How to play Bunco

Bunco is the dice game of the neighborhood party: three dice, lots of rolling, a little shouting and a lot of talking. It needs no skill at all, which is the point. Four players share a table in two teams of two, and partners change every round. You play with three computer players, or with friends on their own phones, with the score up on a TV if you like.

Six rounds, six numbers

• There are six rounds. The round number is the number to roll: round 1 counts 1s, round 2 counts 2s, up to 6s.
• On your turn, tap Roll. Every die showing the number of the round is 1 point for your team.
• Three of the round's number at once is a Bunco: 21 points, and usually the round.
• Three of a kind of any other number is 5 points.
• As long as you score, you keep rolling. A roll with no points passes the dice to the player on your left.
• The round ends the moment a team reaches 21 points. Both partners on that team get a win; the other two get a loss.

Partners

Your partner sits across the table in rounds 1 and 4, beside you on one side in rounds 2 and 5, and on the other side in rounds 3 and 6. In a hall with several tables, players move to a new table instead; at one table, new partners do the same job. Your partner this round is marked on the table.

Winning the night

After six rounds, the player with the most wins takes the night. A tie goes to whoever rolled the most Buncos. TapScores for the score sheet: who won each round, and everyone's wins, losses and Buncos.

Bunco night with friends

Choose Play with friends and send the link, or read out the four-letter table code. Everyone rolls from their own phone, and the computer fills empty seats. To put the table on a TV for the whole room, open the TV link from the table on the TV's web browser. There are no prizes and no money here: just the game.

Questions

Is there any strategy? None, and that is why Bunco is so friendly: everyone has the same chance, from the first-timer to the club regular.

How strong are the computers? They only roll, just like you, so there are no levels.

Is there a daily game? Not for Bunco. With nothing to decide, everyone would get the same result.

We play with a different rule at our club. Many groups do: bonus points for a "baby Bunco", a traveling prize, or rounds that end with a bell at the head table. This table plays the common rules above.

Do I need an account? No. Your game is saved in this browser, so you can close the page and come back.