Ready for some BUNCO?
I’m so glad you’ve found Bunco Printables and are interested in starting (or jazzing up) your Bunco group! If you’ve ever wanted to play Bunco but you weren’t sure where to start? Or maybe you need some new ideas or some organization. You’ve come to the right place!
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I started my Bunco group in 2002 and it’s still going! Sure, we’ve had members come and go but I would hate to give that up. It’s always nice to get out once a month and share my ups and downs with my girlfriends. It’s such an important part of growing and maintaining friendships. Even if you’re not playing Bunco, getting together and sharing your lives with friends is healthy and makes life more fun! Just do it! 😉
On this page, you’ll find a variety of useful downloads and so much more! I’ve put together some great items you may find useful when setting up your Bunco group or just giving your Bunco group a makeover!’
All of our products and free items are downloadable and will require a pdf reader. If you don’t already have one we recommend Adobe Reader.
The Basics
If you’re interested in starting your own Bunco group then you’ve come to the right place! I’ve put together the basics so you can get started as soon as possible! Keep in mind that each Bunco group is different and you should set yours up to suit your needs.
First, you’re going to want to ask some friends if they’d be interested in starting up a group. If you can get 3-4 friends and each of them asks 3-4 friends, you’ve got a group! I recommend that you have 1 or 2 people who are ultimately responsible for the group. If no one takes responsibility it can easily fall apart.
Next, you need to put together some rules. You can use the rules I’ve got here or search the web for rules. There are as many rules as there are Bunco groups!
When I started my group I asked a couple of my members to help me decide on the rules. If you do this, don’t ask too many people to join you or you’ll be in a “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario!
Rules
I have a set of rules that I use in my Bunco group that you can find HERE. These rules aren’t the “official” rules (if there is such a thing…lol), they are a custom set of rules we came up with to use in our group.
We like our rules for lots of reasons, one is that if we had to move every time someone yelled “BUNCO!” we’d be changing seats a lot more than we are! Another is the simplicity of our rules…not much thinking…a lot more chatting!
Take what you like from our rules or make up your own…but whatever you do write them down and pass them out so everyone knows what the rules are and there aren’t any hurt feelings or bad calls. The main objective here is to get together and have fun!
Hosting Bunco
The Hostess responsibilities can vary from group to group. In our group, the Hostess is responsible for setting up 3 tables and chairs and providing table snacks, an appetizer (or two), and dessert for 12 people.
Also, we recommend the hostess send out an email reminder to all members with directions to her house one week before Bunco. If there is a sub, whoever invited the sub should remind them. If a member can’t find a sub, the Hostess can help secure a sub so there are 12 players for each game.
When choosing Hostess responsibilities for your group consider the expense and time required to host and what works for your group. If it costs too much or takes too much time you may have trouble keeping a group together.
On the other hand, themed parties are super fun! You can have themed food and décor…even dress in costume!
Ingredients
It’s nice to put together a small tote or box to hold all the Bunco items as they’re passed from house to house. Below is what you need for basic Bunco play.
12 players (more or less in multiples of 4)
1 table and chairs per 4 people (Each table is assigned a number or High Table, Mid Table and Low Table, etc.)
Optional: Table Cards to let everyone know which table is which (these are available as a free download on each Themed Bunco page).
3 dice/table
A hand bell, a call bell, or a cowbell – placed at Head Table
1 Bunco Printables Scorecards for each player
1 Bunco Printables Table Tally sheets per table
Pens or pencils for each player
A Traveler (which is a Fuzzy Dice or themed object that can be passed each time a BUNCO is played)
A tote bag to hold it all!
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Prizes
Just like the rules, prizes are unique to the group. Some groups like to get themed prizes, others get the same prizes each month, and others just stick with cold hard cash!
One example of cash prizes goes like this. Each (12 people) player pays $5 to play. The cash prizes are divided up like this:
$30 ~ Most Wins
$15 ~ Most BUNCOs
$10 ~ Most Baby BUNCOs (aka FUNKOs)
$5 ~ Big Loser
For the Traveler Prize, consider collecting a $5 gift card from each member of the group (that’s one per month if you’ve got 12 members in your group). The gift cards are kept in the Bunco Bag/Box and given to the player who has the Traveler at the end of the game.
