How to Play Bunco: Super Fun GNO (Girls’ Night Out)

Need a break from the daily grind? Organize a Girls’ Night Out with a fun game of Bunco! It’s the perfect way to recharge, enjoy some self-care, and connect with friends. Discover how easy it is to set up a Bunco night that’s all about laughter, relaxation, and good company.

Being a parent can be a tiring job and it’s important to practice a little self-care so you have something to give back to your kiddos. If you’re an extrovert, then a Girl’s Night Out may be just what you need to recharge your batteries. (Different ideas for introverts! LOL!)

There are all kinds of ways to recharge with your friends and Bunco is a good choice. Bunco is the ultimate girls’ night out activity because it’s easy, it’s quick, and doesn’t require a lot of strategy. You can play and chat and not worry about using your brain all that much. And after a long day of dealing with the stresses of being MOM that’s just what the doctor ordered.

So maybe now is the time to gather some of your game playing friends together and start a Bunco group? Here’s how you start.

How to Start a Bunco Group

First Things First. You Need a Group!

Perhaps there’s already a Bunco group you can just plug into, but if not, it’s not that difficult to start one. Reach out to friends from your neighborhood, other mom groups, moms at the local summertime pool (and other extracurricular activities), book club (and other clubs and groups you belong to).

It’ll be a lot more fun if the group is diverse. It will also give everyone the opportunity to make some new friends.

I started a Google contacts group called ‘Bunco 2024’ to make sending emails easier. If folks responded, awesome! If not, I took it as a hint.

After we had our group, I started to gather supplies.

Bunco Supplies

• Six-Sided Dice (you’ll need about twelve dice in total)
• A Bell
• Printable Score Sheets and Table Cards
• Tables and Chairs
• Pens or Pencils
• Sometimes groups make players wear crazy hats or fun necklaces or hold silly stuffed things when they get a bunco

Throw your email in the box below to grab your printable score sheets and table cards (and a handy set of game instructions!)

You’ll need enough Score Sheets for each player and enough Table Cards for each table. The printables include enough for six tables. If you have a really big group, just print more and hand-write numbers on the cards. Or you may only need three or four tables.

Getting together to play Bunco is about the fun…not the fancy!

How to Play Bunco

1. 12 players break into 3 tables of 4 players each.
2. Tables are numbered; table 1 is the ‘head table’; table 2 is middle; table 3 is last.
3. Players sit across from their ‘temporary team’ member at each table.
4. One player at head table rings bell to signal start of game.
5. Players at each table take turns rolling 3 dice, trying to roll the same number as the round     (example:  roll 1’s during the 1st round = points earned; 2’s during 2nd round, etc.).
6. Players keep rolling until they score no points, after which time they hand the dice to the next player.  A table scorekeeper tallies points for both teams.
7. When the head table earns 21 points, the bell is rung, and the round is over.
8. Points are added.  Each table will have a winning team and a losing team. Players write their score on their personal score sheet and indicate win (W) or loss (L).
9. Players either stay or move tables depending on whether they won or lost the round. Instructions are on the table cards.  ‘Temporary team’ members MUST switch after each game.

BUNCO = 3 of the same number rolled matches round number (example: three 2’s during 2nd round = BUNCO!  →  BUNCO = 21 points

Baby Bunco = 3 of same number rolled does not match round number (ex: three 2’s during the 4th round) = Baby Bunco  →  Baby Bunco = 5 points

Remember, the Fun Part About Bunco…is the Fun. But Prizes Don’t Hurt!

Everyone chips in $5 to play! And then, after all of the games are played, count the pot.

• 50% of the total pot goes to the player with most Buncos
• 30% of total pot goes to the player with the high score
• 20% of the pot goes to the player with the most wins
• $5 goes to the player with the lowest score
• $5 goes to the player with the most losses

Don’t forget about the Bunco snacks! Check out how we do snacks for our  games:  Best Bunco Night Snacks

The great thing about Bunco is that it’s crazy easy and that you need very little brain power to make it work. It’s the ideal game to play while chatting with friends, catching up, and trying to solve world problems.

Here are some other great family game night ideas:

• How to Play the James Bond Card Game
• Minute to Win It. Games for Kids and Families
• New Year’s Eve Bingo Bonanza

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