Shut the Box
Roll the dice and shut open tiles that add up to the roll. Keep going until no tiles fit the roll, or until every tile is down and you have shut the box.
Also try Yacht → Also try Farkle →
How to play Shut the Box
How to play
Press Roll. Tap open tiles whose numbers add up to the roll: one tile or several, such as the 7 or the 3 and 4 for a roll of 7. Press Shut to flip them down, then roll again. When no set of open tiles adds up to the roll, the round is over. Shut every tile and you have shut the box.
One die near the end
Once the tiles still open add up to 6 or less, you roll one die instead of two. The game does this for you: two dice would always total at least 2, and a total above 6 could never be used by then.
Your score
Your score is the total of the tiles you shut: 45 means you shut the box in 1 to 9, 78 in 1 to 12. The sheet also names the tiles left open. In the pub game it is that total left open that counts, and lower is better, so the two ways of counting rank rounds the same.
Boxes and daily
1 to 9 is the classic box. 1 to 12 has twelve tiles and the same rules, and is much harder to shut. The daily game uses the 1 to 9 box, and each roll’s dice depend only on the date and the roll number, so everyone gets the same dice for the same choices.
Questions
What are the rules of Shut the Box?
Tiles numbered 1 to 9 start open. Roll two dice and shut any open tiles that add up to the total, for example the 8, or the 5 and 3, for a roll of 8. Keep rolling and shutting. When no open tiles add up to the roll, the round ends and the tiles left open count against you. Shut them all and you have shut the box.
When do you roll only one die in Shut the Box?
Here you roll one die as soon as the open tiles add up to 6 or less; the game switches automatically. Other common house rules let you choose one die once the 7, 8 and 9 are shut. Either way the idea is the same: near the end, one die can roll the small numbers you need.
What is the best strategy for Shut the Box?
Shut the highest tile you can. On a full box, roll a 9 and shut the 9 rather than 4 and 5; roll a 10 and shut 1 and 9. That simple rule matches perfect play in more than nine out of ten of the choices a round brings. The hint plays perfectly: it works out, over every possible future roll, which tiles leave the least open on average. With perfect play about 11 is left open on average in 1 to 9.
Is there a daily Shut the Box game?
Yes. There is a new daily round on the 1 to 9 box every day. Each roll’s dice depend only on the date and the roll number, so everyone who makes the same choices sees the same dice, and you can compare your score with other players.
Can you always shut the box?
No. The dice decide a lot. Even with the best possible play your chance of shutting all nine tiles is just under 1 in 10. With twelve tiles it is about 1 in 200.