What is the Head Table in Bunco?
Knowing a thing or two about the rules of Bunco will make it a lot easier for you to understand the Head table purpose, so please, take a look at our Bunco rules page as well. That being said, let’s explain the meaning of the “Head” table.
The Head Table or the Winning Table in Bunco
When playing with a large group of people in Bunco, you will have a head table. If you are playing with 12 people you will have three tables set up, that’s 4 people to a table. If you have more people, no problem, just add enough tables for the people that you have. One table will be the head table.
The head table establishes the pace of the game.
A round is finished as soon as a couple sitting at the head table accumulates 21 points or rolls a BUNCO. It really doesn’t matter if the other tables table higher scores, the round only ends when the head table reaches 21. The head table should ring a bell to let everyone playing know the round has ended.
The head table can be referred to as the winning table
Depending on the number of people playing, or your luck of the evening, it may take a while for you to get to the winning table. It’s always fun to see how many rounds you can last at the head table. When the round ends, the after-round shuffle will begin.
“After-Round Shuffle”
After the bell has been rung, because one of the teams at the head table reached 21, it is time to change seats. Different groups have different rules as to who moves. From the head table, the losers move onto the next table. The winners generally stay at the head table. It will be up to your group if you allow the winners to stay partners, or if you should separate.
It has to go without saying people love to see how long they can stay at the head table.
How everyone else changes tables
The first thing you may need to do is to decide the direction of how the tables will rotate. A clockwise rotation is very easy to do. You may want to make table cards for the group to number the tables. It’s a great idea before starting the game if you let everyone know which table is the head table, and the order of the tables.
Now, when it comes to the other tables you must decide how everyone else should advance to the next table. Some groups have winners leave to advance forward, other groups have losers leave.
For the people remaining at the table, one person should change their seat so they do not have the same partner the next round.
All the shuffling might sound a bit confusing at first, in reality, it’s very easy. By continually switching partners you get an opportunity to meet everyone playing.
Enjoy your next game of Bunco!