How to host a Bunco night

The plan: 12 players, 3 tables

The classic Bunco group is 12 players at three tables of four. Many groups have 12 regulars who take turns hosting, with each date’s host and address set at the start of the season, and a list of subs for nights when a regular can’t come.

The host needs room for three tables of four, with space to roll dice. A kitchen table, a dining table and a card table work fine. Number them 1, 2 and 3: Table 1 is the head table, and it gets the bell. If you’re new to the game, start with How to play Bunco.

When you don’t have 12

Bunco is happiest in multiples of four, but any number from about 8 up works. When you’re short, use ghost seats: an empty chair whose turn the player across from it takes. Spread the empty seats out, one per table, so nobody plays alone across from two empty chairs:

Bunco Circle seats a short night this way for you. Someone arriving late can join at the start of the next round, in an empty seat.

Regulars, subs and RSVPs

• Ask for a yes or no for every date, a few days ahead, so you know how many tables to set up.
• Keep a waitlist. If more people say yes than you have seats, the rest wait in the order they replied and move up when someone drops out.
• Keep a list of subs with their phone numbers. When a regular can’t come, text the subs: the first to say yes gets the seat.
• Send a reminder before each night, with the host’s address.

Bunco Circle does all of this: everyone taps I’m in or Can’t make it, the waitlist fills open seats in order, reminders go out before each game to everyone who turns them on, and “Need a sub?” texts your subs from your own phone, each with a link to say yes.

Supplies

• 3 tables and 12 chairs.
• 9 dice, three per table, and a spare or two.
• A bell for the head table.
• Table numbers 1, 2 and 3, with the head table marked.
• A score sheet for each table, a tally sheet for each player, and pencils. Free printable score sheets are on our printables page.
• A Traveler die, if you play it. A fuzzy die is traditional.
• Envelopes for the dues and the prizes.

Food

Keep it easy. A simple plan: food and drinks as people arrive, and dessert at the break between sets. Finger food works best, so hands are free for the dice, and a separate table keeps plates away from the score sheets. If your group takes turns hosting, agree whether the host provides the food or everyone brings something.

Dues and prizes

Most groups collect dues of $5 to $10 per player, in cash, as people arrive, and pay the prizes from the pot. Here’s one way to split $10 dues from 12 players:

Bunco Circle keeps your prize list and amounts, and sign-in adds up the dues that came in, but the app never handles money: the cash stays at the table.

House rules to agree on

Every group plays a little differently. Settle these before the first night, and tell new players and subs:

• How many sets you play. Four, or 24 rounds, is common.
• What a baby Bunco is worth: usually 5, sometimes 1.
• When a round ends: when a pair at the head table reaches 21, a higher score, or a timer.
• Whether you play the Traveler.
• How ties are settled, at a table and for a prize. A roll-off is usual.
• The dues, and which prizes they pay for.

On the night, step by step

1. Sign people in. Mark who’s here, collect the dues, and fill any empty seat with a sub or a ghost seat.
2. Seat everyone at random. Shuffle the seats for round 1, four to a table, with partners across from each other. Put the bell on Table 1.
3. Go over the rules. Give new players the one-minute version: roll for the round’s number, 21 for a Bunco, stop at the bell, winners move up.
4. Play the sets. Six rounds make a set. Take a break for food between sets.
5. Add up the tally sheets. After the last round, count each player’s wins, losses, Buncos and baby Buncos, and see who is holding the Traveler.
6. Hand out the prizes. Settle any ties, pay the prizes from the dues, and confirm the next date and host.

The checklist

• Date, start time, host and address confirmed
• 12 players in, with subs asked for any empty seats
• 3 tables and 12 chairs
• 9 dice and a spare
• A bell for the head table
• Table numbers, with the head table marked
• Score sheets, tally sheets and pencils
• The Traveler, if you play it
• Food and drinks
• An envelope for dues, and some change
• The prize list and amounts
• House rules agreed: sets, baby Bunco points, ties

Questions people ask

How many people do you need for a Bunco night?

12 is the classic number: three tables of four. 8 or 16 work just as well. With 9, 10 or 11, play three tables with an empty “ghost” seat at one or more of them, and the player across from each empty chair rolls for it.

How much are Bunco dues?

Most groups collect $5 to $10 per player a night, in cash, and pay the prizes from it.

What prizes do you give at Bunco?

Most wins, Most Buncos and Most losses are the classics, plus the Traveler if you play it. Many hosts add their own, like a door prize or the last Bunco of the night.

What if someone cancels at the last minute?

Text your subs: the first to say yes takes the seat. If nobody can come, play with a ghost seat.

What if someone arrives late?

They can join at the start of the next round, in an empty seat. The round being played carries on as it is.