 21 points.
How many points is three of a kind in Bunco?
Three of a kind that is not the round number usually scores 5 points. Three of the round number is a Bunco and scores 21.
How do you move tables in Bunco?
Winners at the middle and low tables move up, losers at the head table move down to the middle table, and the others stay. Players switch partners at every new round.
How long does a Bunco game take?
One set of six rounds takes about 20 to 30 minutes. Many groups play four sets in an evening.