Bunco is a simple and fast-paced game that is inexpensive and easy to teach to others, which makes it a perfect party game. It can also be played for money or as a drinking game, which only adds to its popularity as a party favorite. Others like it because it is simple enough that it allows players to chat while playing, which makes for a more valuable social experience and a great idea for couples or girls' night out.
If you're never hosted a Bunco party before, preparing is not much more complicated than if you were hosting any other type of party. Of course you will need to tidy up and get some food and decorations, but the rest is fairly easy.
Twelve players that rotate tables is fairly standard, but you could go with more or less depending on your guest list. You don't even need to have an even amount of players for the game to work. You will need to purchase a Bunco set for each table, which will include a score pad, large fuzzy Bunco dice and three sets of four colored dice and the Bunco bell. Games can be found at specialty game stores or retailers like Wal-Mart and Target.
Given that Bunco is a dice game, a great decorating scheme might include large fuzzy dice and balloons in black, red or silver or a similar casino-night sort of feel. However, if you would like Bunco to be your new girls' night in tradition, you may want to try a cocktail theme or something centered on your favorite television show, such as Desperate Housewives or Sex and the City.
Fun invitations could be crafted from playing cards or bingo cards or can be printed for free on the Internet. Since Bunco is a fast-paced game, finger foods that don't make a big mess are best, such as veggies trays, fresh fruit or cheese and crackers. If you would like to serve sandwiches or other hor d'oeuvres, try serving them at an intermission or before or after play to avoid making a mess of your dice.
If you want to add a little spice to the game, you could serve liquor and make it into a drinking game or you could ask each player to donate a small amount ($5 or so) and create a cash pot or use it to purchase prizes. If the game is going to be a rotating tradition among friends or neighbors, you could also provide the prize yourself, knowing that next time the responsibility would fall on someone else.
When your guests arrive, start by quickly going over the instructions, which are thankfully very easy to follow and you will quickly be ready to begin. If you are having separate tables of play, you may also consider creating place cards ahead of time so that there is no awkwardness over where people are to sit.
I think you will find that hosting a Bunco party is easy, fun and fairly inexpensive as far as parties go and that your guests will have a blast. And if your party goes as great as I think it will, it won't be long before you are the guest rather than the host for your next Bunco party, because everyone will want in on the fun.