Category: Bunco Supplies

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February Bunco Ideas

February is such a fun month for Bunco themes!  Of course the most popular theme is typically Valentine’s Day.  This is our fourth February as a group and our first time having a Valentine’s Day theme.  Red and pink hearts are fun but I prefer more creative themes for February.  Don’t worry we will still talk about Valentine’s Day Bunco:)

One of my favorite themes for February was Souper Bowl Bunco.  I hosted this fun event!  I love making soup, so I made some of my favorites, chicken noodle, fire roasted tomato and a pot of chili.  The rest of the group brought things that go with soup, such as cornbread, crackers, rolls, salad and sandwiches.  As usual there was an abundance of delicious food.  A football game was playing on the television and football themed decorations and table cloths made it even more festive. People wore football jerseys and t-shirts of their favorite team.

Another out of the box February theme is Chinese New Year.  This year it falls on January 31st, so you could do this theme for January or February. Fun decor can be found at party stores.  Using red and black dice at each table is really festive.  We did potluck for this theme and people brought Asian specialties such as fried rice, lo mein and egg rolls.  Of course there were fortune cookies at each table.  We had fun reading our fortunes.   You can package fortune cookies for each person to take home as a party favor.  I found cute takeout containers with Asian designs to put the prizes in.  I think the gals liked the containers better than the prizes!

Last but not least, Valentine’s Day Bunco. Red and pink dice at the tables would be perfect for this theme, along with some pink and red chocolate covered candies.  These red dice inflatables would be perfect to replace your fuzzy dice with that night for snake eyes or travelling.  They could even be used as prizes.  You could  have a dessert theme along with Valentine’s Day, or a chocolate theme.  A chocolate fountain or fondue would liven up the party as well.

What is your favorite February Bunco theme?  Let me know on the Bunco Game Shop Facebook page.  Also, enter our monthly giveaway!

Keep Calm and Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty

 

 

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Bunco: House Rules



If you have played Bunco with more than one group, chances are each group had its own rules.  Most groups play with the main Bunco rules and prizes. Bunco being when three of a kind is rolled in the Round of a specified number, i.e. triple threes rolled when rolling for threes.  The typical Bunco prize categories are Most Buncos, Most Wins, Most Losses, Most Three of a Kinds (aka Baby Buncos) and 50/50.  We also award prizes to first and last Bunco, three losers (second chance drawing), whoever rolled the most 123 (we keep a tally throughout the game) and Snake Eyes.

What is Snake Eyes you ask?  Well, Snake Eyes is what our group does to shake things up a bit.  If you roll triple ones when not rolling for ones it is a Snake Eyes.  What happens next?  Well, you and your partner lose all of your points in the round you are currently playing.  You then yell, ‘Snake Eyes!!’ and the person with the fuzzy die throws it to you.  Whoever has the fuzzy die at the end of the game wins a prize.  In my current group I provide the prize but in my previous group the person who won Snake Eyes brought the prize for next months game.  I have played with a group who used a fuzzy die for ‘Traveling’.  When someone rolled triple threes when not rolling for threes they were given the fuzzy die and whoever had it at the end won a prize.

Another difference from group to group is who moves to what table after each round.  According to The World Bunco Association, The winning team from Table 2 goes to the “Head” table and the winning team from Table 3 goes to Table 2. The losing team from Table 2 goes to Table 3 and the losing team from Table 3 stays at the table, but one player moves over one chair so they will have a different partner. This is too confusing for me!  For the last three years my group has just had the losers move to make things easier.  Well, lately people have been complaining (and rightfully so) that the winners should be moving closer to the head table.  So, last night I made up some cute Pink Ribbon themed table signs to let people know where to move for our Bunco this month.  It was so fun, I may make some each month to go with our themes!  Hopefully I will have some happy Bunco Gals this month!

What are your groups rules?  How do you move from table to table?  Do you have a topic you’d like me to cover in a future blog spot?  Let me know on our Facebook page.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Keep Calm and Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty

 

 

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Pink Ribbon Bunco

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

It is the perfect time of year to throw a Pink Ribbon Bunco party.  A party such as this can be held as a fundraiser or as your monthly Bunco group’s theme.  Your Bunco group could decide to forgo it’s winnings this month and donate.

I have been to both types of Pink Ribbon Bunco.  Bunco for Breast Cancer is an annual event held in my city.  It is held on the patio of a Mexican restaurant and there are hundreds of players.  It is so much fun and great prizes are given away.  I won an amazing Pampered Chef basket one year and another year  set of neckties for my husband.

