Many years ago, my friend Linda, invited me to play Bunco as a sub. Bunco? Had no clue other than my Grandma Kitty had mentioned playing back in the 50's with a group of her girlfriends and had a blast. I called Grandma, and she said, "GO! You will have fun! Then call me and tell me what you thought!"
So I went.
I had a blast. I knew several of the ladies, but not all, however, I left knowing I now had new friends. Soon after, that friend called to tell me that they had a permanent opening. Everyone liked me and thought I was a good fit, would I be interested in committing to once a month playing and hosting one of those parties. SURE! Oh my gosh! I looked forward to every party. We played, we chatted, we shared, we laughed, and we cried. It was a wonderful gathering and sharing and I am so grateful that I was a part of this group.
Eventually, I started a new group with some of the Moms from my girls school. We too had a wonderful group and I had a wonderful time with these women.
It was my once a month Girls Night Out. I particularly loved hosting the parties.
Unfortunately, when I started selling Real Estate, I found I needed to get a sub too often, and felt with the new career, something had to give. I stepped out of my Bunco Group. (I should have hung on!)
It's been more than ten years since playing. I miss it so. I miss the sisterhood. I miss having a Girls Night Out. It was fun and I laughed a lot.
Last year, I contacted a couple of gals that I played with that I knew also had stepped out over the years. We started making plans to get a new group together. Somehow, that fell through. I have mentioned to friends and they usually sound interested, but we haven't done anything about getting a group started.
I need to get busy, and get one started. I am gonna do it! I am going to try to bring 12 women together that can commit to once a month, Girls Night Out, of playing, chatting, laughing, and crying together.
Have you played? Have you heard of it? Read on if you want more info. Maybe you can start a group in your corner of the Blogworld. All you just need nine dice and a handful of luck. Grab your friends - this game usually consists of three sets of four players.
Bunco is popular particularly among middle-aged housewives As it is played today, Bunco is a social dice game involving 100% luck and no skill (there are no decisions to be made), 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.
Bunco was originally "8-Dice cloth", a dice game in 18th-century England. It was imported to San Francisco as a gambling activity in 1855, where it gave its name to gambling parlors or Bunco parlors, and more generally to any swindle. After the Civil War the game evolved to a popular parlor game. During the 1920s and Prohibition, Bunco was re-popularized as a gambling game, often associated with a speakeasy. Law-enforcement groups raiding these parlors came to be known as "Bunco squads". Bunco as a family game saw a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s.
