Oh, I’d heard about Bunco before, even subbed in a group once. But last week marked the first time I had ever shaken the dice as an honest-to-goodness member of a bunco group.
“What’s next, Mahjong?” asked my son Charlie-the-New-Yorker when I told him how excited I was to play the game.
“I feel like Bunco is the Midwest’s answer to Mahjong,” I said.
Am I right?
Here’s what I know about Bunco:
- It can be spelled three ways – Bunco, Bunko or, hilariously, Bonko.
- It’s the easiest dice game I ever played. (Oh Craps! Now you know I have dabbled in other dice games).
- Even for the most competitive among us, it’s really just a backdrop for neighborliness and nibbles.
- It’s fun!
The group that kindly added me to its tables would be intimidating in any other setting. These are confoundingly competent people. Want proof? Like many empty nesters, Mary and her husband Pete have been traveling around the country in a state-of-the-art camper THEY BUILT THEMSELVES!
Crimeny! I can’t even change a tire.
But, I can count to six and that makes me qualified to play Bunco (though I will admit to a rather embarrassing scoring snafu when I inadvertently tracked the wrong player). They forgave me. Whoot whoot!
Here’s to Bunco! And cute little pencils! With erasers!
Most of all, here’s to friendship and the simple ways we all celebrate it.
Let’s roll!