My Bunco group has also had a Pink Ribbon Bunco theme in the past and we are planning another one later this month.  Everyone gets into the spirit and wears pink!  I will be decorating my chandelier with these adorable pink ribbon lanterns.  Our Bunco sheets will be printed on pink paper (of course!) and each player will have a cute Pink Ribbon pen on a rope.  The head table will be playing with novelty pink ribbon dice .  I can’t wait until the ladies see these!  Also, a friend of mine who sells awesome organizational products will be  at our Bunco game. There will be prizes such as pink key fobs and lanyards wrapped in mini Pink Ribbon bags.  One lucky player will go home with a prize from a giveaway!

No Pink Ribbon Bunco party would be complete without  some pink drinks like pink lemonade or a pink lady cocktail.   Bowls of pink treats would be fun to snack on.  Think pink candy coated chocolate pieces, pink malted milk balls, licorice, etc.  Pink paper plates, napkins , cups and tablecloths are a must too.  Pink Lemonade cupcakes would be a festive addition to the dessert table.  I made these cupcakes for a baby girl shower and they were both pretty and delicious.

My group uses two Bunco necklaces  during our games.  The necklaces change depending on the theme.  For October Bunco we will be using these fun Pink Ribbon Bunco necklaces.  They are sturdy and will be fine being tossed across the room.  They can be used again at next year’s Pink Ribbon Bunco game! If you get the first Bunco you get to wear a necklace throughout the game and you get your money back.  The other necklace we pass around each time someone gets a Bunco and the person with the last Bunco wins a prize.

Are you going to have a Pink Ribbon Bunco this month?  Have you had one in the past?  Let me know about it on our Facebook page.

Keep Calm and Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty

 

 

 

 

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Fall into Bunco: Fun Autumn Theme Ideas

Fall is officially here.  Pumpkin flavored beverages and desserts are already everywhere.  Even though I live in the desert and the weather is still quite warm, thoughts of fall bring hope of cooler weather and fun get-togethers with family and friends like Halloween and Thanksgiving.

This will be the fourth fall that my Bunco group has been together.  We have played  Harvest Bunco, Halloween Bunco (twice) and had an Apple themed Bunco.  I always coordinate the color of our Bunco sheets according to the monthly theme.  For Halloween Bunco I use orange and green paper, for Apple themed Bunco, red and green and for Harvest Bunco, gold, light brown and green.  This time of year there are cute fall paper products available: plates, cups, napkins, etc. which add to the festive atmosphere.

Another fun thing about fall themes are the endless food and beverage possibilities.  For Harvest Bunco we had mulled wine (check out these cute wine charms), for Apple Bunco we had hot spiced cider and for Halloween Bunco the hostess put dry ice in the punch and it looked like witches brew.  We have potlucks at our games and the ladies are very creative!  One of my favorite recipes for fall is a pumpkin dip I found on Allrecipes.com.  I made it for my Brownie Troop last week and one of the girls asked if she could lick the bowl!  Best of all it is inexpensive and easy to put together.  It tastes great served with apple slices, ginger snaps and/or Nilla Wafers.

Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

1/4 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

In a large bowl, mix together instant vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in the thawed frozen whipped topping. Chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Prizes for Fall Bunco are fun to coordinate with the theme.  Some of my favorite prizes are seasonal dish towels, candles, welcome signs and aprons.  This Halloween Dice Bracelet would be a perfect Bunco prize!

What Fall Bunco Themes (Halloween, Harvest, etc.)have you done with your Bunco group?  What are your favorite prizes and recipes for Fall Bunco themes?

We have been having technical issues with leaving comments on the blog, so please let me know your thoughts on The Bunco Game Shop Facebook Page

Keep Calm and Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty

 

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My Favorite Things Bunco Theme

Brown paper packages tied up in string these are a few of my favorite things!  We all know that beloved song which is an inspiration for my My Favorite Things Bunco theme.  I am planning a My Favorite Things Party for my 40th birthday.  I am finding out how hard it is to know exactly what my favorite things are.  There are so many times when I compromise because I am sharing food with someone or because I am a mom and I put others needs before my own.  Well, this party is for ME and I am having fun planning it!  Of course we are going to be eating my favorite appetizers, main dishes and deserts.  We usually have Bunco potlucks but I will be providing the food since it is based around things that  I like.  Also, my mom will be visiting and she will be making some of my favorites for the party (baked ziti and cabbage rolls, yum!).

