Shut the Box
Roll the dice. Shut the numbers.
The pub classic with nine numbered tiles: roll two dice, flip down tiles that add up to the roll, and keep going until the dice won’t fit. Shut them all and you have shut the box. Here is everything you need to know before you sit down.
- Free practice
- No sign-up
- Play in your browser
Join a Game Room
Shut the BoxGot a room code?
- Players
- 1 or more
- You need
- A box, two dice
- Style
- Roll and choose
- Goal
- Lowest score
What is Shut the Box?
Nine tiles. Make them all disappear.
Shut the Box starts with nine tiles, numbered 1 to 9, all standing up. Each roll of the dice gives you a total, and you flip down any tiles that add up to it: an 8 could take the 8, or the 7 and 1, or the 5, 2 and 1.
You keep rolling until a total can’t be used. Then add up the tiles still standing: that is your score, and lower is better. Flip every one down and you have shut the box.
The practice table
Try itLearn it with the dice in your hand.
Play a solo game with our Classic rules. Tap the tiles to shut, and the coach shows the best choice for every roll, worked out exactly, with the score you can expect to finish on.
- Quick game plays 3 rounds. Full game plays 5. Beat your best, lowest wins.
- Turn the coach off when you want to play it straight.
- No account, no host, nothing saved but your best score.
Scoring chart
| Left open | Score |
|---|---|
| Nothing: you shut the box | 0 |
| 1 and 2 | 3 |
| 2, 3 and 5 | 10 |
| Everything: 1 to 9 | 45 |
Round 1/3Lower is betterBest: –
The box
Two dice.
Round 1 of 3. Roll the dice.
From here you can expect to finish on about 11.0.
Quick rules
- Nine tiles, 1 to 9, all open. Roll two dice.
- Shut any open tiles that add up to the roll: an 8 can shut the 8, or 7 and 1, or 5, 2 and 1.
- Keep rolling and shutting until a roll can’t be used. Then the round is over.
- Once the 7, 8 and 9 are all shut, you may roll one die instead of two.
- Your score is the total of the tiles still open. Lower is better. Shut them all and you have shut the box: 0.
- Our practice table is solo: add up your score over 3 or 5 rounds and beat your best.
Found a bug, or a rule that feels off?Tell us in our Discord →
A little history
A pub game with a lid.
Shut the Box has been played in pubs and on kitchen tables for generations, often with a wooden box of hinged tiles and a felt tray to roll in. It also goes by names like Canoga and Batten Down the Hatches.
We teach one Classic version, the standard rules, and show it before every game.
Fun facts
- The nine tiles add up to 45, so that is the highest score you can have. Lower is better.
- A roll of 8 could take the 8, or the 7 and 1, or the 5, 2 and 1.
- Flip every tile down and you have shut the box.
- Some tables read the open tiles as one number, so 2, 3 and 5 would be 235. We add them up.
Why people love it
Quick, and so satisfying.
Every roll is a choice.
An 8 can shut four different ways. Picking the right one is the whole game.
Clack.
Flipping tiles down never gets old.
Play alone or together.
It is a fine solo game, and a fine way to settle who buys the next round.
Rare glory.
Shutting the box happens about one round in ten. Everyone remembers it.
How to play
Roll. Add. Shut.
Setup
- Players: one or more. Our practice table is solo.
- The box: nine tiles, 1 to 9, all open.
- Dice: two standard six-sided dice.
- A turn: roll and shut until a roll can’t be used.
Winning
Your score is the total of the tiles still open when your turn ends. Lowest score wins, and shutting the box scores 0.
- 1
Roll two dice
Add them up.
- 2
Shut what adds up
Flip down any open tiles that add up to the total. One tile or several.
- 3
Roll again
Keep rolling and shutting as long as each total can be used.
- 4
One die, late
Once the 7, 8 and 9 are all shut, you may roll one die instead of two.
- 5
Can’t use the roll?
Your turn is over. Add up the tiles still standing.
These are our Classic rules, and they'll be shown in every room before the game starts. Printable rules card →
Lessons
Learn it in a few minutes.
5 quick lessons, one idea each. Make the call, see why it works, and move on. Your progress is saved in this browser.
Shut what adds up
You roll a 5 and a 3. Which tiles can you shut?
Scoring
Lowest wins.
Add up the tiles still open when the dice won’t fit.
| Left open | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing: you shut the box | 0 | |
| 1 and 2 | 3 | |
| 2, 3 and 5 | 10 | |
| Everything: 1 to 9 | 45 |
Our Classic rules add up the open tiles. Some tables read them as one number instead (2, 3 and 5 would be 235), or count how many are left.
Strategy
Play it smart. Then play it feral.
Tip 1
Big tiles first.
Only big rolls can shut the 7, 8 and 9. Take them while you can; the small tiles are easy to close later.
Tip 2
Take the 9 when you can.
Rolled 11? The 9 and 2 beats the 8 and 3, even though it spends a small tile.
Tip 3
One die for small tiles.
With only small tiles left, one die hits them far more often than two.
Tip 4
Two dice for the middle.
Tiles like 4, 5 and 6 are often best left to two dice, which can shut two at once.
What would you do?
One decision. Every day.
A new Shut the Box puzzle every day, the same for everyone. Solve it, then send it to the group chat and see who gets it right.
Want more? See today's puzzles for every game →
Your path to game night
Learn it here. Play it with friends.
Finish the lessons or win a practice game and you're ready to sit down at a real Shut the Box table with your people.
The Feral Worlds community
Play-testing Shut the Box? Tell us in Discord.
Found a bug, a rule that feels off, or a house rule your family swears by? Our Discord is where we collect play-test feedback, and where game nights are starting to happen.
Glossary
Talk like a regular.
- Tile
- One of the nine numbered flaps, 1 to 9.
- Open
- A tile still standing. Open tiles count against you.
- Shut
- Flip a tile down. Shut tiles must add up to the roll.
- Shut the box
- Shut every tile: a perfect 0.
- One-die rule
- Once the 7, 8 and 9 are shut, you may roll one die.
- Round
- One turn of rolling and shutting, at our practice table.
The Feral twist
Still under the hat.
Every game can be played Classic. In Feral mode, the host writes the house rules: more tiles, the one-die rule, how the score counts. We'll show you what Shut the Box can do when it's ready.
In the Dice Games pack
Shut the Box is on the ballot.
Backers vote on which dice games join the Dice Games pack. Owning the pack means every one that joins is yours too.
$9.95, one time, to host every game in it. Playing is always free. Packs go on sale when the full game launches.
Shut the Box is on the ballot
Save me a seat.
Hear when the Kickstarter opens so you can vote Shut the Box into the Dice Games pack, and when you can host it with friends.