How to play Shut the Box: which tiles to shut

Shut the Box looks like pure luck, but which tiles you shut each turn makes a real difference to how far you get.

The rules

Nine tiles numbered 1 to 9 start open. Roll two dice, then shut any open tiles that add up to the total. Keep rolling until every tile is shut or you can’t make the total. Once 7, 8 and 9 are shut, you may roll one die instead of two. Shut all nine to win; otherwise your score is the sum of the open tiles, and lower is better.

Shut the high tiles first

The 7, 8 and 9 can only be shut with big rolls. Small tiles can be shut by almost any roll. So when you roll a 9, shut the 9 rather than 5 and 4.

Use fewer tiles

Shutting one tile keeps more small tiles open for later, flexible rolls. Choose 8 over 6 and 2, and 7 over 4 and 3.

Know the likely rolls

With two dice, 7 is the most common total (1 in 6 rolls), then 6 and 8, then 5 and 9. Totals of 2 and 12 come up only once in 36 rolls. Keeping tiles that match likely totals open gives you more chances.

Rolling one die

Once 7, 8 and 9 are shut, one die gives totals from 1 to 6, perfect for the small tiles left. If 6 or more is still needed in total, two dice may still be better.

How often can you win?

Even with perfect choices, only about one game in ten ends with every tile shut. A score under 10 is a good result.