The Perfect Family Game That Keeps On Giving

If you work with OHi, you need to meet our personal ray of sunshine, Cheryl Verhulst. She always has a warm smile, remembers your name, and can find a way to connect with you, even if it's by knowing your cousin’s husband’s sister’s best friend. She will go to the ends of the earth (or at least Chicago) for you. The same is true for her family. Married to Michael for 33 years, they have a 27-year-old daughter and a 17-year-old son. They host the day before Christmas Eve and Christmas day (because if there is anyone in the world who can host two parties, it’s Cheryl). Her first party always has a full schedule of Bunco, Oven Mitts, and ugly Christmas sweaters.

Bunco is a hilariously fun game for family and friends to enjoy together. Here are Cheryl's instructions for a fun night of Crazy Bunco that you can play anytime during the year!

How To Play Verhulst Family Style Bunco

The longest running Verhulst game tradition is Crazy Bunco. After a family death, Cheryl decided to adopt the game introduced to her from a high school buddy. “It felt like we needed something because my dad died… we were sad and missing him, and I thought it would be nice to do something fun to bring some laughter.” Seven years later, the game is still being played.

In order to play, you’ll need three dice and a wrapped gift from each person playing (Cheryl recommends setting a budget). Once you’re ready to play, everyone can take a seat in a circle on the ground in the living room or basement
For the first round, decide on a person to start, we suggest the person with the nearest birthday, and pass them the dice. In round one, each one rolled is worth one point until you reach 21 points. Keep rolling until you roll no ones. For Example, Aunt Ruby rolls first and rolls two ones. She gets two points and keeps rolling. She’s rolled three times and is up to 5 points, but then, when she rolls no ones, she passes the dice and the five points to the next person. Whoever rolls the 21st point selects a gift from the pile and leaves it unwrapped.

Then you move on to round two. Every two rolled is worth one point until you reach 21. The person to reach twenty-one gets the prize

• For round three, each three rolled is worth one point. The first person to reach 21 gets a prize
• For round four, each four rolled is worth one point. The first person to reach 21 gets a prize
• For round five, each five rolled is worth one point. The first person to reach 21 get a prize
• For round six, everything changes. Just kidding. Each six rolled is worth one point. The first person to reach 21 gets a prize.
• If you have more than six people playing, start again with the ones.

We haven’t mentioned the most important part: how to get a Bunco. You’re probably thinking, ‘what even is a Bunco?’ It is the rare occurrence of rolling three of the number coinciding with that round. For example, it is round five; your forehead is damp with perspiration; you’ve only gotten two points so far, and no presents. Suddenly, you roll three fives. Immediately, you jump up and down screaming ‘BUNCO’ and pick the present you’ve been eyeing all night. Now you gleefully move on to round six.

While the odds of that happening are probably one in a million, you may have better luck locking in a mini Bunco. All you have to do is get three of a kind for any number. However, the reward is only five points.

Once all the gifts are distributed, you may look around the room and notice that some people have 3 and others have 0. It can be disheartening. But have no fear, because it is time for “Crazy Bunco”. For crazy Bunco, playtime goes down to four minutes with two dice. Set an iPhone timer and get ready for intensity to ensue. Anyone who rolls a 7 or 11 can take anyone’s prize away during the four minutes. Once the time is up, you’ll reassess the situation and find that the presents are still not equally dispersed. So, in the spirit of Christmas, anyone with extra presents chooses the one they want to keep and gives away their extra presents to those with none.

The claws will come out because everybody inevitably starts to steal the same gift over and over (even without knowing what is wrapped inside). Warning: laughter is guaranteed.

Once all rounds of Bunco are over, the family sits in a circle to open each gift and say who it is from. Here’s the kicker, hidden in one Verhulst family gift is a stinky, old gym shoe. Whoever gets the shoe signs their name and the year they won the delightful surprise. The following year, they are tasked with wrapping it with their Bunco present.

For The Non-Bunco Enthusiasts

If Bunco sounds too complicated or crazy, you can try a different Verhulst favorite: The oven mitt game. Wrap a nice present using lots of tape. The more tape, the harder to open. Grab a pair of oven mitts, a Christmas hat, and two dice. To start, have a person wear the mitts and the hat. They try to get the present unwrapped while the person next to them tries to roll doubles. Once doubles are rolled, the hat, mitts, and present are passed to the person who rolled doubles. This continues until the gift is completely unwrapped. The one to completely unwrap the present wins.

However, instead of the oven mitt game, the Verhulst family is venturing out on a new frontier with an ugly Christmas sweater murder mystery. Each family member received a digital invitation with the character they were assigned. They have to play their role for most of the night, including dinner. Cheryl is this year’s town gossip (side note: this is the complete opposite of her true character). Luckily, her husband is the news reporter so they’ll be able to talk frequently. 



Regardless of the activity, this close-knit family is sure to hold joy close in the warmth of their home during the holidays. 

From our family to yours, we’re wishing you love, joy, and peace through the rest of 2018, and a very happy new year!

About OHi

There are endless possibilities for creating your dream home,  and OHi has been helping families in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs remodel their homes since we founded our family business in 1900. Our expert team members will help you find design inspiration and carry out your vision. We’ve been improving our neighborhood one home at a time through expert advice, exclusive products, and exceptional service. Check out our portfolio, or contact us to speak with an OHi family member about your remodel!