Bunco: The Perfect Game for Networking
Bunco might be a perfect networking game.
I recently hosted an “investor Bunco night” at my house, and – if I do say so myself – it was a blast and overall success.
Time is money – and since we’re all busy, I firmly believe in the value of efficient networking. I wanted to host a networking event that felt different and steer clear of a possible “travel 45 minutes to sip sparkling water and maybe have one meaningful conversation.” The goal was simple: gather a group of sharp investors, catch up on industry trends, share a few launches, and make sure that everyone left feeling energized and connected.
But what exactly is Bunco? Almost all 12 attendees had never heard of it, and no one had ever played it.
Overview and rules:
Bunco is a luck-based dice game. It is entirely random; there is no skill involved.
Each table has 4 people and 2 teams; 2 people on each team.
The perfect number of players is 12 but you can also play with 16 or 20 if you want to go wild.
For each round, you roll 3 dice, and you want the dice to match the round number. If it does, you get a point. For example, if it is round 1, and you roll a 1, that is one point.
A “bunco” is when all 3 of the dice rolled to match the round number. For example, if we’re rolling in round 1, you want all 3 dice to land on a 1.
Buncos seem more rare than they actually are. We had 3 buncos during the night and each was a true thrill.
If you put any points on the board during your roll, you continue to roll until none of the dice match the round number, and it moves to the next round.
The game ends when someone at the “Queens Table,” the first table, scores 21 points.
At the end of the game, the team with the highest score moves up a table, the team with the lowest score moves down a table, and as teams move to a new table, everyone changes partners.
You can think of it like Uno. Easy to learn, mindless, and a game with a smooth cadence that still requires enough attention to keep everyone engaged.
I won’t get into all the details of the night, but here are a few shout-outs:
The Weather – it was the first sunny day in London in maybe 9 months.
The Attendees – we had 12 investment venture partners from across industries and sectors. Thank you all for attending!
The Winners and Losers – Bertie Highmore from Blue Wire Capital had an all-star night, claiming both a winner’s and loser’s prize. Andy Chung from Tiny VC and Bertie were a pair for the final round, and Andy’s score got them the victory. But individually, Bertie ended up with the lowest rolling score of the evening, which also won a prize! Haha, it was an amazing outcome. Great lesson in choosing the right partners :)
The Rollers – Vedika Jain from the Weekend fund had a hot hand, crushing everyone else’s score for a sweeping “top score” victory.
We started each game with an icebreaker to get the conversation going. All in all, it was a great change of pace from the usual event with the thrill of luck-based gambling.
The plan is to host one every ~6 months or so in London and also take it on the road to other Chapter One hubs: Los Angeles, SF, and New York.
If you ever want some inspiration or tips on how to host your own Bunco night, email me!
Until next time – may the dice gods ever be in your favor!