5 Steps to Hosting a Sucessful Bunco Party

Once a month, I leave the house, my kids and my husband for an evening of crazy fun with 11 other of my girl friends to play Bunco. I look forward to this temporary escape where I can chat it up with other women, eat, laugh a lot, eat some more, and maybe even go home with the big prize.

Bunco is easy to learn and requires no skill. The beauty of this is that while we play, we talk: We talk about our dry cracked heels and our husbands' latest home improvement miracle or mishap. We catch up on each other's kids' latest triumph or trouble. We share an easy recipe our family loved or a tip for removing permanent marker from linoleum floors. We talk about school, church, soccer and relationships. We confess our weaknesses and try not to boast our strengths.

For me, Bunco provides a release. It's a time I can laugh out the stress and frustration that comes with being a full time mom and in a sense, recharge.

Originally, Bunco was a slang term for a trick or scheme that deceives people into parting with money.

The game "Bunco" does not necessarily require one to part with their money, but when my group plays, we all contribute $5 to the Bunco kitty which is used to buy prizes. Everyone leaves with a prize ranging in price from $1 to $20.

Bunco is played in rounds with 3 tables of 4 players each. For each round, the dice is passed around the table as each player tries to roll for points. Play stops when someone from any of the tables reaches 21, or rolls a Bunco.

Once a year, each lady in the group takes a turn to host. In our group, she provides a dinner and dessert, as well as snacks for the game table. Additionally, the hostess is responsible for purchasing the prizes using the Bunco money. It's a big job, but can be a lot of fun. By breaking the responsibilities into easy steps, you can be on your way to hosting Bunco.

Plan Your Menu
Some hostesses like to knock themselves out by preparing a lavish menu. To be honest, you will rarely find a guest who will complain about a fancy meal she didn't have to prepare or clean up. However, many of the moms in our Bunco group are just so glad that someone else is doing the cooking; they probably wouldn't bat an eye at take out pizza and cans of cold root beer.
Home made soup, rolls and salad is a great middle ground between the two extremes of fancy and casual. The soup will stay the perfect temperature in your crock pot while the rolls can stay warming in the oven until ready to serve. Mix up a green salad with dressing on the side and set everything out buffet-style for easy serving.

Another easy dinner solution is a meat and cheese tray, either of your own making, or from your local deli. A few condiments with French rolls and your guests can put together their own sandwiches. A pasta and fruit salads make wonderful side dishes and can easily be made ahead of time to cut down on the last minute rushing around that inevitably happens when one hosts a party.

Whatever you decide to serve, deciding your menu is the first step to planning a successful Bunco party.

Confirm the Guest List
Bunco requires 12 people to play. It is possible to play with one or two less than 12, but it's so much more fun when you have 12 players. I usually e-mail everyone in the Bunco group several weeks before our Bunco night to find out who can come and who can not. Usually there are at least one or two people who can't make it. When that happens, I find substitute players.

Get your guests and subs confirmed early because it's not fun to call around 10 minutes before Bunco starts, trying to find another player to come. Don't ask me how I know this!

Shop for Gifts
Shopping for Bunco prizes is the definition of shopping on a budget. Usually you have around $60 and need to get prizes in specific price ranges. This can be fun, but also a little stressful. Of course you want your guests to love your prizes, but the budget can be pretty restrictive.

In the past, I was lucky to have my Bunco party just after the Bath and Body Works semi-annual sale. I was able to really stretch my dollar and get some great prizes that were originally priced much higher than what my budget would have allowed.

Some craft stores have weekly coupons for a percentage off on one product. Check around with your friends to see if they have a coupon they are not using and collect coupons to buy prizes at 30%-40% off.

An outlet mall is another great place to make your Bunco budget go as far as it can. Most outlet malls have a house wares store like Pfaltzgraff or Oneida that would have lots great items that would make lovely Bunco prizes.

Final Touches
About 30 minutes before your guests arrive, set your tables with dinner ware. Paper plates and napkins with plastic forks and spoons and cups are a great choice for Bunco. They make clean up quick and easy allowing more time for you to enjoy your guests and play Bunco. Check your local Dollar Store for a wide variety of paper products at great prices. They often have seasonal paper plates and napkins, which will really add flair to your tables.

Paper or plastic table coverings add a nice touch and will tie your "look" together with one unified color theme.

Make sure you have all the items needed for Bunco, including note pads and sharpened pencils for score keeping, individual score cards, and most importantly, dice! You will need 3 dice for each table, or a total of 9 dice.

Have Fun
After all the work and preparation, make sure you enjoy yourself and have fun. Don't forget to pass the Bunco box containing all the Bunco supplies and money to next month's hostess and enjoy 11 months off before you hostess again.