Bunko is a simple enough game: Go to a friend’s house for a couple hours, throw three dice in hopes that at least one will land sowing what’s needed to win one point, eat too many brownies and cookies and go home.
The first time I played, I felt so awful whenever I threw a loser that I had to eat a lot of brownies to soothe my pain. In my misery, I looked at the roomful of women and decided if I couldn’t win, at least I could have fun talking.
So I tossed the dice when they were handed to me and asked how my partner’s job was going.
I was discussing the opponent’s recent illness, when a new partner took the score pad away from me, “Joan, you’re giving the points to them. It’s bad enough when a person cheats for their own team, but when you begin cheating for the other team, it’s time I took over.”
I cheerfully yielded the score pad. It had only been a distraction to my conversations anyway. With the 12 players changing partners and tables each round, I barely had time to converse, let alone keep score.
Then, one of my partners said, “Come on Joan. At least think about throwing twos.”
Well, I tried. You know how some people say, “If you can believe it, if you can see it, it is yours?” I looked at the center of the table where the dice were thrown. I visualized all three with two dots.
I believed it. I saw it. I threw the dice. A 5, a 4 and a 3 landed.
I passed the dice on and the rest threw twos. When it was my turn again, I believed it, I saw three dice with tows. I got one two, one point for us.
As the opposing team member took up the dice, I started to ask, “How’s your new house?” when she threw a trio of twos. “Bunko!” an automatic 21 points. Unless my team threw the same thing before the end of the round, they would win.
My next turn, I concentrated, shaking the dice, as I said, “I can see three twos right in the middle of the table.” I threw the dice, six, four and one.
I shoved the dice at the ‘them’ player. She threw another Bunko and their team soared ahead another 21 points.
They won the round and advanced to the next table.
With a new partner and a new set of ‘them,’ the former ;us’ explained what had happened to the new players.
I decided it was a fluke that would work for our team as well as theirs. I tried visualizing a bunko of threes.
It worked wonderfully – for the other team. Again the other team came up with a rare two bunkos in one round. I quit visualizing. I decided I would enjoy the excellent brownies and cookies while playing one losing round after another. At least I would win whatever the surprise was for the loser of the evening.
Now that the visualization worked! I lost 15 of the 18 rounds and sang a song I learned years ago:
“Hurrah for the worst
From the bottom up
He’s first
He’s not just someone
In the pack
He never found the knack
Of coming out on top.
He’s something quite apart –
He’s WORST!
I may have been the worst, but I got exactly what I wanted. An evening with friends and the losers surprise – a plate of brownies and cookies.