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Sunday 15 March 2009

I wonder if I'll get invited to a Bunco night when I live in Utah?

So I've noticed "Bunco" mentioned on friends' blogs and facebook updates for a while. I have had no clue what is was until about 5 mins ago. I decided to look up the defination on the good old faithful Wikipedia. I read through the defination, but it was the last line that made me realise why I see so many of my friends commenting about it, enough to make me wonder what it is. It's so funny that "Mormon women" would be mentioned in the defination of any game at all!

Bunco (also Bunko and Bonko) is a parlour game played in teams with three dice. A winning throw in Bunco is to throw three of a kind of a specified number.
According to the World Bunco Association[1], Bunco began as a progressive dice game in England, later being imported to the American West as a gambling activity. It was not until after the Civil War that it evolved to a popular parlor game. The Association states that during Prohibition, Bunco as a gambling game was re-popularized and the term "Bunco-Squad" was born, referring to law-enforcement groups that busted up Bunco Gaming. Bunco as a family game saw a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s. Although re-released in 2005 with a tagline reading "The game that's sweeping the nation," sales were initially low though senior citizens and young adults alike have found interest in the game[citation needed].
In recent years, the game has seen a resurgence in popularity in America, particularly among suburban women. As it is played today, Bunco is a social dice game involving 100% luck and no skill (there are no decisions to be made)[2], scoring and a simple set of rules. Women who are part of a Bunco club take turns as the Bunco hostess, providing snacks, refreshments and the tables to set up the games. The hostess may also provide a door prize. Small amounts of money can be involved as well. The object of the game is to accumulate points and to roll certain combinations. The winners get prizes (provided by the hostess or pooled from the club resources) for accomplishments such as the highest score, the lowest score, or the most buncos. Prizes frequently center on themes associated with the game such as fancy dice, dice embedded in soap, t-shirts featuring illustrations of dice, etc.
Bunco fundraisers have become increasingly popular over the years, earning large sums for a wide variety of charities. Large groups of bunco players have come together to support their favorite charities by paying an entry fee into the game, holding silent auctions, and by selling raffle tickets; with all proceeds from the event donated to the cause.

It is especially popular among Mormon women, presumably because it is complete chance and therefore less insidious as a form of gambling

3 comments:

ecometrochic said...

Uh Karen, I don't know of any Bunco enrichment groups. But I would really love to have you and your kids over in my back yard for some good playing in dirt (and eating raspberries later in the year, plus garden picking!). And I know all the good consignment shops (besides DI), farmer's markets, and swimming parks!

cmontroy said...

That is so funny! I have heard of Bunko a ton but never knew what it was. I hope you can have a bunko group too. I don't know of any here in CO. But i am ok with that:)

Shari said...

I still don't know what Bunco is. I always thought it was an "older ladies" game. I'm staying away from it for that reason alone!