How To Play Bunko

In some form or another, the dice game Bunko has been around since the late nineteenth century. Bunko is enjoying a big surge in popularity. So, what is it and how do you play?

1. Bunko is sometimes spelled Bunco and has myriad variations. While the basic essence of the game is quite simple, every Bunko club, party or gathering of friends tends to have their own custom version of the Bunko rules. So, the most important thing to do when you join a group of Bunko players is to establish the rules by which you are playing up front.

2. First, understand that Bunko is easier to play than it is to explain. So, follow these rules, but feel free to improvise and have fun coming up with your own rule set.
3. How many people do you need to play Bunko? An ideal number for Bunko is 12, since you play the game in groups of four. Of course, many groups deal with odd numbers by having "dummy" players; many a teddy bear has played stand-in on Bunko night.
4. What else do you need? For a group of 12 people, you will need to set up three tables, each with four seats.  Each table will need three dice, a scorecard for the table and a pencil.
5. Designate one table the "high" table, one the "middle" table, and one "low." The high table usually has a noisemaker such as a bell, although you can always just yell. Air horns are not recommended. The high table is in charge of starting and ending each round. Once four people are seated at each table, one person should be designated as scorekeeper. For the purpose of each game, people seated across from one another at a single table are teammates.
6. Each Bunko game has six rounds. In each round, players are trying to roll the target number, which is equal to the round number. So, in round one, players want to roll ones. Simple, huh?
7. Each time a player rolls the target number, the team accrues a point. So, in round one, if team one's first roll of the dice gets a one, a three and a four, the team is awarded one point. Points can also be won by rolling three of any number except the target number (usually a five point award) and by rolling three of the target number-a Bunko! A Bunko is worth 21 points, but only if you remember to yell it.
8. A player rolls for as long as she continues scoring points. If no points are won in a roll, the dice are passed to the next player to the left.
9. A round ends when the high table reaches 21 points. The other teams can exceed 21 points as long as the high table has not reached that goal.
10. When the round is over, the teams at each table compare their points. The winning teams from the middle table move up to the high table, the low table winners move to the middle and the high table losers move to the low table.
    
    
11. Once you have played for the target numbers one through six, an entire Bunko game is complete. Many Bunko groups have a cash buy-in and award cash prizes to the winner. They may divide it among multiple people with various standings or with real or dubious honors (lowest score or most Bunkos, for example).