Bunco is a dice game played with 12 players in teams of two. The aim is to score the most victories or buncos in four sets of six rounds. The game originated from an English dice game and became popular in the US during the California Gold Rush. It was later played as a gambling activity during Prohibition and regained popularity in the 1980s as a social activity. Prizes are awarded to the winners.
Bunco is a dice game, the object of which is to score the most victories, or buncos, during four game series. There are six rounds to each set, corresponding to the six sides of the die. Traditionally, the game is designed for 12 players.
At the start of the game, four players are randomly selected to sit at the main table. The remaining players are distributed between the remaining two tables. Each table is divided into two teams. One person from each team counts the points. Along with the team score, a score is also kept for each individual player.
The head table sets the pace for the game which begins with the ringing of a bell. The game begins immediately when one player on each table rolls three dice attempting to roll “one”. The target number corresponding to the current game round. For example, in the first round, each die that rolls a “one” in this case scores a point. Thus, if two of the dice rolled turned out to be one, two points would be scored. Every time three of the target numbers are rolled, for example three fours in the fourth round, a bunto is made. The player who shoots must shout “bunco” for his team to receive the associated 21 points. Only the individual who shot the bunco can claim it on their individual score.
If a player gets three of a kind of a different number than the current round’s number, they are awarded 5 points. As soon as a team at the main table reaches 21 total points or scores a bunco, the main table rings its bell and the round ends for all tables. The round is won at each table by the team with the most points at the time the bell rings. Prizes are awarded to the players with the highest scores at the end of four sets of play.
The game’s roots come from a progressive English dice game known as 8-dice cloth, and it was unknown in the United States until a traveling gambler introduced the game to San Francisco during the famous California Gold Rush of 1850. Enjoyed throughout the 19th century as a family parlor game, bunco became a popular gambling activity during Prohibition, and the name “Bunco teams” was applied to police squads that discontinued this activity illegal. The game regained popularity in the 1980s mainly among suburban women as a social activity and bunco clubs were organized with prizes at the door and small amounts of money awarded to the winners.
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