A My Favorite Things Party is more than just having the guest of honor’s favorite foods, colors, etc.  When you invite your friend’s to your Bunco party, you will ask them to each bring a wrapped item that is one of their favorite things.  You can set a price limit ($5, $10, $15) which works best for your guests.  Before you play Bunco, write each guests name on a slip of paper, fold it over and put into a bowl. These pens would be perfect to use for your Bunco game! After you are done playing Bunco, or whatever time works for you, gather your fellow Bunco players and start the gift exchange.  The way it works is that each person will choose a name from the bowl.  Whichever name the person chooses is the gift she gets to take home.  It is so fun to see what everyone’s favorite things are!  You can have each guests bring more than one gift if you like.  You would just add each person’s name according to the amount of gifts that were brought.  If each person brought three gifts, their names would be put into the drawing three times and everyone would leave with three items, fun!

At my party, I will be sending everyone home with one of my favorite things.  M&M Cookie Mix in a Jar.  One of my favorite childhood sweets was the sugar butter cookie with M&M’s.  You know, the giant one’s sold at the mall. I used to go to the mall a lot as a tween!  Here is an awesome recipe to make your own cookie mix in a jar from the blog Organized Christmas.  My favorite colors are green, pink and orange, so I incorporated them into the jar packaging.

Have you ever been to a my Favorite Thing Party Bunco?  If so, tell me about it in the comments.  If not, what would you bring if you were invited to a My Favorite Things Bunco Party?

Keep Calm and Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty

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Bunco Theme Favorite: Birthday Bash Bunco

A Bunco Game Shop Facebook follower threw an amazing surprise 91st Birthday Bunco Bash and it got me thinking of one of my favorite Bunco themes: Birthday Bunco!  In February a friend of mine in my Bunco group turned 40.  So, we held a Gold Lamé Soirée Bunco which was a fun 1970s theme.  We took it seriously!  The ladies in my group all wore sparkly gold shirts and of course there was Disco music in the background.  I bought  everyone  a disco ball necklace and we rocked them!

Usually we have a potluck but I decided to make the food since the theme was so fun! I immediately thought of the quintessential 1970s food: fondue. But after talking with the birthday girl, came up with doing a salad bar and soup.  I found an inflatable salad bar online and filled it with ice so that it kept all of the salad fixings cold.  I had everyone’s favorite toppings, lettuce, pasta salad and a variety of dressings.  I also made one of my favorite soups, Fire Roasted Tomato (see recipe below).  It is easy to make the day before and then warm in the slow cooker a few hours before the party starts.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon  olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cans (14.5 oz each) fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can can (14 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 cup whipping cream

In saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, broth, 1 tablespoon of the basil, the sugar and pepper flakes. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes.  I use an immersion blender and blend the soup directly in the pot. If you are using a regular blender, let soup cool before blending, about 15 minutes.  After blending, add soup back to pot, stir in cream and remaining 1 tablespoon basil.  It tastes great with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese on top!

After playing two rounds of Bunco in which the birthday girl wore this cute tiara, we took a dessert break. We had the birthday girl’s favorite cupcake, homemade German Chocolate.  One of our players brought some gourmet ice cream to go with it.  Delicious!  As a nod to our 70s theme we had punch, both spiked and not, with sherbet floating on top.  Classic!

My 40th is coming up in a few weeks and I am throwing myself (with some help from friends) a Bunco Birthday Bash!  It is a fun Neon Tea Party theme.  I am having fun planning this event!  I found some cute neon pink, orange and yellow water bottles.  I will be tying neon balloons on some and making flower arrangements in the others.  I also plan on using these dice for some extra fun! I am really looking forward to it.  I will post pictures and let you know how it went!

A Bunco Game Shop Facebook follower, Charlyn, sent me some awesome food pictures from one of her bunco parties.  I am posting them here.  I am sure they will provide inspiration for many.  I think I may make the cupcakes for my Bunco Birthday (using carrot cake–my fave!).  The cream cheese appetizer with adorable spreaders looks amazing too!

What is your favorite Bunco theme?  Do you have any ideas for a Birthday Bunco Bash?  If so, I’d love to hear from you.  Leave a comment below.

Keep Calm and Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty

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Bunco Game Food Style

The Bunco group that I belong to is one where we have a potluck meal before we play.  We basically have it down to a science: we eat for 45 minutes and then play two rounds of Bunco. Next, we eat dessert for ten minutes, play one round of Bunco, pass out the prizes and then play LCR (which is optional).  Whew!  We have ladies who love to chat and some who just want to get the show on the road. After three years of playing with mostly the same people we have figured out what works best for us as a group.

