Shut the Box
Roll two dice and flip down tiles that add up to your roll.
How to play Shut the Box
Shut the Box is an old pub and sailor game played with two dice and a wooden box. The box has a row of tiles numbered 1 to 9. You roll the dice and flip tiles down. The fewer tiles you leave standing, the better you did.
Goal
Flip down as many tiles as you can. If you flip down every tile, you have shut the box and your score is a perfect 0.
Turn by turn
- Press Roll to throw two dice. Add them up.
- Tap open tiles that add up to exactly that total. A roll of 9 can shut the 9, or 4 and 5, or 1, 3 and 5, and so on. You may use as many tiles as you like.
- Press Shut to flip the chosen tiles down. Then roll again.
- When the 7, 8 and 9 are all down (7 to 12 on the big box), you may roll just one die if you want. This is often safer when only small tiles are left.
- When no group of open tiles adds up to your roll, your turn is over.
Scoring
Your score is the total of the tiles still standing. With 2, 3 and 6 left you score 11. In the digits option the tiles are read as one number instead, so the same tiles score 236. Low is good either way.
Solo and vs computer
In Solo each game is one turn. Try to beat your best score, which is saved in your browser. The Hint button lists every legal choice and marks the best one.
In vs Computer you and the computer take turns for five rounds. Each round you both start with a full box. After five rounds the lower total wins. If anyone shuts the box, they win the match at once.
Options
Choose 9 or 12 tiles, sum or digits scoring, and whether the one-die rule is on. On a keyboard, press 1–9 to pick tiles (0, - and = for 10, 11 and 12), Enter to shut them, R to roll, O to roll one die and H for a hint.
Strategy tips
- Shut the high tiles first. The 7, 8 and 9 are hard to clear late in the game, while small tiles can be made in many ways. When in doubt, use one big tile.
- Use fewer tiles per roll. Keeping many small tiles open gives you more ways to answer the next roll.
- Know the common rolls. With two dice, 7 comes up most, then 6 and 8. Totals of 2 and 12 are rare. Keep tiles that can still make the middle totals.
- Switch to one die at the right time. Once only tiles up to 6 are left, one die is usually better when the open tiles add up to 6 or less.
- Watch the digits score. In digits scoring, leaving the 1 open is very costly, because it becomes the first digit. Clear small tiles early in that mode.
Shut the Box FAQ
What is a good score in Shut the Box?
Anything under 10 is a good turn with 9 tiles. Perfect play scores about 11 on average, and you shut the box roughly one time in ten.
When can I roll only one die?
When the one-die option is on and the tiles from 7 up are all shut. You then choose between one or two dice before each roll.
Can I undo a move?
Yes, while it is still your turn you can take back the tiles you just shut and choose again with the same dice. Once your turn is over the score stands.
How strong is the computer?
Easy picks any legal tiles at random. Medium picks tiles that keep the most rolls possible for next time. Hard works out the lowest expected score over every roll still to come.
