Shut the Box
Shut tiles that add up to the roll. Fewest points left wins. Best of 3 rounds, lowest score wins.
Shut the Box is a traditional dice game in which you roll two dice and shut numbered tiles that add up to the roll. Keep rolling until you can't shut any more, and the player with the lowest total of open tiles wins the round.
Roll two dice, then flip down your own tiles that add up to the roll: the 9, or the 4 and the 5? Keep going until a roll can't be made, and leave fewer points open than the other player.
Also known as Shut the box dice game, Tric-trac, Canoga.
- How you hold it
- Face-off
- Match
- Best of 3 rounds, lowest score wins
- Length
- About 20 to 40 seconds a round
- Play
- Friend or bot
How to play Shut the Box: quick rules
About 20 to 40 seconds a round, 1.5 to 3 minutes for best of 3. Full rules, options and bot levels are further down.
- 1Tap to roll the dice.
- 2Tap your tiles that add up to the roll, then tap Shut.
- 3Keep rolling until a roll can't be made. Your open tiles are your score.
- 4Lowest score wins the round. Shut every tile to win it at once.
Shut the Box rules
Setup
- Each player has their own box of tiles numbered 1 to 9 (1 to 12 with the Tiles option), all open at the start of a round.
- Your score is the sum of your tiles that are still open, so lower is better.
- Round 1 starts with a coin toss in a new match, or with the player who lost on a rematch. After that the starter swaps every round, replays included.
A turn
- Roll two dice. Once all your tiles above 6 are shut, you roll one die instead.
- Shut any of your open tiles that add up exactly to the roll: tap tiles to lift them, tap again to put one back, then tap Shut. Shut only works when the lifted tiles add up to the roll.
- Tiles that can still help make the roll carry a small dot, and a plate shows your lifted total against the roll.
- Keep rolling and shutting until a roll can't be made from your open tiles. Then your box is done and your score is locked.
- With the classic Full box order, the other player then plays their whole box the same way.
Winning a round
- When both boxes are done, the lower score wins the round.
- Shut every tile and you win the round at once with a score of 0, even if the other player hasn't rolled yet.
- Equal scores mean the round is replayed. A round is never drawn.
- The first to win 2 rounds takes the default best of 3 (1 round for Single, 3 for best of 5).
- Every roll, the bot's included, comes from fair dice that are never adjusted.
Hints against the bot
- Playing the bot outside a tournament, after each roll you can spend 20 coins on a hint. It rings the best tiles to shut for two seconds without lifting them.
- One hint per roll, and none with a friend, online or in a tournament.
Extras
- Re-roll token
- On by default. One token each per round: tap it to throw again instead of shutting, and if you get stuck still holding it, it saves you once automatically.
- Swap each roll
- Off by default. The turn passes after every shut instead of playing a whole box, so neither player knows the final score to beat.
- Shut wins the match
- Off by default. Shut every tile and you win the whole match, not just the round.
- Tiles 1 to 12
- Off by default. Bigger boxes with tiles 1 to 12; you switch to one die once 7 to 12 are shut.
Tips to win at Shut the Box
- 1Shut your high tiles early. The 7, 8 and 9 can only be made with two dice, so leaving them open late is risky and costly.
- 2When you have a choice, shut fewer tiles with bigger numbers: a 9 alone is usually better than 4 and 5.
- 3Keep a spread of small tiles open. Low numbers like 1, 2 and 3 give you more ways to make the next roll.
- 4Save your re-roll token for a bad roll, not a merely awkward one. If you get stuck while holding it, it saves you once anyway.
- 5With Full box turns, playing second tells you the score to beat, so you can judge how much risk to take.
Where Shut the Box comes from
Shut the Box is a traditional dice game whose exact origins are uncertain. It is often linked to sailors and fishermen in northern France and has been played in pubs and homes in Europe for well over a century, under names such as Tric-trac and Canoga.
Controls
Phone flat between you. Each player owns a half, and the far half faces the far player.
- One button in your dock does the next thing: roll the dice before a roll, then Shut once your lifted tiles add up.
- Only your own open tiles respond on your turn. The other player's tiles and shut tiles never do.
- Your re-roll token sits at your own corner of the box and lights up after a roll.
- Taps while the dice tumble or a box shakes are ignored.
Options
Every option is free. Defaults are marked.
| Option | Choices | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Rounds | SingleBest of 3 (default)Best of 5 | |
| Re-roll token | OffOn (default) | Extra: one re-roll each per round. |
| Turns | Full box (default)Swap each roll | Extra: Swap each roll passes the turn after every shut. |
| Shut wins the match | Off (default)On | Extra: a shut box wins the match, not just the round. |
| Tiles | 1 to 9 (default)1 to 12 | Extra: 1 to 12 gives each player 12 tiles. |
Play Shut the Box against the bot
The bot plays Blue with the same fair dice. It rolls, lifts its chosen tiles so you can see them for a moment, then shuts them. It only uses its re-roll token when the automatic save kicks in.
Easy
Often shuts any set that works at random; otherwise it shuts the fewest tiles it can, highest first.
Normal
Shuts the fewest tiles it can, highest first, with the odd random choice.
Hard
Always shuts the set that leaves it the lowest expected score.
Online, tournaments and hints
- Online
- PlannedShut the Box is turn-based and online play for it is planned, but not available yet. Today you play a friend on one phone or the bot.
- Tournament
- Can be drawn in a tournamentIn a tournament it is best of 3 rounds with tiles 1 to 9, Full box turns, the re-roll token on, and no hints.
- Hints
- Stuck against the bot? A hint lights up the strongest move for a few coins. Never with a friend, online or in a tournament.
Coming soon
- Online play. Play Shut the Box against a friend on another phone, with a clock on each action.
How it feels
- A dice rattle and a felt thud as the dice land in the well.
- A wooden tick as you lift a tile, and a clack per flap as they tip back on their hinges.
- Shut every tile and the flaps slam, a brass lid drops and "Shut!" stamps at both ends.
Accessibility
- Tiles are labelled buttons with engraved numbers; tiles you can use carry a dot, not just a colour.
- The plate shows your lifted total and the roll as numbers, and both are announced.
- With a friend, Blue's tiles and plate face Blue.
- With reduced motion on, flaps fade between states with no shake or slam.
Shut the Box questions
Roll two dice and flip down any of your numbered tiles that add up to the roll. Keep going until you roll a number you can't make; the tiles left open are your score, and the lower score wins.
Shut the high tiles first and, when you have a choice, shut fewer tiles. Small tiles left open give you more ways to make the next roll.
You win the round straight away with a score of 0. With the Shut wins the match extra on, you win the whole match.
The dice are luck, but choosing which tiles to shut on each roll is skill, and the bot's Hard level plays that choice perfectly.
Yes. Shut the Box in Duo Clash is built for two players on the same phone. Phone flat between you. Each player owns a half, and the far half faces the far player.
Yes. The bot plays Blue with the same fair dice. Choose Easy, Normal or Hard.
Play Shut the Box on one phone
Free on Android. Sit face to face, or take on the bot on Easy, Normal or Hard.
