Shut The Box (Large) – Classic Game

Shut the Box (also called Canoga, Klackers, Batten Down the Hatches,Kingoball and Jackpot), is a game of dice forone or more players, commonly played in a group of two to four for stakes.Traditionally, a counting box is used with tiles numbered 1 to 9 where each canbe covered with a sliding mechanism.

History

Unconfirmed histories of the game suggest a variety oforigins, including 12th century Normandy (northern France) as well as the mid20th century Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey) thanks to a man known as Mr.’Chalky’ Towbridge. There is also a printed evidence of a dicegame known as “shut the box” being played in Manchester pubs in the mid-1960s. Some say that for more then two hundredyears it has been a favorite game among the sailors of France, who hadintroduced it to other countries through the seaport fraternity.Shut the Box was also the basis of a popular TV quiz show “High Rollers” duringthe 1970’s and the 1980’s. The game is also very popular in the beer bars of Thailand using special rules.

Rules

At the start of the game all levers or tiles are “open“ (showing the numerals 1 to 9).

During the game, each player plays in turn. A playerbegins his or her turn bythrowing or rolling the dice into the box. If the sum of theremaining open tiles is 6 or less then die should be used, otherwise, the player mustroll both dice.

After throwing, the player adds up the pips (dots) onthe dice and then “shuts” (closes/ covers) one of anycombination of open numbers that equals the total number of dots showing on the dice.

• For example, if the dice show 2 and 6 (the total number of dots is 8), the player may chooseany of the following sets of tiles to shut, as long as their sum equals the sum ofthe dots shown by the dice (in our example, 8), therefore the options are:

To shut tile 8 or to shut tiles 7 and 1, or to shuttiles 6, 2, or to shut tiles 5, 3, or to shut tiles 5, 2, 1, or to shut tiles 4, 3, 1.

Note: Only ‘open’ tilescan be shut (closed). Once a tile is closed the player cannot reopen it.

The player then rolls the dice again, aiming to shutmore numbers. The player continues throwing the dice and shutting numbers untilreaching a point at which, given the results produced by the dice, the playercannot shut any more numbers. At that point, the player scores the sum of thenumbers that are still uncovered. For example, if thenumbers 2, 3, and 5 are still open when the player throws 2 and 4 (6 dots), the player’s score is10 (2 + 3 + 5 = 10). Play then passes to the next player.

Note: The scored numbers are bad points (are thosenumbers you did not shut). In order to minimize your bad score you may want tohave some strategy added to your moves (like for example shutting the biggernumbers first… etc.).

After every player has taken a turn,the player with the lowest score wins.

If a player succeeds in closing all of the numbers, heor she is said to have “Shut the Box” – the player wins immediatelyand the game is over.

You can also change the rules as you and the otherplayers see fit. For example, many players decide to continue playing in turnsand the game is over for a player when reaching 45 (bad) points. The otherplayers may continue to play until there is one player left – the winner!

Great family game! Fun is guaranteed!

Note: Inner color may vary.