We are a large group and typically play with 18 to 24 people.  One time we had ten people bring dessert.  I was hosting and was left with way too many cakes and pies for a family of four to eat!  Now we limit it to four people bringing desserts, this way we don’t have an overabundance.  I have heard of groups who take turns being the hostess and she provides the food for her assigned Bunco game.  This sounds like fun and a great way to host for smaller groups.

Our potlucks do not include main dishes.  Our games are usually held at 2pm on Sunday afternoons so we prefer appetizers and snack foods. We have some really good cooks who play with us!  One of my favorite snacks to bring (I get requests for them!) are Cinnamon Candied Cashews.  They are easy to make and delicious.

Cinnamon Candied Cashews
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups raw cashews
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Line a baking sheet with a silicon mat.  Put the nuts, sugar, water, and salt into a large skillet over high heat.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, and cook until the water is nearly evaporated and the liquid becomes syrupy, about 10 minutes.    After 10 minutes, sprinkle the cinnamon over the nuts and stir well.  Continue stirring constantly while the water evaporates completely, about 5 minutes.  When there is no longer any sugar syrup left in the bottom of the pan, turn off the heat and stir the nuts vigorously but carefully in the pan until the sugar seizes up and the nuts are evenly coated with crystallized sugar.  Turn the nuts out onto the silicon mat and spread evenly.  Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

If you put treats on the Bunco tables these nuts would be a great addition to your routine snacks.  They would look so cute on these Dice Plates. We used to have a lot of chocolate and hard candies on the Bunco tables.  The ladies in my Bunco group do not have much willpower when it comes to snacks being at their fingertips, so we have done away with anything too sweet on the tables.  Now we  have nuts or dried fruit to munch on and occasionally the candied nuts above for a treat.

Does your Bunco group have potlucks or rotate hostesses who provide a meal?  Do you have snacks on the Bunco tables?  Let me know, I’d love to hear from you!

Keep Calm and Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty
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Favorite Bunco Themes–Dirty Dancing Bunco

I was thinking about the (many) Bunco games I have played in the last eight years.  One of my most favorite Bunco games that I planned was Dirty Dancing Bunco.  It was the 25th anniversary of the beloved movie and I thought it would be fun to throw a Bunco party with a  Dirty Dancing theme.

Of course we had, you guessed it, the Dirty Dancing DVD on in the background.  We had the sound turned down and the movie soundtrack CD playing.  Everyone loved it and sang along!  I also gave Dirty Dancing DVDs and CDs away as prizes for Snake Eyes as well as  first and last Bunco.  Our group gives the first person to get a Bunco her $5 back as well as a prize.  They get to wear a fun themed necklace until we hand out prizes at the end.  If you roll triple ones when you aren’t rolling for ones, it is called Snake Eyes.  Whoever rolled it loses all of  her points in that round and must yell Snake Eyes. Whoever rolled the last Snake Eyes throws the plush fuzzy die (like this awesome one from Bunco Game Shop) to her and the person who has the die at the end wins a prize.

I brought watermelon cake pops for dessert (remember when Baby carried the watermelon into the dance hall?) They were so cute and a big hit.  Here is the (easy) recipe:

1 box white cake mix (or your favorite recipe)
Water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix box
1/4 teaspoon pink paste food color
3/4 cup vanilla frosting (ready made or your favorite recipe)
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
32  Lollipop sticks
1 bag (16 oz) green candy melts or coating wafers, melted
1 bag (16oz) white candy melts, melted
block of foam or cakepop holder

  • Heat oven to 350°F.
  • Spray 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray.
  • Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 13×9-inch pan, using water, oil and egg whites and adding pink paste food color.
  • Cool completely.
  • Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. I like to use two small cookie sheets from the dollar store. They fit nicely in my small freezer.
  • Crumble cake into large bowl.
  • Add frosting and mini chocolate chips; mix well.
  • Shape into 32 oblong balls to look like watermelon; place on cookie sheets.
  • Freeze until firm, at least an hour.
  • When cake balls are firm, transfer to refrigerator.
  • Remove several cake balls from refrigerator at a time.
  • Dip tip of 1 lollipop stick 1/2 inch into melted white candy and insert stick into 1 cake ball no more than halfway.
  • Dip each cake ball into melted candy to cover; tap off excess.
  • Poke opposite end of stick into foam block.
  • Let stand until set.
  • Dip each cake ball into melted green candy to cover; tap off excess.
  • Return sticks to foam block. Let stand until set.

