- Score sheets
- Dice games
- Shut the Box
Shut the Box score sheet
Roll two dice and flip down tiles that add up to the roll, until you roll a total you cannot make. Your score is the sum of the tiles still open, and the lowest score wins. Close all nine and you have shut the box, which wins on the spot. Print the free Shut the Box score sheet below, or let the Scorepad keep it.
- Two dice
- Tiles 1 to 9
- One turn each
- Lowest score wins
Tabletales is free on iPhone and iPad.
This is the real Scorepad, live, set to Lowest wins: the tiles still open, added up on the keypad. Tap any score to change it.
Shut the Box
A pub dice game where you roll two dice and flip down numbered tiles that add up to the roll; whatever is still open when you get stuck is your score, so low is good, and closing every tile wins outright.
Shut the Box on BoardGameGeek.
How to play Shut the Box, in brief
All you need for Shut the Box is two dice and a row of tiles numbered 1 to 9. You try to flip every tile down, and whoever leaves the lowest total standing wins.
- Start with every tile upEach player gets one turn with the box, and every turn starts with all nine tiles open.
- Roll and shutRoll both dice and add them up. Close any open tiles that make that total, then roll again.
- Stop when you’re stuckYour turn ends when no open tiles add up to the roll. Count what is still open and pass the box on.
- Lowest winsOnce everyone has played, the lowest total wins. Close every tile and you win on the spot.
What is left standing is what you score.
The tiles you could not close are your score. Add up the numbers still open when you get stuck: a low total is good, and closing every tile beats any score.
What your turn is worth
| At the end of your turn | Score |
|---|---|
| Tiles still openAdd their numbers: the 1 and the 8 left open is 9 | Their sum |
| Tiles you closedThey score nothing | 0 |
| Every tile closedYou have shut the box | You win |
| A roll of 9, for exampleClose the 9, or 8 and 1, or 5 and 4, or 6, 2 and 1 | Your choice |
- Roll and closeRoll two dice and close any open tiles that add up to the total. A roll of 7 could close the 7, or the 6 and 1, or the 4, 2 and 1.
- Drop to one dieMany tables let you roll a single die once the 7, 8 and 9 are all closed. Agree on it before you start.
- Stop when you are stuckWhen the dice show a total you cannot make from the open tiles, your turn is over.
- Add up what is openYour score is the sum of the tiles still open. Lower is better.
- Shut the box to winClose every tile and you win at once. Otherwise, when everyone has had a turn, the lowest score wins.
Jonas leaves the least open.
Four players, one turn each, and nobody shuts the box. The table plays with the one-die rule once the 7, 8 and 9 are closed. These are the scores on the Scorepad above.
| Player | Tiles left open | Score |
|---|---|---|
| You | 1 2 3 9 open, stuck on a roll of 81 + 2 + 3 + 9 | 15 |
| Mara | 1 8 open, stuck on a roll of 61 + 8 | 9 |
| Dev | 4 6 9 open, stuck on a roll of 74 + 6 + 9 | 19 |
| Jonas | 7 8 9 closed, so one die; 3 4 open, stuck on a 53 + 4 | 7 |
Lowest wins, set once.
Tabletales is a scorepad and scrapbook for game night. In Shut the Box, pick Lowest wins, then type the tiles each player left open. Tabletales adds them up and gives the trophy to the smallest score.
- Pick Lowest winsEvery new game starts on Highest wins, so switch it to Lowest wins on Who played? or with the chip in the Scorepad.
- Add the tiles on the keypadIn Totals, type each score, or type the open tiles the way you count them (1 + 2 + 3 + 9) and Tabletales adds them up. A shut box is a 0.
- Longer games, round by roundPlaying several rounds? Switch to By hand and give each round a row. Set Play to a score to 100, and a total that reaches it gets a flag.
- And the night is keptSave it with who played and a photo of the box. Each game gets a history: how often you play it, who with, and who holds the best score.
- Everyone who was there
- Photos from the table
- Shut the Box, with its scores
Common Shut the Box scoring mistakes
- Playing one die’s numberThe tiles you close must add up to both dice together. A 3 and a 4 is a 7: close the 7, the 6 and 1, the 3 and 4, or any other set that makes 7, never just the 3.
- Switching to one die too soonUnder the usual rule you roll one die only once the 7, 8 and 9 are all closed.
- Scoring the closed tilesYour score is what is still open, so a good turn ends with a small number.
- Letting the first to 100 winIf your table plays several rounds to 100, reaching 100 is bad news: UltraBoardGames has that player lose, and Wikipedia gives the game to the lowest total.
Shut the Box scoring, answered
- How do you score Shut the Box?
- When you roll a total you cannot make from the open tiles, add up the tiles still open. That sum is your score, and the lowest score wins.
- What happens if you shut the box?
- If you close all nine tiles, you have shut the box, and under the usual rules you win the game on the spot.
- When can you roll one die in Shut the Box?
- Many tables let you roll a single die once the 7, 8 and 9 are all closed. It is a common rule but not a universal one, so agree on it first.
Shut the Box score sheet
Print the Shut the Box score sheet for a longer game: four players and fifteen rounds, with each round’s open tiles and a running total.
Score another game
Tables differ. In a game of several rounds, UltraBoardGames adds each round to a running total until someone reaches 100, and that player loses; Wikipedia also mentions dropping out at 45. Digital scoring reads the open tiles as one number (1 and 8 open is 18); the Scorepad holds that while five or fewer tiles are open. Some boxes have 10, 11 or 12 tiles. None of the sources gives a tiebreaker, so a tie is a shared win, and in Tabletales everyone tied gets the trophy. Rules checked on 19 October 2026 against Wikipedia, UltraBoardGames and dice-play.com.
Keep score tonight. Keep the night for good.
Tabletales adds up every hand, then saves the whole night: the games, the scores, the photos and who was there.