It’s also a good idea to have the member pay for a sub if they can’t be there (if you choose this option you should put it in your rules).
Dates & Places
Once you’ve decided upon a set of rules and found 12 members and a few possible subs you’re ready to go! If you haven’t found 12 members keep asking (email, Facebook, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc.).
Next, you (and your group) need to decide how often (weekly, monthly, etc.) and when (second Friday, third Sunday, etc.) you want to get together. You should also decide what is involved with hosting Bunco…this could be a deal breaker for some people if it’s too elaborate.
Once the deets are in place it’s time for everyone to sign up to host! Print out a sign-up sheet (you can get one on our FREEbies page) with the dates you’ve chosen for the year. I think this is important because if it’s not on the calendar it might not happen.
After everyone has signed up for the month they will be hosting, print out or email the list to everyone. It’s a good idea to print one out to keep in the Bunco Bag/Box, as well.
Your First BUNCO Day!
It’s Bunco Day! About an hour or so before everyone arrives set up the tables and chairs. Put 1 Table Tally, 4 Scorecards, 4 pens, and 3 dice on each table. The Head Table gets the Bell and the Traveler.
Once the guests have arrived pass out the rules, collect cash for prizes, go over the rules and how to play the game with everyone…and get rolling!
When you’ve reached the end of the game (usually 4 sets of 6 rounds) everyone counts up their wins/losses, most buncos, etc. and prizes are awarded. Before everyone leaves announce where Bunco will be held next time and send the Bunco Box/Bag home with the new hostess.
More than anything Bunco should be a chance to get out and commune with others, to get away if only for a night! It’s all about the FUN! If everyone had a good time then you hosted a successful night of BUNCO!
Hosting an AMAZING Bunco Party!
I know that hosting Bunco can be stressful (I’m referring to the “getting ready for it” part)…the actual hosting is, and should be, fun!
Creating an inviting atmosphere is so simple and will ensure you have an unforgettable Bunco party.
What I mean by that is, does your space invite people in? Do people feel comfortable when they come into your home?
Things to consider when making your space inviting…lighting, smell, cleanliness, and comfort.
Is your home too bright…not bright enough? When playing bunco your guests need to be able to see the dice so I wouldn’t go for candlelight (lol)…but they shouldn’t feel like they’re in an operating room either. Find a comfortable amount of light, somewhere in the middle.
As far as smells go, too much of anything is NOT a good thing! Aim for a “clean/nothing” smell. Some people are sensitive to strong smells and we don’t want to overwhelm our guests with too much…unless you’re baking something and the place smells like yummy dessert. I don’t think anyone would complain about that!
Cleanliness is a relative term. What is “clean” to one is not to another. The main thing here is not to have your space too cluttered or dirty. Most people don’t notice a little dust here and there but you don’t want your guests to be able to write “clean me” on the coffee table or walk across a sticky floor. By cleaning your home it says to your guests, “You’re worth the effort!”
What I’m talking about with comfort isn’t that you should go out and buy new furniture, but more about your items (folding chairs and whatever else you use to play) being free of broken parts, etc., and as comfortable as you can make them…without breaking the bank…think pillow, chair pads, etc.
Another thing that can take some of the pressure off is having a completely stocked Bunco bag/box. In my group, we use a small canvas tote that gets passed around to each hostess month to month.
Our Bunco bag contains, our bell, a fuzzy dice traveler, a pencil pouch with ballpoint pens, our Roster, our Bunco calendar with dates and places, and all the Bunco score cards & Tally Sheets we need for the year all printed, cut, and ready to use.
I’ve had Bunco players tell me they love this idea and started implementing it in their group. They also requested that I put together Combo Packs/Bundles of Bunco Sets to make it more affordable. So I did!
The best value is the 12-month Combo Pack 1 or the 12-month Combo Pack 2. Just ask everyone in your Bunco group to pitch in (divide the cost by 12) and then you’re covered for the year…in fact, for as many years as you want to continue using them! In case you’re wondering where you can find the 12-month Combo Packs just click BUNDLES under the SHOP tab.
I’ve also got 3-pack, 4-pack, and 6 6-pack combos available, in case you want other options!
If that wasn’t enough awesomeness, you can download FREE Table Cards and Beverage Tags for ALL of our themes! Just go to the theme you like and download the ones you want!