"Bunco" - Union Hall,VA

Love Wild Woman's first and ETA responses. I've played once and it was a blast, but her initial response would be about as well as I could describe the game...you need at least 3 tables of 4 people, you roll dice, someone keeps score, there's lots of chatter and wine and food. If you have the chance to play, go! Everyone else will know what they're doing and they'll help you along. You'll be a pro after a couple of rounds and there's really no skill involved, just luck.

Her ETA is very comprehensive but know that it's not at all complicated when you're actually playing.

ETA: When I played, we had at least 16 people...I know you can play with 12 - you need at least 3 tables of 4 people.

What you will need:
12 or more people
3 or more tables - if there are more than 12 people - 1 table for each group of 4.
12 or more chairs
Dice (set of 3 for each table)
Score pads
Pens
a bell or ringer of some sort
stack of index cards with numbers - 1 through 12 or how every many players you have. Players pick their numbers - that determines where they sit at the tables...(1 - 4 high, 5 - 8 med, 9 - 12 - low) Like in Spades or Hearts - you are teamed with the player opposite you.

Playing:
There will be a "high" table, "medium" table and "low" table. The players at the high table control the game. They set the number (1 through 6) for each round....

Players roll three dice to score points.
Players will receive 1 point for rolling a number that matches the round number, for example, if you roll a 1 in Round 1 or a 2 in Round 2 and so on.

Rolling three of the same number earns a player 5 points, as long as the number rolled is not the same as the current round. If a player rolls three 4s in Round 1, they receive 5 points.

If a player rolls all the same number and it matches the round number, this is called a Bunco. Scoring a Bunco is worth 21 points. To claim a Bunco the player must yell the word "Bunco" or points will be forfeited.

When a player at the high table reaches 21 points the round is over. Players with the highest scores move up a table, while the losing teams stay in place. The losers at the high table move to the low table.

There is more - it's been a long time...but it's a BOATLOAD of FUN!!
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oooh my God!! I LOVE BUNCO!!!!

I used to play it with my mom and a group of friends!! Such AWESOME memories!!

Groups of 4 sit at tables and roll dice...someone at each table keeps score...then you rotate...

The women GAB!! It's SOOO MUCH FUN!!! And roll and play! And LAUGH!! At the end of our games we had prizes...they were "cheap" prizes...not dollar store - but nothing outrageous - and we were there for a few hours...

BLAST!!! If you didn't live 4 hours away - i would sooo go to your house and play!!

It's a very mindless dice game. I don't mean that in a bad way - it's fun and not a lot of work, and gives a group of people some structure and a good way to mingle because everyone rotates through tables, so you sit with new people every few minutes. It needs at least 8 people, but is best with 12 or 16. Here is my best brief description:

1. set up tables for 4 women to sit at. Each table has 2 teams of 2 people.
2. Start rolling dice. In the first round, you are trying to roll a 1. Count how many ones you roll. Whatever team (at any table) who gets to 25 yells Bunco. Everyone stops playing, and whatever team has the highest total at each table is the winner. (If you get 3 ones, you get 25 points and win immediately).
3. At each table, the winners stay, and losers move to the next table.
4. Teams must switch every round, so you must choose a new partner for round 2.
5. Do the same thing in round 2, and now you are rolling for twos.
6. Repeat until you get to round 6.
Whoever has the most wins at the end is the winner.

Bunco is really fun. We have a group of 12-16 that have played every single month for the past 4.5 years. We're all in our mid 30's-40's. It's so easy to play that we can chat, drink wine, etc and still play... you barely have to think.

I am semi-in the dark as well. I do know that you play it with dice, though. And it takes a fairly large group... as the players change tables throughout the "game" (the night). I know several different groups of women who play it as a sort of ladies night out, only in... meaning, they rotate who's house they go to (hosting) and they bring wine, food, etc.

I have never played it myself, personally, so I am not sure exactly how it is played, the rules, how you win... any of those particulars. But I understand it is not difficult to learn.

Interesting that you mention it being regional. I wonder that, too, now that you mention it. It has been going strong here locally (in the southeast, FL/GA coastal area) for a few years. Not sure where it originated though. I'll be interested to see what the other ladies have to offer about the game.
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Oh. And no offense Wild Woman, but your response is EXACTLY what all my friends who play tell me when they describe it, too. It's very social and I think that is what attracts everyone, but nobody ever actually explains the game itself. HOW do you play? I could explain Rook or Spades, or Hearts or Yahtzee, or Farkle... but I am not sure how you play Bunco. How do you play, what is the objective, how do you score/win? Can you expand your answer... some of us want to know! Thanks!
-ETA2 : THANK YOU THANK YOU!! No one has ever explained that much!! Makes sense. I have played a version of another game that was set up like that. I think it was Sequence... but we set it up like you described the Bunco tables... and the switching of winning/losing teams. It was modeled on that part... but the actual game was not Bunco, so I didn't know how you actually played Bunco. Thank you, again!

My boss plays it every Friday at their FAC. (Friday Afternoon Club) and she loves it! At first it sounded like an old people game (no offense) that is just what it reminded me of. Now that I know the object of the game it sounds fun!

It's very popular at senior services centers since anyone can play it, unlike bridge.

It's like the bridge lady stuff.

A church buddy played it. Recently, I am not into learning new games (menopausal symptom), but I went for the fellowship. They had a blast.