Bunco

Overview

Bunco is a dice game of six rounds played with three dice. Its defining rule is that the target number changes every round: you chase 1s in round 1, 2s in round 2, and so on up to 6s in round 6. On the web you play solo against a computer opponent.

Scoring a roll

Roll all three dice and score them against the current round's target:

• Each die showing the target — 1 point.
• All three showing the target — a Bunco, worth 21 points, and the round ends immediately.
• Three of a kind that is not the target — 5 points.
• No dice showing the target — nothing, and your turn ends.

As long as you score at least one point you keep rolling. Your turn only ends when a roll misses entirely, so a hot streak can run for a long time.

Rounds

Points accumulate into a round total. A round ends in one of two ways: someone rolls a Bunco, or a player reaches 21 points in that round and the turn order comes back around.

When the round ends, both players' round totals are added to their running match totals and the next round begins with a new target.

Winning

After the sixth round, the highest cumulative total wins. Because a single Bunco is worth 21 points — more than most full rounds of ordinary scoring — one lucky roll can decide the match.

Why the changing target matters

Every round has identical odds: any given die shows the target one time in six, whatever the target is. Round 6 is no harder than round 1.

What does change is what counts as a wasted roll. Three 4s scores 5 points as a plain three of a kind in most rounds, but in round 4 the same roll is a Bunco worth 21.

Controls

Tap Roll to throw all three dice. The current round, its target number, your turn score and both match totals are displayed throughout. Scoring rolls continue your turn automatically; a miss passes the dice.