What is your favorite Bunco theme? Do you use  Snake Eyes in your Bunco game?  What are some of your favorite Bunco rules? Let us know.  We would love to hear from you.
Keep Calm and Play Bunco,
Bunco Betty

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Birthday Bunco Bash Finger Food Ideas

One of our fans, Christina, is celebrating a fellow Bunco players 91st birthday with a Birthday Bunco Bash this month.  She would like to serve finger foods and needs some ideas.  Well, I have some tried and true favorites for you from the free download of the Bunko Junkie Appetizer cookbook available here.  There are 150 awesome appetizer recipes in this FREE download from Bunco Game Shop, so download your copy today!

This crunchy mix is a great addition at each Bunco table for snacking throughout the evening:

All-American Bunko Snack

3 cups thin pretzel sticks
4 cups Wheat Chex®
4 cups Cheerios®
13 ounces can salted peanuts
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup melted butter

In large mixing bowl or slow-cooking pot, mix together pretzels, cereals, and peanuts. Sprinkle with garlic salt, celery salt, seasoned salt, and cheese. Pour melted butter over all; toss until well mixed. Cover and cook in slow-cooking pot on low 3 to 4 hours. Uncover the last 30 to 40 minutes. Serve as appetizer or snack

Baby Porcupine Appetizers are spicy bite sized meatballs that everyone loves.  They are easy to make and the perfect bite sized Bunco snack. These meatballs would look so festive with these adorable dice party picks from the Bunco Game Shop.

Baby Porcupine Appetizers

1/2 cup rice
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon onions — minced
2 tablespoons green bell peppers — finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 clove garlic
2 cups tomato juice
4 cloves
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Combine rice, ground meat, onion, green pepper, salt, celery salt and garlic; form into balls about 1-1/2 inches in diameter.

Heat tomato juice, cloves, oregano and Worcestershire sauce in skillet. Add meatballs. Cover tightly and simmer for 50 minutes. Remove cloves before serving.

 
Another popular finger food is chicken wings.  These Parmesan Chicken Wings are easy to make, baked not fried and delicious!  Bunco guests will love them!

Parmesan Chicken Wings

1 cup Freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Heaping — finely chopped fresh Parsley
1 tablespoon Fresh — oregano or marjoram
Chopped or 1 tsp. of either
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Fresh ground pepper
2 pounds Chicken wings cut up
1/2 cup Butter melted

Preheat oven to 375 deg. Mix cheese,parsley,oregano, salt and pepper together and place on a dry tray. Dip each piece of chicken into the butter,then roll in the cheese mixture,coating well.

Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes,turning when brown. Wings will freeze well. Thaw in refrigerator,and heat in a 375 deg. oven. Makes 4 main course or 8 appetizer servings.

 

 

Please share if you try any of these recipes and let us know how they turned out.  If you have a finger food recipe that you love, please post the recipe and/or a picture.  I made all of these recipes today and they turned out wonderful! The kids loved the Bunko Snack mix after school today!  It was a fun surprise!

Are you playing Bunco soon?  If so, let us know about it!  There are so many fun products here at BuncoGameShop.com. My group loves the foam dice for roll offs when there is a tie for Most Buncos, Most Wins, etc.  We are having a South Beach themed Bunco this weekend.  The funny thing is that we live in the desert!  I will post pictures next week.

Keep Calm and Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty

 

 

 

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Bunco gifts galore!

Ok, so I’m going to do a “My favorite bunco things” post!

First, I shall share with you some of the great sales we are having currently and I promise you will love them!  All under $10.00!!

Regular price: $12.99
Sale price: $5.99
Crystal Dice Wine Bottle Stopper - Gift Boxed

Regular price: $12.99
Sale price: $6.99
Bunco Center Piece Dice Candle - 5" x 5"

Regular price: $9.99
Sale price: $8.99
Large Acrylic Dice Keychains 1 Dozen

Regular price: $12.99
Sale price: $6.99
I could keep going, but I will fill up the entire page with just sales!  Check it out at Bunco Game Shop!
Things have been going pretty well.  My daughter loves her Gymnastics class and I love watching her!  When I was a little girl that’s all I ever dreamed of but my parents couldn’t afford it.
Work has been going good too!  And guess what?? My dear friend won an all expense paid trip to Wendover Nevada for 3 nights on a radio station and she’s taking me!  WhooHoo!  Mommies weekend getaway here we come!  The trip included the round trip flights for 2 and 3 nights at a casino.  It’s going to be so much fun!  3 nights without kids!  Sounds like a great getaway!  It’s the first weekend of March, so I’m saving my money!  Anyone been there?  I haven’t been to Wendover Nevada…I guess it’s on the border of Nevada and Utah.
Until next time my bunco divas!
Bunco Betty