Bunco
Dice Track with Paper ScoreRoll for the number, shout Bunco!
Page challenge
20-second race to 21
You get a random set number. Roll as fast as you can: 1 point for every die showing that number, 5 for three of a kind of anything else, and 21 for a Bunco. Hit 21 and ring the bell.
Reach 21 before time runs out for a gold star. Best is seconds left. Best: –
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Who goes first?
Settle it before the Bunco argument starts. Pick how many players, add names if you like, and spin.
Keeping score too? Doodle Score remembers your players and tallies every round.
Game Identity
- Name: Bunco
- Player Count: 4–12+ players, ideally a multiple of 4. Standard: 12 (3 tables of 4).
- Teams: Yes — 4 players per table play as 2 partnerships; partners sit across from each other. Partners and tables rotate between rounds.
- Theme: Fast-paced social dice game played at multiple simultaneous tables over 6 rounds.
Scoring Mechanics
- Scoring Variant: Accumulative — individual players accumulate wins, losses, and Buncos across 6 rounds.
- Target Score: Fixed 6 rounds. At end, tally wins, losses, and Buncos for prizes.
- Unit of Scoring: Round wins, Buncos, and total points per set.
- Lower vs. Higher: Most wins (then most Buncos as tiebreaker) wins the game.
Rules & Validation
Game Structure
- Sets and Rounds: The game is divided into 6 sets. Each set is won by the team that first reaches 21 points — or by the team with the highest total when the head table rings the bell.
- Round Scoring: Players roll 3 dice. They score 1 point per die showing the current set number (e.g., in Round 3, each "3" face = 1 point). A roll where all 3 dice match the set number = Bunco (21 points, round ends immediately).
- Wins and Losses: The team with more points at the end of a set earns a Win; the other earns a Loss. Ties are broken by one more die roll.
- Tracking per Player:
- Wins (W)
- Losses (L)
- Buncos (B)
- Individual points (optional tiebreaker)
Special Actions / Bonuses
- Bunco: All 3 dice show the current set number = 21 points, round ends immediately for that table. The rolling player marks a Bunco.
- Three-of-a-Kind (not Bunco): All 3 dice match but not the set number = 5 points.
Win Conditions
- Condition: After 6 sets, tally each player's wins. The player with the most wins receives the winner's prize. Most Buncos wins the Bunco prize. Most losses (last place) may receive a booby prize.
- Tie-Breaker: For wins: compare Buncos. For Buncos: compare individual point totals.
Set Up in Doodle Score
Bunco doesn't have a dedicated scorecard yet — track it for free using a general scorecard:
- Tap New Scorecard and choose Paper Score (tracks all players each round in a grid)
- Add 6 players (adjust as needed)
- Set Rounds to 6
Score type: Ascending — highest score wins.
Common Bunco rules questions
The arguments that come up at the table, answered from the official rules. Where house rules differ, we say so.
What is a Bunco worth?
21 points, and it ends that round at the table right away.
Does three of a kind count if it isn't the round number?
Usually it scores 5 points and you keep rolling.
House rule Some groups don't score it, so agree first.
How long do you keep rolling in Bunco?
You keep rolling as long as you score points. A roll with no points passes the dice.
When does a Bunco round end?
When the head table reaches 21 and rings the bell. Other tables stop and finish the roll in progress.
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